Serving 42 DFW Communities Since 2011
Retaining Wall and Pool Removal Questions, Answered
The questions homeowners across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex actually ask us — about how a project runs, what it costs, who does the work and what happens if something goes wrong. If yours is not here, call Nathan Rodriguez and ask him directly.
- Price Quoted Is GuaranteedThe written quote is the price. No change orders once we start.
- We Handle All Permits & PaperworkCity submittals, engineering and inspections — all of it, start to finish.
- 5-Year WarrantyOn the wall structure. In writing, on every job we build.
Request Your Free Quote
Same-day or next-day, across the metroplex.
Jump to What You Need
Quotes & Pricing
How the quote works, why the number does not move, and how you pay.
How a Project Runs
Scheduling, access, utilities, sprinklers, and what your yard looks like afterward.
Your Site & Soil
North Texas clay, drainage, fence lines, HOAs and neighbors.
Warranty & Insurance
What the 5-year warranty covers, and who carries the risk on your property.
Retaining Walls
Failing timber walls, materials, heights and engineering.
Pool Removal
Full vs partial, disclosure, and what you can build afterward.
Quotes & Pricing
What to expect before you commit to anything.
What actually happens at the free quote visit?
Nathan comes out, walks the site with you, takes measurements and looks at the things that decide the price — slope, drainage, soil, and how equipment gets in. You get a written quote with the scope spelled out. There is no cost, no deposit and no obligation, and he will tell you if he thinks the job does not need doing.
Do I need to be home for the quote?
It helps, because most of the useful decisions come out of a conversation in the yard. If you cannot be there, Nathan can still assess the site and walk you through the quote by phone. For gated properties or a locked back yard, we do need arranged access.
Why do your quotes not change once work starts?
Because the quote is built from a site visit rather than a phone estimate. Nathan has seen the access, the slope and the soil before he writes a number, so the surprises that produce change orders on other jobs have already been priced in. If something genuinely unforeseeable appears underground, we stop and talk to you before anything is spent.
How do I pay, and when?
Payment is arranged directly with Nathan when you accept the quote, and the terms are written into it. We do not ask for the full project cost upfront, and we do not take payment for work that has not been done.
Do you offer financing?
We do not finance projects in-house. Homeowners commonly use a home equity line or a personal loan for larger walls and pool removals, arranged through their own bank — that keeps the borrowing on your terms rather than ours.
How a Project Runs
From accepting the quote to the last piece of equipment leaving.
How far out are you booking?
Quote visits are usually same-day or next-day. The build date depends on the season and whether permits are involved — permitting is the part outside our control, and Nathan will tell you at the quote what the realistic start window looks like rather than promising a date he cannot hold.
Is Nathan actually on the job, or just at the sale?
Nathan Rodriguez is the general manager and he is on site for the work, not only for the quote. That is the reason we stay deliberately small: the person who priced your project is the person who builds it, so nothing is lost between the two.
How much of my yard gets torn up getting equipment in?
Some access damage to turf is unavoidable on most projects — the machinery has to reach the work. Nathan walks the access route with you at the quote so you know in advance exactly which path gets used, and we choose the smallest equipment that will do the job properly.
What about my sprinkler system and buried lines?
We locate utilities before we dig, which is legally required and never skipped. Private lines — irrigation, landscape lighting, invisible fencing, gas to a grill or pool heater — are not covered by public locating services, so tell us where yours run. Sprinkler heads and lines in the work area often have to be moved, and that gets priced into the quote rather than sprung on you later.
Do you clean up, or am I left with the debris?
Removal and disposal of what comes out is part of the job and part of the quoted price. The site is left clean and graded. What we do not do is replace turf, plantings or irrigation across the whole yard afterward — that is landscaping, and we will tell you plainly that it is somebody else’s trade.
Will I need to be home while the work is done?
No. Most homeowners are at work through the build. We need access to the work area and to water, and a way to reach you by phone if a decision comes up.
Your Site, Your Soil, Your Neighbors
The North Texas ground is the reason most of this work exists.
Why does DFW soil destroy walls that would survive elsewhere?
North Texas sits on highly expansive clay. It swells when it takes on water and shrinks when it dries, and that movement happens every year. A wall built without drainage and without allowance for that cycle is being pushed on constantly from behind — which is why leaning and bulging walls are so common across the metroplex.
My wall is leaning but has not fallen. Can it be repaired?
Sometimes, and sometimes a repair is money spent twice. Leaning usually means water is trapped behind the wall or the base was never built for the load. Nathan will tell you honestly which one you have, and he will say so if rebuilding is the better value rather than selling you a repair that buys two years.
The wall is on the property line. Whose problem is it?
That depends on where the wall actually sits and what your plat says, and it is worth establishing before work begins rather than after. We build what is on your property. Where a wall is genuinely shared, the conversation with your neighbor needs to happen first — we are happy to explain the scope to both parties, but we do not arbitrate a boundary.
Do I need HOA approval?
Frequently, yes, particularly in the newer master-planned communities across Frisco, Prosper, Flower Mound and Highland Village. HOA architectural approval is separate from a city permit and it is the homeowner’s to obtain. We will provide the project detail your HOA asks for.
Can you work around my trees?
Usually. Mature trees near a wall line complicate both the excavation and the wall’s long-term life, because roots move as the tree grows. Nathan will tell you at the quote where a tree makes the job harder, where it makes a particular design unwise, and where it simply means working more carefully.
Warranty, Licensing & Insurance
Who carries the risk while we are on your property.
What does the 5-year warranty actually cover?
It covers the structure of the wall we built — the workmanship holding it up. If the wall fails structurally within five years because of how it was built, we come back and put it right. It is written into your paperwork rather than promised verbally, and it does not cover damage from something else entirely, such as a vehicle strike or a neighbor’s regrading.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes — licensed and insured in the State of Texas, and BBB A+ rated. That matters most on the day something goes wrong: an uninsured contractor working a machine near your foundation is a risk that lands on your homeowner’s policy, not theirs.
What happens if something on my property gets damaged?
You tell us and we make it right. That is what carrying insurance is for. It is also why we walk the access route and the utility locations with you beforehand — the best outcome is the damage that never happens.
Does the warranty transfer if I sell the house?
Ask Nathan when he writes your quote, so the answer is in your paperwork rather than in a conversation neither of you can produce later. Homeowners selling within a few years of a wall or pool removal should keep the written scope and permit records with the house — buyers and their inspectors ask for them.
Retaining Walls
Deeper answers live on the retaining wall page — these are the ones that come up after it.
My railroad tie wall is rotting. How urgent is it?
Timber and railroad tie walls went in across DFW decades ago and they are reaching the end of their life in numbers now. Rot at the base, ties pulling away from each other, or soil escaping through the face all mean the wall is already losing the fight. Replacing it while it stands is materially cheaper than clearing a collapse and then rebuilding.
Does a taller wall need an engineer?
Height is what changes the answer. Beyond a certain height a wall stops being landscaping and becomes a structure, and cities require engineering and a permit accordingly. We handle the engineering and the submittal as part of the project rather than sending you to find an engineer.
Can a wall fix the water pooling in my yard?
A retaining wall holds soil; it is not a drainage system, though a properly built one includes drainage behind it. If water is standing in your yard the grade is the problem, and a wall built without addressing it will simply have water trapped behind it. Nathan will say which problem you actually have.
Will a new wall match the stone on my house?
Usually closely, and Nathan brings material options to the quote so you are choosing from what is really available rather than from a photograph. Milsap and Granbury stone are the North Texas natives and they sit well against most local masonry.
Pool Removal
Deeper answers live on the pool removal page — these are the ones that come up after it.
Do I have to tell a future buyer the pool was there?
Yes. A removed pool is a material fact about the property and Texas sellers disclose it. This is the practical reason to keep your permit records and the written scope: they show the removal was done properly and backfilled to spec, which is exactly what a buyer’s inspector will want to see.
Which is right for me, full or partial removal?
It depends on what you intend to do with the space. Partial removal costs less and suits a yard that is going back to lawn. Full removal is the one to choose if you may ever build over that footprint. The pool removal page sets out the engineering difference; the question to answer first is what the space is for.
Can I put a shop, garage or addition where the pool was?
Over a fully removed and properly compacted pool, generally yes, subject to your city’s requirements. Over a partial removal, treat it as a no. That single decision is the reason to think about the next ten years before choosing the cheaper option.
How bad is the mess for my neighbors?
There is heavy equipment and there are trucks, for a few days. We work normal hours, keep the street clear and clean up behind ourselves. Telling your neighbors the week beforehand costs nothing and prevents most of the friction.
Still Not Answered?
Call and ask. Nathan answers questions about projects he has not been hired for, including the ones where the honest answer is that you do not need us yet.
If you would rather not call, send the question through the form and you will get a straight answer back — not a brochure and not a sales sequence.
- Call (817) 993-9446 and ask for Nathan
- Free on-site quote, same day or next day
- No cost and no obligation attached to the visit
Get the answer for your yard, not the general one.
Free on-site quote, same day or next day. The price Nathan quotes is the price you pay, and every wall carries a 5-year written warranty.