I currently have a wood retaining wall along my driveway that is in bad shape due to poor drainage behind the wall.
I want to replace it with an Allan block type wall. The current retaining wall is approximately 4' tall and approximately 55' long. I received one quote and it was almost $10K which seemed high to me. Can anyone recommend a company or person in the Cumming area that does quality work building Allan block type retaining walls?
You definitely want to have the wall installed by a professional to be sure the wall will hold the earth back and drain properly. I'm not familiar with anyone in the Cumming, GA area that specializes in this however, when you are speaking with contractors, here are a few things you may want to keep in mind. ...»
As a rule of thumb when dealing with contractors, always get at least 3 separate bids on your project. Many contractors will come and give a bid for free. You might just throw out the highest and lowest bid costs if they are radically different from the others. The highest guy might be trying to make a quick buck, and the lowest cost guy may not really have the experience to handle to task. Check in with the BBB to see if they have any history.
Some questions to ask them:
- How much will this cost? (Guess that's an obvious one)
- How much experience do these workers have?
- Will they haul away any debris?
- Are they licensed and insured? (Ask for proof for your records.)
- Have they ever had a "mishap?"
- Do you have recent references that I can talk to?
- Has your company ever been a part of some legal action? (Have they been sued by previous customers?)
Best to you, good luck,
JL
For the stone look, there are many vinyl siding, mobile home underpennings that have simulated cedar shake, stone, brick or block look and unless you get right up on them, are virtually undetectable as "fakes!" Hope this helps, keep us posted!
JL
JL