Retaining wall estimator

Your project

mft

1Size and shape32.8 ft · 2 ft

Wall length

= 10 m

Exposed height

= 0.61 m

More options

Outside corners

Inside corners

Curved share of the wall (0 to 1)

2Region and siteQuebec (province) · Sand or gravel · Cut: wall built into an existing slope · Rear

Region

Soil retained behind the wall

Construction

What sits above the wall

Slope above the wall

Slope below the wall

Stream, water body or saturated soil nearby

Near the property line

FrontSideRear

More options

People walk on top (lawn, patio)

Existing surface

Hauled awayKept on the lot

3The productRetaining (holds back soil) · Ora wall · Solino coping

Wall purpose

Wall block

Rinox Ora, installed example — Photo: Rinox

Ora wall

Rinox · 180 mm

460 x 230 x 180 mm

Choose another product (2)

Wall blocks

Ora wall180 mmSolino wall90 mm

Drawn to scale from the formats the maker publishes. Rinox publishes no prices: its products are priced with a sourced estimate.

Cap

Rinox Solino, installed example — Photo: Rinox

Solino coping

Rinox · 90 mm

457 x 305 x 90 mm

Customize the assumptions

Replace our values with yours (a supplier quote, the rental time you plan). The estimate is recomputed and the link keeps your choices.

Turn on JavaScript to change these values.

Price: Ora wall

$ / ft²

Default: 35.29 $ / ft² · allowed 8.82 to 141.16

The unit price before tax your supplier quoted you.

Rental days

days

Default: 2 days · allowed 1 to 14

Mini excavator 1.7 t, Plate compactor, 14 in cut-off saw

Amounts before taxes. GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) are added and shown separately.

Do it yourself, beginner: $12,000*; * Includes your time: 122 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $8,001
Money spent only: $8,000; doing it yourself, before taxes
Contractor, typical: $14,000; $11,000 to $17,000
Break-even, beginner: $50/h; At $35/h: doing it yourself still costs less.

OverviewOverview MaterialsMaterials and rentals HoursHours by step ContractorHire a contractor SourcesAssumptions and sources

Before you digFile a free Info-Excavation request at least 4 business days before you dig.

File a free Info-Excavation request at least 4 business days before you dig.

Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Travaux d'excavation

Height of 0.9 m (buried courses included): under the 0.9 m gravity limit of an inclined wall but over 0.7 m for a vertical wall (Techo-Bloc analogy). Build the wall with the block's setback on every course and confirm the manufacturer's chart; a taller vertical wall needs geogrid or an engineer.

MunicipalityCheck whether your municipality requires a permit or certificate: Laval, Gatineau and Saint-Jérôme require one for every retaining wall.

Check whether your municipality requires a permit or certificate: Laval, Gatineau and Saint-Jérôme require one for every retaining wall.

Source: Ville de Laval, Haie, clôture, muret et mur de soutènement · Ville de Gatineau, Mur de soutènement ou muret décoratif (certificat d'autorisation) · Ville de Saint-Jérôme, Mur de soutènement

Other notes from the calculation (5)

No machine within 1 m of the locate marks: expose utilities by hand.
RBQ licence: subcategory none for this kind of excavation (licence required: false).
The block core volume is not published: clear stone for the cores is not counted (estimate).
Manufacturer gravity limit not published: Techo-Bloc analogy of 0.9 m used (estimate).
No municipal rule on file for this site: rules differ by municipality; confirm before work.

Where the money goes

Before taxes, one scale for both bars.

Do it yourself, money spent

$8,001

Materials$5,487
Equipment rental$1,076
Delivery$188
Disposal$1,250

Contractor, typical price

$14,059

Materials$4,953
Labour$1,347
Equipment and rentals$1,119
Delivery and disposal$1,438
Overhead$3,796
Margin$1,406

True cost: money and time

Before tax, one scale for every bar.

People

Value of one hour$35.05/h

By default, the average hourly wage in Quebec:

Money spentYour time ($35/h)Contractor's rangeTypical price ($14,000)

Do-it-yourself true cost and a contractor's price, before tax
Money, do it yourself	$8,001
True cost, beginner	$12,277
True cost, intermediate	$10,939
Contractor	$11,000 to $17,000 ($14,000)

Your time

Money, hours, days, value of the time and true cost, beginner and intermediate
Measure	Beginner	Intermediate
Money spent	$8,001	$8,001
Person-hours	122 h	84 h
Days of 8 h, 2 people	8 days	5.5 days
Your time at $35/h	$4,276	$2,939
True cost	$12,277	$10,939

Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).

Hiring costs less if your time is worth more than:

$50/h

Based on beginner hours.

At $35/h: doing it yourself still costs less.

Break-even = (the contractor's typical price minus the money spent doing it yourself) divided by your person-hours. Before tax on both sides: GST and QST apply to both.

Actions

Estimates are computed in your browser: no account, and your projects stay on your device. The page link holds your choices: copy it to come back or to share it. "Save this project" keeps it in this browser only, nothing is sent. My projects

Step-by-step guide

Phases, "done when" checks, safety, common mistakes and sources, with your project's quantities.

Read the guide

Do it yourself

What you buy, rent and pay for

Quantities in orderable units, retail prices before taxes, with the source, date and region of every price.

Do-it-yourself cost detail
Item	Quantity	Unit price	Amount
Materials
Block and cap adhesive	2 tubes	$8.99/tube	$17.98$8.99/tube
Clear stone 3/4 in (14-20 mm)	5 t	$43.00/t	$215.00$43.00/t
MG-20 crushed stone (0-3/4 in)	2.5 t	$39.50/t	$98.75$39.50/t
4 in perforated drain pipe with sock	1 coil250 ft · 76.2 m	$249.99/coil	$249.99$249.99/coil
4 in drain rodent grate	1 unit	$3.50/unit	$3.50$3.50/unit
Non-woven geotextile	1 roll563 ft² · 52.35 m²	$139.99/roll	$139.99$139.99/roll
Ora wall	3 pallets + 3 rows107 ft² · 9.93 m²	$35.29/ft²	$3,771.62$35.29/ft²
Solino coping	3 rows36 ft · 10.97 m	$27.50/ft	$990.00$27.50/ft
Delivery
Boom truck pallet delivery	1 trip	$187.50/trip	$187.50$187.50/trip
Equipment rental
Mini excavator 1.7 t	weekendUse: 8.2 machine h	-	$869.28
Plate compactor	1 dayUse: 0.6 machine h	-	$140.76
14 in cut-off saw	4-hour blockUse: 0.8 machine h	-	$66.39
Disposal
Clean soil (sand and gravel) (container)	10.31 t	$625.00/container	$1,250.00$625.00/container

Total before taxes: $8,000.76
GST (5%): $400.04
QST (9.975%): $798.08
Total with taxes: $9,198.88

GST and QST are computed on purchases and rentals; your own work is not taxed.

Notes on prices(5)

Price for "Clear stone 3/4 in (14-20 mm)" out of date since 2025-04-01: confirm with the supplier.
Price for "MG-20 crushed stone (0-3/4 in)" out of date since 2025-04-01: confirm with the supplier.
Price for "delivery.boom_truck" is an estimate (no published price list).
Price for "Ora wall" is an estimate (no published price list).
Price for "Solino coping" is an estimate (no published price list).

Your time

How many hours, at what pace

Person-hours (p-h): a professional's hours times a documented factor for your experience, rework and machine learning included, plus the guide's planning and checks (planning, locate request, permits). The factors are in the assumptions.

Beginner

122 h

about 8 days of 8 h with 2 people

Work: 93.7 h
Rework: 9.4 h
Learning the machines: 1.5 h
Planning and checks: 17.5 h

Beginner: has never compacted a base or cut pavers.

Intermediate

84 h

about 5.5 days of 8 h with 2 people

Work: 67.9 h
Rework: 3.4 h
Learning the machines: 0.5 h
Planning and checks: 12.1 h

Intermediate: has done at least one similar project.

For comparison, a professional: 35.3 h of work, about 2 crew days.

Step by step, from the guide

Each guide step, timed by the same calculation as the total: each task's hours at your level's pace, rework included. Hover a value to see the range.

Hours per guide step, beginner and intermediate
Step	Beginner	Intermediate
1Measure the height and note the loadsguide rate	2.9	2
Choose the block and read its height chartguide rate	1.5	1
2Check your municipality's rulesguide rate	2.9	2
File the locate requestguide rate	1.5	1
Order the materials and plan the deliveryguide rate	2.9	2
3Lay out the wall and its height marksguide rate	2.9	2
Dig the trenchweather	18	12.5
4Compact a level padweather	22.4	15.5
5Lay the courses, the drain and the drainage stoneweather	55.1	38.2
Place the geogrid per the engineer's planguide rate	0	0
Glue the caps and close the topweatherthen 8 h of waiting	7.5	5.2
Clean up and check the wallguide rate	2.9	2
Learning the machines	1.5	0.5
Total (p-h)	122	83.9

The rows add up to the total: 104.5 h of work calculated by the engine, plus 17.5 h of planning and checks at the guide's rate (beginner). 4 steps depend on the weather. Wait before the next step: 8 h. Read the full guide

Detail by calculation task(4)

Detail by calculation task
Task	Pro	Beginner	Intermediate
Trench and leveling pad	7.7	22.4	15.5
Wall construction	18.9	55.1	38.1
Caps	2.6	7.5	5.2
Machine excavation	6.2	18	12.4
Learning the machines	-	1.5	0.5
Total	35.3	122	83.8

Person-hours per task. Beginner and intermediate hours include rework.

Hire a contractor

What a contractor would charge

Range before taxes for the same project built by a crew: labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.

Low

$11,000

Typical

$14,000

High

$17,000

Before taxes · $111 to $175 per ft² of wall face

Where the money goes (typical price before taxes, $14,059)

Breakdown of the typical price before taxes
Materials	35.2%	$4,953
Labour	9.6%	$1,347
Equipment and rentals	8%	$1,119
Delivery and disposal	10.2%	$1,438
Overhead(estimate)	27%	$3,796
Margin(estimate)	10%	$1,406
Typical price before taxes		$14,059
GST (5%)		$702.94
QST (9.975%)		$1,402.37
Typical price with taxes		$16,164

What moves the total

1Contractor overhead
Typical price from $12,653 to $16,104 with this factor
2Labour productivity (wall)
Typical price from $12,703 to $15,954 with this factor
3Contractor profit
Typical price from $12,653 to $15,271 with this factor

Each factor is pushed alone to its low, then high value; the others stay at their typical value.

The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.

Every price, production rate and parameter has a documented low, typical and high value. The range shown starts from the typical cost and combines the swing of each factor taken one at a time, by the root of the sum of squares (independent spreads rarely all land at their extreme together). The stacked extremes stay in the detail. It is not a probability.

Range with taxes: $13,000 to $20,000.

Contractor crew: 35.3 h of work, about 2 days.

Rules in Quebec

Permits, licences and neighbours

What applies to this kind of work, with the source of every rule.

RBQ licence
Height alone does not decide whether an engineer is required. According to the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, a retaining wall falls under the Engineers Act when its design needs a study of materials, depending on its function, height, soil, erosion or slide risk and loads. Municipal thresholds do not replace the Act.
Source: Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Les murs de soutènement
RBQ licence
The RBQ says low walls and landscaping on private land need no licence. For a wall that holds up a driveway, a slope or a building, we recommend hiring a licensed business (subcategory 2.7) and an engineer: the RBQ does not define a height.
Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Guide pour déterminer le besoin d'une licence et la sous-catégorie pertinente : sous-catégorie 2.7, Entrepreneur en travaux d'emplacement
Permit · laval
Laval: certificate of authorization to add or modify a retaining wall, with a land surveyor's certificate of location; at 1.8 m and more, a cross-section signed and sealed by an engineer and a supervision mandate. About 30 days.
Source: Ville de Laval, Haie, clôture, muret et mur de soutènement
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Permit · gatineau
Gatineau: certificate of authorization for a retaining wall (certificate of location and scaled site plan); certificate for a decorative wall over 1.5 m; at 1.8 m and more, measured from the low side, design approved by an OIQ engineer and a guard at least 1,070 mm high.
Source: Ville de Gatineau, Mur de soutènement ou muret décoratif (certificat d'autorisation) · Ville de Gatineau, Règlement de construction numéro 534-2025
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Permit · quebec
Quebec City: maximum height of 1 m in front yards and 2 m in side and rear yards, unless an engineer's sealed plan is filed with a certificate application; at least 1 m between two walls (0.5 m in front yards); at least 0.5 m from the front lot line and 1.5 m from a fire hydrant; list of allowed materials since 2021.
Source: Ville de Québec, Fiche 60 : Mur de soutènement, clôture et talus combinés (juillet 2023) · Ville de Québec, R.V.Q. 1400 : Règlement d'harmonisation sur l'urbanisme
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Permit · terrebonne
Terrebonne: a wall of 1 m or more is a retaining wall for zoning purposes. The certificate requires an OIQ engineer's attestation of stability and safety and a surveyor's topographic survey; in a landslide zone, a geotechnical study.
Source: Ville de Terrebonne, Formulaire de demande de certificat : Mur de soutènement (C-04)
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Permit · saint-jerome
Saint-Jérôme: free permit for every retaining wall; engineer's attestation above 1.5 m.
Source: Ville de Saint-Jérôme, Mur de soutènement
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
Utility locate
Before you dig, file a free request with Info-Excavation. The RBQ asks contractors to file at least 4 business days before the work; it is valid until its end date, 180 days at most.
Source: Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Travaux d'excavation

Assumptions

Calculation parameters

Typical value (low to high), source, date, region and confidence grade of every parameter in the calculation.

See the assumptions(22)

Calculation parameters
Assumption	Value	Source, date, region	Grade
Contractor overhead (share of price)	27% (20% to 35%)
Net profit (share of price)	10% (3% to 15%)
Contractor discount on retail prices	7.5% (15% to 0%)
Crew round trip to the site	1 h	fixed rule	-
Non-productive time per person per day	0.5 p-h (0.25 p-h to 1 p-h)
Job Bank median wages, no CCQ rates	Job Bank medians, no CCQ rates	fixed rule	-
GST	5%	fixed rule	-
QST	9.975%	fixed rule	-
Base hourly wage: foreman	$28.00/h ($22.00/h to $40.03/h)
Base hourly wage: heavy equipment operator	$36.00/h ($24.00/h to $43.40/h)
Base hourly wage: labourer	$21.89/h ($17.36/h to $28.50/h)
Base hourly wage: operator	$36.00/h ($24.00/h to $43.40/h)
Base hourly wage: paver installer	$27.00/h ($20.00/h to $38.00/h)
Time multiplier, beginner	2.65 x (1.88 x to 3.81 x)
Time multiplier, intermediate	1.92 x (1.52 x to 2.44 x)
Rework, beginner	0.1 x
Rework, intermediate	0.05 x
Learning time per machine, beginner	1.5 h (1 h to 2 h)
Learning time per machine, intermediate	0.5 h
People working (do it yourself)	2
Productive hours per day (do it yourself)	6 h
Fuel price	$1.51/L

Region: Quebec · prices as of October 13, 2026 · engine 1.2.0. These three values are enough to reproduce this calculation.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

Every price and parameter on this page points to one of these sources.

1.paysagement (research), Costs: equipment rentals, labour, production rates and contractor sell prices (Quebec, 2025 to 2026)October 10, 2026 · Amérique du Nord · 10 values
2.paysagement (engine plan), Engine parameter registry seed list (estimates with no external source)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 3 values
3.paysagement (research), Quebec landscaping materials, delivery and disposal: sourced reference prices (2025 to 2026)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 3 values
4.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 2 values
5.Patrick Morin, Gant de travail WATSON GLOVES STEALTH, grandOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 2 values
6.Canac, Grille pour drain agricole 4 po (code 106302)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
7.Canadian Tire product page (price read from the search engine's copy of the page)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
8.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
9.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
10.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
11.Lee Vrac Transport, Pierre concassee 0-3/4 DB en vracOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
12.Lee Vrac Transport, Pierre concassee 3/4 net en vracOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
13.Lou-Tec (web catalogue, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
14.Patrick Morin, Adhesif pour beton 300 ml (1252046)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
15.Patrick Morin, Coquilles anti-bruit (Workhorse)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
16.Patrick Morin, Geotextile gris 5 3/4 pi x 98 pi (1402824)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
17.Patrick Morin, Lunette de securite legere (Workhorse)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
18.Patrick Morin, Masque de protection respiratoire anti-poussieres N95, 2/pqt (3M)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
19.Patrick Morin, Tuyau de drain enrobe 4 po x 250 pi (DRAINE475)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
20.Simplex (product page, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
21.Simplex (product page, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
22.Soumission Renovation, driveway paver expansion guideSeptember 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value

Yourself$12,000*Money spent$8,000Contractor$14,000Break-even$50/hbefore taxes, estimate

Good to know before you start

Where the money goes

Do it yourself, money spent

Contractor, typical price

True cost: money and time

Your time

Hiring costs less if your time is worth more than:

Actions

Tools to buy (6)

Step by step, from the guide

Where the money goes (typical price before taxes, $14,059)