Retaining wall quotation template
Retaining wall quotation template: footing per metre, wall face per m², drainage pipe and gravel, backfill, and a note on any engineer’s design.
Templates by industry
- Excavation and concrete footing, per metre
- Wall build in blocks or sleepers, per m² of face
- Drainage behind the wall: pipe and gravel
- Backfill and compaction
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Excavation and concrete footing, per metre", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Backfill and compaction", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Confirm completed quantities, site photos, agreed test results and any remaining remedial work. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
A retaining wall holds back soil, and soil pushes harder than most clients expect, especially when it is wet. The quotation therefore has to show more than the visible face: the footing it stands on, the drainage behind it and how the space is backfilled. This template prices footing and face by length and area and keeps drainage as a line of its own, so it cannot be quietly dropped to win the job.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Excavation and concrete footing, per metre, Wall build in blocks or sleepers, per m² of face, Drainage behind the wall: pipe and gravel, Backfill and compaction: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Excavation and concrete footing, per metre
- Give the footing width and depth per metre run; for taller walls take them from the engineer’s drawing instead of estimating.
- Wall build in blocks or sleepers, per m² of face
- Say what the wall is built of and its finish, and measure the exposed face, not the buried courses.
- Drainage behind the wall: pipe and gravel
- Name the perforated pipe, the gravel and where the pipe discharges, because trapped water is what pushes walls over.
- Backfill and compaction
- Say which material fills the space behind and whether surplus soil is spread on site or taken away.
- Site and measured quantities
- Record the site, work zones, areas, lengths or counts, and access hours.
- Materials and work stages
- Specify materials, labor, removal, disposal and making-good allowances, and completion criteria for each stage.
- Scope to agree
- Give the length, retained height and wall type, include drainage behind the wall, and say whether the height calls for an engineer’s design and who provides it.
Before sending
- Does “Excavation and concrete footing, per metre” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Wall build in blocks or sleepers, per m² of face” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Drainage behind the wall: pipe and gravel” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 4 more
- Does “Backfill and compaction” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Agree how quantity changes following measurement or drawing revisions will be approved.
- Confirm client-supplied materials and work that other contractors must finish first.
- Check quote validity, the customer approval method and payment milestones.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 4 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation and concrete footing, per metre | 14 × $120.00 | $1,680.00 |
| Wall build in blocks or sleepers, per m² of face | 16 × $165.00 | $2,640.00 |
| Drainage behind the wall: pipe and gravel | 14 × $28.00 | $392.00 |
| Backfill and compaction | 1 × $480.00 | $480.00 |
| Subtotal | $5,192.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $415.36 | |
| Total | $5,607.36 | |
Quoted net amount $5,192.00, sales tax $415.36, quoted total $5,607.36.
What the document must show
The details a quotation has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist
Frequently asked questions
At what height does a retaining wall need an engineer?
That depends on local rules, the soil and what sits above the wall, such as a driveway. Check with the local building office, and if a design is required, quote to it and name the drawing on the quotation.
Can I offer a cheaper version without drainage?
Better not. Water building up behind the wall is a common cause of failure, so price drainage in every option and let the client choose between materials or heights instead.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $415.36 on a net amount of $5,192.00, for a total of $5,607.36. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I download it as Excel, Word or PDF?
Yes. A PDF needs no account: fill in the template and use Print / PDF. The Excel and Word files download from this page with a free account, and the spreadsheet keeps its formulas, so changing a quantity updates the tax and the total.
Can I email it to the customer?
Yes, from your own mail app. With a free account, the editor’s download menu offers Email this document, which opens your mail app with a message about the document already written. QuoteBill sends nothing itself, so save the PDF and attach it before you send.
Read next
Reading for the Retaining wall quotation template: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist and Estimate vs quote: what binds you, with a remodeling example. The VAT and GST calculator adds tax to your quoted prices.