Concrete work in Anderson Township, on the hills above the river

Anderson Township's east-side neighborhoods climb the hills between the Little Miami and the Ohio, and nearly every driveway, patio and wall here is a slope problem first. Drainage, footings and walls, then the finish.

Poured concrete retaining wall holding a steep hillside lot below a brick house, drainage gravel and a drain pipe at the base

Anderson Township is the big unincorporated township on Cincinnati's east side, along Beechmont Avenue from the Mount Washington line out to the Clermont County border, between the Little Miami River and the Ohio. It was built up mostly from the 1950s to the 1990s on ground that is anything but flat: ridgetop streets with driveways that drop to the garage, backyards that fall away to a creek, lots terraced with retaining walls. The USGS has documented landslide problems across the Cincinnati area's steep valley walls, and Hamilton County adopted its own excavation and fill rules in 1990 partly because of ground like this.

So the concrete work in Anderson starts with water and slope. A driveway that runs downhill to a garage needs a trench drain at the door and a base that won't wash out. A patio on a sloping yard needs a cut, a fill and often a short wall, with drainage behind it. Steps from the street to the door need footings below frost on a slope that wants to move. And the retaining walls that hold the terraces need rebuilding, with the drainage they never had, and an engineer's design when they're tall or holding a driveway.

Because it's a township, building permits go through Hamilton County Buildings and Inspections (513-946-4550), and driveway aprons on county roads through the Hamilton County Engineer (513-946-8900); Beechmont Avenue is a state route with ODOT's rules. We find out which before pricing, and on steep lots we'll say when an engineer has to look before we do.

What comes up in Anderson Township

Downhill drivewaysDriveways dropping to the garage: trench drains at the door, a base that holds the slope, and a thicker section where the grade changes.

Retaining wallsTerrace walls leaning from decades of water behind them. Rebuilt with footings, drains and an engineer's design when height or load calls for it.

Hillside stepsFlights from the street to the door, rebuilt on footings below the 30-inch frost line, risers evened, rails set in sleeves.

Sloped-yard patiosCut, fill, a short wall and a flat slab, pitched to drain, with the finish of your choice.

County permitsHamilton County Buildings and Inspections for the township; the County Engineer for county-road aprons; ODOT for Beechmont.

Landslide-prone groundSteep lots on colluvium and fill. We don't give geotechnical advice; we say when an engineer has to look first.

Around Anderson Township

Along Beechmont Avenue
The Mount Washington edge
Along Clough Pike
Along Eight Mile Road
The Coldstream and Salem Road area
Along Sutton Road
Newtown and the Little Miami side
The river hills toward New Richmond

Asked in Anderson Township

My driveway floods the garage every storm. What's the fix?

A trench drain across the garage door tied to a drain line, and a driveway re-pitched so water goes to it rather than the door. Often done as part of a replacement.

Who permits a retaining wall in Anderson Township?

Hamilton County Buildings and Inspections for the township, with engineered drawings for walls above the county's threshold or on steep lots. We check before quoting.

Can you pour a patio on a yard that slopes toward the creek?

Yes, with a cut on the high side, fill on the low side and usually a short wall with drainage. The wall is its own line.

Is my lot in a landslide area?

Parts of the township are on the colluvium and fill the USGS describes. We don't assess that; an engineer does, and for tall walls and big cuts we'll say one is needed.

Next door

A price in Anderson Township

Tell us the job and where it is. Someone calls back the same day, an estimator measures it in person, and you get a written price with the thickness, the base and the finish spelled out. Nothing is poured on a verbal.