Concrete retaining walls in San Fernando CA - a wall that holds the slope and drains
Slope washing onto your patio, or an old wall starting to lean? We build walls that hold the dirt back and let water out.
What goes into building a retaining wall in San Fernando?
A concrete retaining wall holds soil in place and is built to resist the weight of the dirt behind it, and in San Fernando we build them to level sloped yards, hold back hillsides and keep soil off driveways and patios.
Usually you're calling because a slope keeps washing onto the patio after rain, an old wall has started to lean, or you'd like flat ground for a lawn or a pool deck where there's only hill. The price moves with the wall's height and length, block or poured concrete, how much steel and drainage it needs, what sits above it and how easily we can get a crew to it. The schedule mostly turns on the city permit and its inspections, which we take care of, and your written estimate spells out the prep, the work and the cleanup so you can see where the money goes.
How can you tell a retaining wall needs work?
Most retaining wall trouble starts with water, and a wall usually shows you something is wrong well before it gives up. Here's what homeowners tend to notice first, and what it usually means.
A damp band along the bottom of the wall after rain usually means water is trapped behind it.
White, powdery salt on the face says water is soaking through the wall instead of draining away.
Rust-colored stains below the weep holes point to water sitting behind the wall where it shouldn't be.
A wall that leans forward or bows out in the middle is losing its fight with the soil.
Cracks that keep getting wider, or blocks sliding out of line, usually mean pressure is building behind the wall.
Dirt washing onto your driveway or patio after every storm usually means the slope needs a wall to hold it.
If a wall is leaning or a crack keeps growing, call us at (818) 806-6170 before the next rainy stretch instead of waiting to see whether it holds.
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in San Fernando?
I come out to see the job myself, and our own crew builds the wall with me running it on site. Here's how a wall goes from your first call to the final walk-through.
Call or send a message
You reach us at (818) 806-6170, through the form or at hi@sanfernandoconcrete.com, and we set a time for me to come out. You'll be talking with the person who builds the wall, not a salesperson.
Walk the wall with me
I measure the length and height, look at what sits above the wall and where the water runs, and we talk through block or poured concrete. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the drainage, the work and the cleanup, so nothing on the final bill is a surprise.
Permit, inspections and the build
Once you're ready we set a date and pull the city permit, and since the city doesn't promise to issue it right away, we leave room in the schedule for its review. The building inspector checks the footing, the concrete base the wall stands on, before the wall goes up and signs off again at the end, and our crew works around those visits.
Walk the finished wall together
Before we pack up, we walk the finished wall with you and leave the site clean. Satisfaction guaranteed, and you're welcome to call me with a question long after we're gone.
Get a written estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day. I come out to see the wall, measure it and hear your plans, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation.
- Call
- (818) 806-6170
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Block, poured concrete and the drain behind both
For low walls at garden height, block usually wins on cost and flexibility, since it handles curves and steps easily. Once a wall needs rebar, steel bars set inside to keep the concrete from pulling apart, or carries a surcharge, extra weight like a driveway, a shed or more slope pressing down on the soil behind it, poured concrete is the better pick. I'll talk it through with you based on what your wall has to hold.
Drainage is part of every wall we bid, because a wall that holds back dirt also has to let water out. Gravel backfill or a drainage blanket and a drain pipe carry water down and away, and a Colorado extension guide says structural walls need weep holes, small openings through the face. It all gets buried, so it's the first thing people want to cut and, after my years hauling gravel as a helper, the last thing I'd cut.
A lot of the walls we build around San Fernando and the cities nearby are there to turn a slope into flat ground. If that new level spot is going to hold a shed or workshop on a concrete floor, I plan the wall and the slab together, so water coming off the flat area has somewhere to go besides the back of the wall.
Retaining wall questions we hear in San Fernando
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near San Fernando?
A concrete retaining wall in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $20 to $45 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here, not our price. Taller walls, poured concrete with steel, heavy drainage needs and hard-to-reach yards push a job toward the top of that range. I'll measure your wall on site and put your own figure in writing.
Do I need a permit to build a retaining wall in San Fernando?
Yes, the city requires a building permit before anyone builds, or substantially alters or repairs, a fence or wall, and the permit comes from Building and Safety. We pull it and work with the city through plan check and inspections. If your question is about wall height or an exemption, Building and Safety is the office to ask.
What causes retaining walls to fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water or soil moisture builds up pressure behind the wall. Wet dirt pushes a lot harder than dry dirt, which is why the drainage behind the wall matters as much as the concrete in front.
Can I put a fence on top of a retaining wall in San Fernando?
You can, but in a setback area, the open strip the city keeps along a property line, the wall and the fence on top together have to stay within the height limit for a freestanding fence or wall. So tell me about the fence at the first visit, because it changes how tall we can build the wall itself.
How do I find out if my property is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether it lies in a mapped earthquake hazard zone. It's worth doing early, because a property in a seismic hazard zone may need a study of that hazard, and steps to reduce it, during permitting.
What kind of contractor builds concrete retaining walls in California?
A concrete contractor does, and California's Contractors State License Board has a license class for contractors who form, pour, place, finish and install concrete work. We're licensed and insured, I look at every wall myself, and our own crew builds it with me on site.
Other concrete work that often goes with a wall
Concrete pool decks
Once a wall turns a slope into flat ground, a pool deck often comes next, and planning both together keeps the deck's runoff away from the wall.
Concrete floor installation
If the new level ground is going to hold a shed, workshop or room, a properly prepared concrete floor gives it a flat, solid base from day one.
Send us a few photos of your wall
Have your address, the wall's rough length and height, and photos of any existing wall handy when you call (818) 806-6170 or send the form, so I show up already knowing what we're looking at.
Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM