Concrete retaining walls in Yucaipa CA - built to drain and hold your slope
Slope washing down or an old wall leaning? We build poured concrete walls that drain well and sit on ground that can carry them.
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- Concrete retaining walls
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- (909) 768-8077
How do you know your slope needs a retaining wall?
The wall is leaning out
If the top of an old wall tips toward you or the middle bulges out, the soil and water behind it are pushing harder than it was built to take, and that usually points to a drainage problem. A wall that has started moving keeps moving, and the longer it goes, the more of it has to come out.
Wet ground at the base
Mud, stains or soggy soil along the foot of the wall after a rain, or weep holes that stay dry while the yard is soaked, usually mean water is trapped behind it. That water adds weight the wall has to hold back every storm, so waiting tends to turn a drain fix into a wall fix.
Slope sliding into the yard
There's no wall yet, but soil keeps slumping onto the patio, the side yard or the driveway every time it rains. Each storm takes a little more of the hill, and a slope that has already let go is harder to hold than one that's still in place.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall in Yucaipa?
A concrete retaining wall holds back the ground behind it, so the slope in your Yucaipa yard stays where it is and the ground above or below it becomes flat, usable space. A common kind is the cantilever wall, a steel-reinforced concrete upright that stands on a wide concrete footing, and the work under and behind it matters as much as the concrete you can see.
Most calls start with a hill that keeps creeping onto a patio or a yard that's more slope than lawn. The price mostly comes down to how tall and long the wall is, how deep we have to dig to reach firm ground and how easy it is to get a crew and concrete to the spot. The schedule turns on the dig, whether the job needs a permit and how long the concrete has to cure, sitting undisturbed while it gains strength, before we fill in behind it, and the written estimate I send after seeing your slope spells out what's in it. California's contractor board counts forming, pouring and finishing concrete as licensed concrete work, and we're fully licensed and insured to do it.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough length and height of the wall
- Where water runs after a rain
- What sits above and below the slope
- Photos of the slope from a few angles
How we build a concrete retaining wall
We've been at this since 2013, and sloped yards are the jobs we're known for, so I start where walls usually go wrong, with how the wall will drain, what fills the space behind it and whether the ground can carry it. If the slope calls for an engineer, I'll say so at the estimate, not after we've dug. Then our crew digs down to firm soil, forms the footing and the wall, and ties in rebar, the steel that keeps the concrete from cracking apart under the push of the hill. We pour, let it cure, set the drain and a fill that lets water through, and pack the soil back in behind it. If the budget gets tight, spend it on the footing and the drain before a fancy face, because both are buried on day one and they're what keeps the wall standing.
A new wall usually leaves you with flat ground you didn't have before, and that's the time to decide what goes on it. Some people want concrete pool decks on the new level, others a shed or shop pad that needs concrete floor installation, and planning the grade along with the wall saves digging up the same yard twice.
Work that often goes with a new wall
Concrete pool decks
Got a pool near the slope? A deck on the leveled ground gives you room to walk and sit without water running back toward the wall.
Concrete floor installation
Putting a shed, workshop or garage on the leveled pad? It needs a floor poured over a packed base so it doesn't settle.
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Yucaipa?
Call or send a request
Call (909) 768-8077 or use the form below, and we'll set a time for me to come out and see the slope. We're available weekdays from 7 AM to 11 PM and weekends from 8 AM to 10 PM, so an evening call is fine.
I look at the slope
I measure, check the soil and where water runs after a rain, and ask what you want to do with the ground above and below the wall. Then I send a written estimate that says what's in it, so you see what you're paying for before anything starts.
We build it and walk it
Once you say go, we handle any permit the job needs with you, then our own finishers dig, pour, cure and backfill, usually with me on the job. When it's done, we walk the finished wall with you and tell you when the ground behind it is ready to use.
Questions before you build a concrete retaining wall
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near Yucaipa?
A poured concrete retaining wall in nearby San Bernardino usually costs about $35 to $45 per square foot of wall face, which is the length times the height you see from the front. That's the going rate in the area, not a quote, and a taller wall, hard digging or tight access moves your number. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own slope.
What causes a concrete retaining wall to fail?
Poor drainage is by far the most common reason retaining walls perform badly, and a drainage problem left alone can grow into a wall that fails outright. The fill behind the wall matters too, since a UK highway review cites a study that found clay behind the wall in 51% of the failures it looked at. Ask every contractor how the wall will drain and what goes behind it, and compare quotes on those answers.
What is the best way to drain a retaining wall?
Drains that can be cleaned and kept up over the years work more reliably than plain weep holes, the small holes through the face, which are likely to clog during the wall's life. That same UK review describes a thin layer of free-draining material behind the wall with a perforated pipe along the base feeding short pipes out through the front. If you plan to stay in the house a long time, ask for drains that can be maintained.
Does the soil in my yard matter for a concrete retaining wall?
Yes, because the wall has to sit on ground that can carry its weight and the push of the hill. Highway design guidance from Wisconsin says the common cantilever wall suits firm soil that bears weight well, and on ground that settles or bears poorly the wall may need piles, which are deep supports, or work to improve the ground first. Piles add a lot to the cost, so it's worth knowing before you set a budget.
Can a handyman build a small retaining wall without a license in California?
Not if the work needs a permit of any kind, because California requires a license then even when the job is under $1,000, and the same goes when the unlicensed person hires helpers. State rules also don't allow a larger project to be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around the license. Ask for one contract that covers the whole wall, so it's clear who's responsible for all of it.
How do I find out if my Yucaipa property is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Type your address into the California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether a property sits in a mapped earthquake hazard zone. The survey says these zones trigger geologic and engineering investigations that find and reduce ground failure hazards before construction begins. It's a good check to run before we plan the dig, so any study it calls for is in the schedule from the start.
Get a written estimate for your retaining wall
We reply to every request within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your property. The estimate is free, with no pressure and no obligation, and after the visit you get a written estimate that says what's in it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Explore our services and areas
Services
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Decorative concrete
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Get your retaining wall planned before you dig
A slope is easier to hold before it lets go than after, so call (909) 768-8077 or send the form and I'll come take a look.