Concrete retaining walls in Eastvale CA - a wall that drains and stays put
Leaning wall, or a slope that keeps sliding into your yard? We plan the drainage first, then build a wall that holds the dirt back.
Concrete retaining walls hold dirt back. Water decides for how long.
A concrete retaining wall holds back the ground where your yard changes level, like a slope above the patio or a raised bed along the back fence. It's either poured in place, built in forms right on your property, or stacked from small concrete block units that lock together.
Most calls start with a wall that's leaning, cracked or wet along the bottom, or dirt washing onto the slab when it rains. Usually the cause is water stuck behind the wall, pushing harder than the wall was built for. A leaning wall doesn't change its mind, and it can take a fence, a patio or a concrete pool deck down with it.
We plan retaining walls around water. The dirt comes second.
I treat a retaining wall as a drainage job that happens to hold dirt, so before anything else I work out how water will get out from behind it. If poured and block both suit the spot, I'll price both. If the wall needs an engineer, we sort that out before anyone digs.
Price follows the wall's height and length, poured versus block, how much digging and drainage it takes, and whether we can get equipment to the spot. The schedule turns on engineering and the permit, which come first, and on curing, the days a poured wall needs to harden before dirt goes behind it. Your estimate puts the price in writing.
Concrete retaining walls, start to finish. Footings, drains and all.
Poured concrete walls
Formed and poured on site with rebar, the steel bars inside that hold the wall together when the dirt pushes against it.
Block retaining walls
Small concrete units stacked and locked together. They're light enough to move by hand, so they work in side yards a truck can't reach.
The base under the wall
Dug out and packed firm, so the wall sits on solid ground instead of settling and tipping along with loose fill.
Drainage behind the wall
Usually gravel backfill that lets water through and weep holes or a pipe drain to carry it out, so water doesn't sit behind the wall.
Tear-out and grading
Breaking out a failed wall, hauling off the dirt and debris, and grading the top so rain runs away from the wall and the house.
Work around the wall
Steps through the wall, a patio on the new level ground, or a concrete floor for a shed or shop, poured by the same crew.
Retaining walls and drains done right. Then you stop noticing them.
Concrete is strong, but it loses arguments with wet dirt. Water from rain, sprinklers, groundwater or a leaky line collects behind a badly built wall, the base settles, and the wall leans, cracks or bulges until it has to come out. I spent years patching that kind of thing for a property management company.
So we spend the money where you can't see it. The base, the steel and the drainage are buried on day one, which makes them the first thing people want to cut from the budget. I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because a plain wall that drains usually outlasts a pretty one that doesn't.
How a wall job runs. I'm there for the parts that matter.
Call or send the form
Call (951) 416-3327 or send the form with where the wall is and what it's doing, and we'll set a time to come out.
I look at it with you
I come out myself, walk the slope with you, and ask what the wall has to hold back and where the water ends up.
Your price in writing
I measure and write up the price, poured and block side by side when both fit, with any engineer or permit the wall needs noted.
We build and clean up
We handle any permit and inspections. Our crew builds and cleans up with me there on pour day, then I walk the finished wall with you.
Tell us about your wall. I'll come out and look.
Send the wall's location, length, slope and any water trouble you've seen. We'll reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, no obligation.
(951) 416-3327Based in Eastvale. Building walls across the cities around it.
- Eastvale, CA
- Jurupa Valley, CA
- Corona, CA
- Ontario, CA
- Riverside, CA
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Norco, CA
- Chino, CA
- Chino Hills, CA
- Upland, CA
- Home Gardens, CA
- Bloomington, CA
We're based in Eastvale and build retaining walls in Jurupa Valley, Corona and the other cities around it. If you don't see your city listed, call and ask.
Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Retaining wall questions, answered. The money one comes first.
The answers below cover cost, wall types, drainage, permits and licensing. If your question isn't here, give us a call and I'll answer it.
How much does a retaining wall cost near Eastvale?
In nearby Riverside, an installed retaining wall usually runs about $15 to $45 per square foot of wall face, the height times the length you see, which is fine for early planning. That's the going rate in the area, not our quote. For your Eastvale wall, I come out, measure and put the price in writing.
Is a block retaining wall cheaper than poured concrete?
Often, yes. The concrete masonry trade group's manual says segmental walls, the stacked block kind, typically have a 25 to 40 percent cost advantage over poured walls, and that's their own figure. When both suit your yard, I price them side by side so you can compare on your wall, not on averages.
Why does drainage matter so much for a retaining wall?
Water behind a wall pushes on it, so a wall that can't drain has to be built to take that extra load. The usual guidance is to keep water from building up rather than build a wall strong enough to hold it. One engineering lecture traced most wall failures to water and poor communication on the job.
Who issues retaining wall permits in Eastvale?
The City of Eastvale does, through its Building Safety Team, which reviews plans against California's construction codes, issues permits and inspects residential work. That code check also decides how much engineering a wall needs, even a small one. We pull the permit and book inspections, and if it's unclear, we ask the permit desk at 951.703.4450 or permits@eastvaleca.gov first.
Do retaining wall contractors need a license in California?
Yes, for all but the smallest jobs. The state licensing board describes concrete contractors as forming, pouring and finishing concrete, and masonry contractors as building concrete block walls. Someone unlicensed can only take jobs under the state's $1,000 limit that need no permit, with no employees on them. We're licensed and insured.
Need more than a wall? We pour the rest too.
- 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
Retaining wall or slope giving trouble? Ask for a free estimate.
Tell us where the wall is and what it's doing, and we'll set a time to come look. A leaning wall is usually easier to deal with early.
(951) 416-3327