Concrete Retaining Walls in Hesperia CA - Soil that stays put, water that drains away

Retaining wall construction in Southern California usually costs about $50 to $60 per square foot, and that's the going rate in the region, not our price. Since it's priced by area, a taller wall adds up quickly, and the kind of project, your site, how complex the design is and how much the job covers all move it. I'll give you your own number once I've seen the slope.

In Hesperia, a building permit must be issued before construction or remodeling work begins, and the city's permit list names block walls over 3 feet high above grade, not retaining walls. That list doesn't settle a retaining wall on its own, so check your lot with the city's Permit Center. When a job needs a permit, we pull it as your licensed contractor and schedule the inspections, and if we're not sure, we ask the building office before we start.

Poor drainage is by far the most common cause of trouble with retaining walls, and left alone it can lead to outright failure. A drainage setup can include clean gravel against the back of the wall, filter fabric that keeps soil out of the gravel and a perforated pipe along the base, called a French drain. When you compare quotes, ask how each one gets water out from behind the wall, and whether it uses drains that can be cleaned out instead of weep holes, the small openings through the face that tend to clog over the years.

Weigh how much weight your soil can bear, the loads on the wall and how much it can flex, because poured concrete and block hold soil in different ways. A poured wall relies on stiff, reinforced concrete and a deep footing, while a segmental block wall relies on its weight, friction and a soil reinforcement called geogrid. One engineering design guide puts unreinforced gravity walls at up to 3 feet tall and reinforced cantilever walls at 4 to 25 feet, so height often narrows the choice.

A poured concrete wall takes longer than a block wall, mostly because you plan for a wait before soil goes back behind it. Block reaches its strength as soon as it leaves the mold, so it can be backfilled right away. Any permit your job needs comes before the dig, so the start date hangs on that too.

California's C-8 Concrete Contractor class covers contractors who form, pour, place, finish and install mass, pavement, flat and other concrete work. Ask any contractor you're considering which license they hold before you sign. We're fully licensed and insured, with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.