Concrete retaining walls in Mountain View CA - a wall that drains and holds your slope
Soil sliding onto your patio or a slope leaning toward the house? We pour reinforced walls with a planned path for the water behind them.
Some slopes need holding back. A poured concrete retaining wall does that.
We build poured concrete retaining walls in Mountain View for yards where a slope won't stay put. The wall is cast right on site as a stem, the upright part, reinforced with rebar, steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart under load, and it stands on a footing that spreads its weight into the ground.
The price comes down to the wall's height and length, how easy the spot is to reach, how much drainage it needs and the ground under it. Highway engineers' guidance says this kind of wall wants firm soil, and where the ground is soft or settles, piles or ground improvement may be needed, which adds a lot. The written estimate I send after seeing your slope gives you the figure for your wall.
The schedule turns on whether your city wants a permit or a site study first, and on letting the footing cure, the wait while concrete hardens, before the wall goes on it. If the budget's tight, I'd put the money into the footing and the drainage over a fancy face, because they're buried on day one and they're what keeps the wall standing.
Watch the slope. These signs mean a retaining wall may help.
Dirt washing onto the patio
When soil slides onto a patio or path after every storm, the slope is moving faster than plants can hold it, and each rainy season carries more of it down toward the house.
An old wall leaning out
A wall that leans, bows or cracks across its face is usually losing to the weight behind it. Once it starts moving it rarely stops on its own, and a collapse makes a bigger mess to clear.
A hill where you want flat ground
Room for a concrete pool deck or a level pad for a studio with a new concrete floor often starts with a wall. Building it first saves tearing up new work later.
How a retaining wall job goes. First, I come look.
After you reach out, I come out myself to walk the slope with you. I ask a lot of questions, like what the wall has to hold back, what you'll use the ground above it for and where water sits after a storm, because those answers decide the wall, the footing and the drain.
Then I send a written estimate that lays out the wall, the footing and the drainage behind it, so you can see what you're paying for, including the parts that end up buried.
Once you're ready, our lead hand runs the crew. We dig out and pack the base the footing sits on, set the steel, pour and put the drainage in before backfilling, and I check in at those key steps. Then we clean up and walk the finished wall with you. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Planning a retaining wall? Tell us about your slope.
Send the wall's rough length and height, slope photos and any spots where water stands. We reply within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation.
(650) 447-1063We build retaining walls around Mountain View. Each city sets its rules.
We're based in Mountain View and build walls there and in many of the cities around it, like Sunnyvale and Palo Alto. Your city's building office decides whether a wall needs a permit, so we check with them before we schedule anything, and when it does, we handle the paperwork and set up the inspections.
The state also maps earthquake hazard zones for fault rupture, landslides and liquefaction, where soil briefly turns to quicksand. A lot inside one can need a geologic or engineering study before work starts, and your city's building or planning department can tell you if your area's hazard was already dealt with.
Retaining wall questions. Answers before you call.
Read through the answers below, and if your question isn't here, call (650) 447-1063 and I'll talk it through with you.
How much does a poured concrete retaining wall cost near Mountain View?
In nearby Sunnyvale and Palo Alto, a poured concrete wall about 3 feet high usually costs about $50 to $60 per square foot, installed. That market price leaves out tearing out an old wall, terraced walls, stamped or stained finishes, extra height and curves, so those come on top. Your written estimate gives your own figure.
Why do concrete retaining walls fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water builds up in the soil behind them, according to Colorado State University's extension guidance. It says every wall should let that water drain down and away through gravel backfill or drainage blankets and drain pipes, and poured walls need weep holes, small openings that let water out. That's where most of our planning goes.
Should I build a poured concrete wall or a stacked stone wall?
Build the one your slope actually needs, because a poured wall costs a lot more than a dry-laid wall of stacked material with open joints. The Colorado extension guide treats poured concrete as the structural option and says the yard's need should decide. If a stacked wall fits your job better, I'll tell you so.
What does a contractor have to give the city for a retaining wall permit?
Any city or county that requires a permit also requires a signed statement from the licensed contractor giving the license number and saying it's in full force and effect. We're fully licensed and insured, and the state licensing board's concrete class covers contractors who form, pour, place and finish concrete work.
Planning a wall, patio or driveway? Ask us to come look.
Call (650) 447-1063 or use the form, add a photo after rain to show where water runs, and we'll set a time to come look.
Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
