Concrete retaining walls in San Gabriel CA - a slope that stays put and drains well
Dirt washing onto your patio or an old wall starting to lean? We build a drained concrete wall sized from a design.
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
Ask us to look at your slope
We walk the slope with you, see where the water runs and talk through wall options.
Request an estimateDo I need a concrete retaining wall, and what goes into one?
A concrete retaining wall holds back a slope so the dirt stays where it belongs and you get level ground you can use. For San Gabriel homes we form and pour the wall and its footing, the wide base it stands on, then put the drainage and backfill in behind it.
Most people call when dirt keeps sliding onto a walk or patio, an old wall is leaning or cracked, or they want to cut into a hillside for a flat yard. The price moves with the wall's height and length, how much steel it needs, how much digging and drainage the slope takes and how easily the crew and the concrete truck can get in. The schedule turns mostly on the design and any city review before we start, and on curing, the wait while new concrete gains strength before dirt goes against it. You'll get your own number from an estimate on site, once I've seen the slope.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
We start with where the water's going to go, because a wall is mostly about the water behind it, so the drain gets as much of our attention as the concrete does. Then we size the wall from a design, not just its height, dig out and pack the base for the footing, set the rebar, the steel inside that keeps the wall from cracking and tipping, and form and pour. We don't load the backfill until the wall is ready for it, and when we're done the extra dirt is hauled off and the site's left clean.
A new wall usually opens up flat ground, and that's where the next job tends to come from. A lot of people put in concrete pool decks once the yard is level, and if the new pad is getting a shed, workshop or room, we handle the concrete floor installation too.
What San Gabriel asks of a concrete retaining wall
In San Gabriel, a permit may be required for a wall, and you apply with the city at City Hall, usually after the Planning Division approves it. You as the owner or a licensed contractor can pull it, and before work starts we settle with you which of us handles it and what the city needs from us. The city also added its own structural changes to the building code because the area sits close to earthquake faults. Some properties fall inside mapped zones for liquefaction, where ground goes soft in shaking, or for earthquake landslides, and a project there may have to study that hazard and reduce it before the city signs off. We find that out during design, not after the pour.
We work in the cities around San Gabriel across the valley and nearby, and the calls look much the same in Monterey Park and Pasadena, a backyard cut into a slope or an older wall that's started to lean. The drain behind it is the first thing we check on every one.
Why call us for retaining walls
I come out and run it
I come out myself to look at the slope and talk it through, and our crew does the work with me running it. You're dealing with the same person from the first look to the cleanup.
Licensed and insured for California work
We're fully licensed and insured, and anyone working in San Gabriel needs a California contractor's license in good standing. The state's concrete classification covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, which is exactly what a retaining wall takes.
Here since 2021, straight answers
I learned concrete fixing walks, steps and driveways for a property management company, and we started this business in San Gabriel in 2021. What I tell you before the pour is what you end up with. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
- Phone
- (626) 816-3530
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- Location
- San Gabriel, CA 91776
Have the wall's rough length and height and a few photos of the slope handy, then call (626) 816-3530 or send them through our contact page.
Get a retaining wall estimate for your slope
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out to look at the slope and talk through what the wall needs. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation.
- Phone
- (626) 816-3530
- Location
- San Gabriel, CA 91776
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- Credentials
- Fully licensed and insured.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near San Gabriel?
A concrete retaining wall in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $20 to $50 per square foot for typical work. Where yours lands depends on the height, the steel, the digging and the drainage, and you'll get your own figure once I've seen the slope.
How do I choose between a gravity wall and a reinforced concrete retaining wall?
Height usually decides it. One design guide puts plain gravity walls, which hold the dirt back with their own weight, at up to 3 feet, and reinforced cantilever walls, the most common type, from 4 to 25 feet. The design for your yard settles the rest.
What causes water problems behind a retaining wall?
Water that can't get out. When it builds up behind the wall, its pressure can greatly add to the load the wall carries and push through as leaks, so good practice puts drain gravel, filter fabric, perforated drain outlets, weep holes where the design calls for them and grading that sends surface water away. Once it's built, your part is keeping those outlets clear.
Do I need engineered plans for a retaining wall in San Gabriel?
The footing size, the steel, how deep the wall sits, the drainage and the soil assumptions should come from a project design or the code that applies, not from the height alone. If the job includes grading and drainage work on plans, the city reviews them and issues a grading permit, and the engineer or surveyor on the job certifies those inspections. That's why a firm quote follows the design or code check.
How long does a new retaining wall need before the backfill goes in?
Until the concrete has enough strength to take the load, along with any bracing it needs. Then the backfill goes in and gets packed in controlled layers, because a heavy compactor right behind a young wall can push on it harder than it was designed to take while it's being built.
Can I ask my contractor who the subcontractors on my wall will be?
Yes. California law lets you ask your contractor to disclose any subcontractors, and you get each one's name, contact information, license number and classification. The contractor you hired directly answers for the whole project, so ask us and we'll tell you who's on your job.
Other concrete work around a new wall
Concrete pool decks
Once the slope is held back and the yard is level, a pool deck is often next, and it needs the same care about which way the water runs off.
Concrete floor installation
If the new flat ground is getting a shed, workshop or room addition, you'll need a solid concrete floor poured on a properly packed base underneath it.