Hillside soil washing down or an old wall leaning out? We pour concrete walls built to drain and hold the ground back.
A concrete retaining wall is a poured wall that holds back a slope. At Caliber East Los Angeles Concrete, we form it, reinforce it, pour it and drain it so it takes the push of the soil behind it without tipping over or sliding out. We're based in East Los Angeles and build walls here and in the cities around it.
Most calls start with something you can see. Dirt washes onto the patio after rain, a slope creeps toward the house, or an old block or timber wall bows out at the top. A wall's whole job is to take the sideways push of that soil, and it fails one of two ways, by tipping or by sliding. Everything we build into it is there to stop both.
Height moves the price most, because a taller wall holds back more soil. It needs a bigger footing, the wide concrete base it stands on, and more steel. Length, how much dirt comes out, how we get into your yard and the drain behind the wall come next. The schedule depends on whether a permit comes first, how much digging there is and the curing wait before soil goes back against new concrete. Your written quote spells out what's included.
A few things shape a retaining wall before anyone mixes concrete. They're also the things worth asking every contractor about when you line up bids.
Water is what usually pushes a wall over. Even a moderate rise in groundwater behind a wall sharply raises the sideways load and the risk of tipping or sliding. When you compare bids, ask each contractor how their plan gets water out from behind the wall. A vague answer tells you something.
Weep holes are the small openings near the bottom of a wall that let water out. They clog with silt and roots, and one engineering guide says they shouldn't be counted on as the wall's main drainage. Ask what else carries the water away, like gravel and a drain pipe behind the wall.
Rebar is the steel set inside the forms before the pour. It ties the wall to its footing and holds the concrete together when the soil leans on it. That only works when the steel is placed where the design calls for it, with concrete all the way around it.
Here's how a wall goes from your first call to the finished job. You'll know who's doing what at each step.
Call (213) 338-1030 or use the form and tell us about the slope. We get back to you to set up a time for me to come out and see it.
I come out and measure the height and length. I ask how you use the ground above and below the wall and find out which office handles your address. Then you get a written quote that spells out what's included.
If your wall needs a permit, we get it before we set a date. The county's permit steps can include a plan check, where experts review the plans. After that, our crew lead runs the job from digging and drainage through the pour.
Once the concrete has cured, we backfill behind the wall, set the grade and clean up. Before we pack up, I walk the finished wall with you so you can see the work.
Water behind a wall is what pushes it over. So drainage is the first thing I plan, not something we tack on at the end. Before the forms go up, I work out where the water comes from, where it would collect against the wall and where it can leave without running toward your house. The drain goes in as part of the build, and the backfill goes in around it.
Then comes the ground. We dig the footing down to firm soil and pack what needs packing, because a footing on loose dirt settles and the wall leans with it. Steel goes in next. The forms get braced so they don't bow under wet concrete. We pour early in the day when we can, since concrete that dries too fast in afternoon heat comes out weak on the surface.
The base and the drain are the first things people want to trim, because nobody sees them once the backfill is in. I won't trim them. I'd rather lose a job by quoting it right than win it by skipping the steps that keep a wall standing. If the budget's tight, a plainer face on the wall is a better place to save.
A wall often comes with other work on the high or low side. You might be leveling ground for concrete pool decks, or cutting into the slope for a workshop that needs concrete floor installation. Either way, we plan the wall and that work together so the grades and the drainage line up. When we're done, I'll show you what to look for after a big rain so you know the drain is doing its job.
On a tall slope, two shorter walls with a planted step between them can take the place of one tall wall. That changes the digging, the footings and the look. When the slope allows it, I'll talk through both options on site.
A plain formed face is the simplest and least costly finish. A smooth face, a texture or a cap along the top costs more and looks better next to a patio. None of these choices changes how well the wall holds.
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free, I do it at your property, and there's no obligation. I measure the slope, ask how you use the yard and give you a written quote that spells out what's included.
(213) 338-1030East Los Angeles is unincorporated, so building permits here come from LA County Public Works. Retaining walls are one of the permit types it issues. If the wall means moving soil or cutting into a slope, the county issues a separate grading permit for that. We check with the county about your address before we set a date. When your wall needs a permit, we handle it and the inspections that go with it.
Most of the cities around East Los Angeles run their own permit counters. A wall in Montebello or Monterey Park goes through that city instead of the county, and we check there the same way. Around here we see a lot of backyards that step up or down from the house. Many have old block or timber walls with little behind them to carry water away.
I started this business in 2013, after working concrete every summer through school next to finishers who'd been at it for decades. I still come out and do the estimates myself, so the person who looked at your slope is the one who priced it. Our crew lead runs the work on site with our own crew.
California's state licensing board describes a concrete contractor as someone who forms, pours, places and finishes concrete, which is the work a poured wall takes. We're fully licensed and insured. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
If you've got a slope that needs holding back, call (213) 338-1030 or send us the details, and I'll come take a look.
When a wall lets you cut a level spot into a slope, a poured floor turns that space into a workshop, storage room or garage that stays flat.
A pool set into a sloped yard usually needs ground held back around it, and a deck that drains away from the water and the house.
We're based in East Los Angeles and build walls in the cities around it, like Montebello, Downey and Monterey Park, plus plenty of others nearby. The cities below each have their own page.
A concrete retaining wall in Los Angeles usually costs about $20 to $50 per square foot. That's the going rate around the area, not our price. Where your wall falls in that range comes down mostly to its height, the drainage behind it and how hard your yard is to get into. I'll give you your own figure after I measure.
LA County Public Works does, because East Los Angeles is in unincorporated LA County. To ask what your project needs, the county suggests calling or emailing your local office, such as its East Los Angeles Building and Safety Office. We check this for your address before we set a date.
One wall guide says both poured concrete and block work for walls under 4 feet, and taller walls need engineering calculations no matter what they're made of. The same guide says poured concrete is typically more cost-efficient at 6 feet or more. If you're planning a tall wall, it makes sense to price poured concrete first.
One drainage guide says to check a wall's drainage twice a year. After heavy rain, walk the wall and make sure water is coming out of the weep holes and the pipe outlet. The guide says that simple check keeps the drainage working for years with little attention. If an outlet stays dry while the ground behind the wall is soaked, give us a call.
Only after the concrete has cured, which is the wait that lets it gain the strength to take the soil's push. Backfilling too soon puts the full load on concrete that isn't ready for it. I'll go over the timing for your wall when I come out to quote it.
Have the wall's rough height and length ready, along with a few photos of the slope, including where water runs when it rains. If you know of a sprinkler line, a drain or a property line near the wall, mention it. Those change where the wall and its drain can go.
We're open every day from 7 AM to 11 PM. Call (213) 338-1030 while you're standing at the slope, or send the length, height and photos through the form.
