A slope that's washing out, a yard too steep to use or an old wall that's leaning? We build a concrete wall designed for your ground.
A concrete retaining wall in Gilroy is a reinforced wall standing on a footing, the wide concrete base under it, with drainage built in behind it so it can hold back a slope and give you usable level ground.
Most calls start with a slope that's eroding, a yard that's too steep to use or an old wall that's starting to lean. I don't price a wall on its height alone, because the footing, the steel and the drainage all come from a design for your site and the soil behind it. Walls often go in to make room for something flat, and we can pour the concrete floor or pool deck that goes on the level ground it makes.
The price moves with the wall's length and height, how much digging the footing needs, how easy the site is to reach and whether an old wall has to come out first. The schedule usually turns on the design and on any permit or soil study your lot needs, more than on the pour itself. California's licensing board sets a class for contractors who form, pour, place and finish concrete, and we're licensed and insured. Your own number comes from the on-site estimate.
Call (408) 427-8265 or use the form, and send photos of the slope, the wall's rough length and height, and any driveway near it. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I take the measurements myself and look at what's under and around the wall, including where the water comes from. Then I write the estimate line by line, so you can see what's in it, what isn't and what's driving the price.
Before the pour we walk through the layout with you, including the footing, where the joints go and how water will drain out from behind the wall. I'm on site for the layout, so questions get settled on paper before the truck shows up.
On pour day our own crew works to the plan we agreed on, with me on site. We cure and protect the new concrete, giving it time to gain strength before soil goes back against it, and then we hand the wall over.
The wall starts below ground, with a footing sized from the design and rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete from bending and cracking under the soil's push. Behind it goes drainage gravel wrapped in filter fabric so dirt doesn't clog it, perforated drain outlets, and ground graded so rain runs away from the wall. That part gets the most care from us, because water trapped behind a wall can add a lot of load and make it leak.
When a wall needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections, after I check with the city or county office for your address. On undeveloped land in a state Seismic Hazard Zone, most structures may need a site study by a licensed engineering geologist or civil engineer before a permit. The soil type named for Gilroy is moderately deep and well drained, but your lot may sit on something else, which is why the design starts from your soil.
What goes into one of our walls:
If the wall is standing straight and the trouble is a clogged drain or water pooling above it, clearing the drainage and fixing the grade can be enough. A wall that's tipping forward or pushed out in the middle usually has a problem in its footing, steel or drainage that a patch won't reach, and that's when I'd replace it with one designed for the site. I'll tell you which one I see once I've looked behind it.
Height and length set how much concrete goes in, but the design sets the rest, from how deep and wide the footing is to how much steel and drainage the wall gets. A tight backyard a concrete truck can't reach costs more to pour than an open slope by the street. If the budget is tight, I'd trim the finish before the drainage, because you can't see the gravel and outlets once the wall is backfilled, and the wall's life depends on them.
I'd rather settle questions on paper before the truck shows up than fix them once a wall is in the ground. You'll see the layout, the drainage and every line of the price before we pour, so you know exactly what you're paying for. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Our own crew does the work, not a hired-out one. We keep the dig to the area we agreed on, protect the lawn, paths and driveway around it, and leave the site cleaned up at the end of each day.
Call (408) 427-8265 any day of the week, early mornings through evenings, and we'll set a time to walk the slope with you.
Send photos of the slope, the wall's rough length and height, and any driveway near it. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
In nearby San Jose, poured concrete retaining walls about 3 feet high usually cost about $56 to $61 per square foot, covering the concrete, materials and supplies. That range leaves out tearing out an old wall, terraced or curved walls, decorative finishes and extra height, and each of those adds to it. Your own price comes from the on-site estimate, written out line by line.
Usually yes, if the wall is more than a few feet tall or the load or soil behind it will bend it. The steel holds the concrete together where the soil pushes on it, and the design for your site sets how much goes in and where.
With correct design, drainage and upkeep, a concrete wall can last many decades, though climate, material quality and how well water is handled behind it all shape that. Check it each season and after heavy storms for bulging, leaning, separated joints, blocked weep holes, which are the small drain openings, and erosion at the base. Jotting down what you see each time makes slow changes easier to spot.
Start with the state's seismic hazard mapping page, and know that the county assessor, recorder and planning agency each post notices on where to find the maps. If you're still unsure about your property, ask the local agency. These zones mark ground where weak soil or rock is likely underneath and can fail in an earthquake unless grading and construction take proper precautions, so I ask about it when I look at your lot.
Small hairline cracks are common and often not structural, so they're worth watching rather than worrying about. A crack that widens, leaks or comes with the wall moving calls for a repair assessment, and water trapped behind the wall is one of the first things I'd look at.
You can, but plan it with the wall in mind, because a new driveway nearby, a change to the backfill, the soil placed behind the wall, or water collecting there can upset what the design assumed, even when the concrete itself is strong. If you're planning something near a new wall, tell us before we design it so the footing and drainage account for it.
We're based in Gilroy and build retaining walls in many of the cities around it, including Morgan Hill and Hollister. Pick your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
