Retaining wall construction in Davis CA - a wall that drains and stays put
Slope sliding into your yard or an old wall starting to lean? We build retaining walls that hold the ground and let the water out.
Retaining walls hold back earth. Good ones also let water out.
Retaining wall construction in Davis means building a wall that carries the sideways push of the soil behind it, so it stays put instead of tipping over or sliding out. Here that's usually a wall that turns a sloped backyard into flat ground, holds a bank beside a driveway or raises a planting bed.
Most people call us when a slope keeps slumping onto the patio or an old wall has started to lean, bulge or crack. If it's an older brick or stone wall that's tired but still sound, masonry restoration may be all it needs, and I'll tell you so.
Price turns on the wall's height and length, the material, how much digging and drainage it needs, and whether an engineer has to design it. The schedule turns on that design, any city permit review and a few days for the 8-1-1 service to mark underground lines before we dig. Your written estimate gives you your own figure.
Water first, then the wall. That's how we build retaining walls.
We work out where the water behind your wall will go before we plan anything else, because how the water gets out decides how long the wall stays put. Then we pick a material that suits the height and your house.
Some walls need more than a mason. The final design of a retaining wall can call for other professionals, who look at water sources, soil strength, settling, earthquake conditions and overall stability. If yours needs an engineer's design, we tell you early so it doesn't hold up the start.
Retaining walls start below ground. Here's what the job covers.
Layout and site check
We look at the slope, where water runs and what sits above the wall, then mark the line and height with you before anyone digs.
Digging and footing
Once underground lines are marked, we dig out, cut the footing trench and pack the base so the first course sits level and firm.
Drainage behind the wall
Drain rock, a perforated pipe along the base and a planned outlet carry water away, so it doesn't sit behind the wall and push.
Block, stone or concrete
We build with interlocking block, natural stone, boulders or poured concrete, picking what suits the wall's height, your house and your budget.
Steps, caps and terraces
Caps, built-in steps and stepped terraces turn a slope into yard you can use, with room for a patio or outdoor fireplace. We handle fireplace installation too.
Tear-out and clean-up
If an old wall has to come out, we take it down, haul off the debris and leave the site raked and clean when we're done.
A retaining wall works with its drains and grade. Plan them together.
A wall built without a solid footing or a way for water to get out usually shows it after a few wet winters. It leans, bulges or cracks, the soil behind it slumps, and patching the face won't help because the trouble is underneath and behind. By then the fix is usually tearing it out and starting over.
We'd rather build it once. That means getting the buried parts right, the footing and the drainage, and picking a material that looks like it belongs with your house. I check the work as it goes, because those buried parts are the ones you can't fix later without digging.
From first call to final walk. Here's how it goes.
Call or send the form
You call or send the form, and we get back to you to set a day to look at your slope together.
I come out myself
I walk the slope with you and tell you right there what I think the wall needs and where its water should go.
Written estimate and permit
I follow up with a written estimate. Once you say go, we file any permit needed, and city processing typically takes 20 to 35 business days from submittal.
Build, inspect, walk it
A lead mason and I run the crew, a city inspector checks the work against the approved plans, and we clean up and walk it with you.
Tell us about your slope. We'll come take a look.
Send the wall's location, rough length and height, and photos of the slope. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, no obligation.
(530) 298-0279Based in Davis. Working in the cities around it.
- Davis, CA
- Vacaville, CA
- Woodland, CA
- West Sacramento, CA
- Dixon, CA
- Winters, CA
- Elk Grove, CA
- Fairfield, CA
- Roseville, CA
- Rancho Cordova, CA
- Florin, CA
- Arden-Arcade, CA
We're based in Davis and build retaining walls in the cities around it, from Vacaville over to Roseville. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
Questions before you build. Here are straight answers.
Read the answers below before you pick a builder, and call us with anything they don't cover.
How much does a retaining wall cost near Davis?
A retaining wall in the Sacramento area usually costs about $20 to $55 per square foot of wall face, and that's the area's going range, not our quote. The material moves it, from boulders and stone to concrete, interlocking block or gabion, which is wire baskets filled with rock. Your own figure comes in the written estimate.
Why does drainage matter behind a retaining wall?
Drainage keeps water from building up pressure behind the wall. Keeping groundwater low right behind it is what stops that pressure, so the wall only has the soil to hold. When you compare builders, ask each one how their design keeps water from collecting back there, and ask us too.
Who issues building permits in Davis?
The City of Davis Building Division reviews and issues all permit types, and any project can go in for plan review electronically. We pull the permit and set up inspections, or give you what you need if you'd rather file it yourself. The city's Fence Wall and Hedge Requirements handout is a good start on wall rules for your lot.
Does a retaining wall contractor in California need a license?
Yes. California's Contractors State License Board requires a license for anyone who does construction contracting or offers to. We're licensed and fully insured, and it's fair to ask any builder you're weighing to show you theirs before you sign anything.
There's more to the yard. See the rest of our masonry work.
Retaining wall or slope giving you trouble? Ask for a free estimate.
Tell us where the wall goes and roughly how tall, and we'll set a time to come look, so any design or permit work can start early.
(530) 298-0279