Concrete retaining walls in Redondo Beach CA - with drainage planned from the start
Soil slumping onto your patio or an old wall leaning out? We build retaining walls with drainage planned in, so the slope stays held back.
Concrete retaining walls that hold your yard
A concrete retaining wall is a reinforced wall, usually shaped like an L or an upside-down T, that holds back a slope. The soil presses sideways on it, and when water can't drain out from behind, that's usually when a wall starts to lean or crack. So we plan the drainage first.
The wall's size, the slope and how easy your yard is to reach set the price and the schedule, and your estimate spells out the prep, the finish and what's included. Plenty of walls level part of a yard to make room for concrete pool decks or a workshop that needs concrete floor installation.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall
Most of a retaining wall ends up underground or behind the face you see, and these are the parts of the job we plan and build.
Footing and steel
We dig to firm soil and pour the footing, the wide base the wall stands on, with rebar running up into the wall so it doesn't bend under the soil's push.
Drainage behind
The backfill, the gravel and soil packed behind the wall, gets a drain pipe so water soaking down the slope has a way out instead of pushing on the concrete.
Water from above
Highway design guidance also gives water running off the ground above a wall its own drain, separate from the backfill drain, so we look at that runoff too.
Pour and cure
We pour the wall in forms and let it cure, the wait while concrete gains strength, before we backfill, because pushing soil against it too early can crack it.
Tell us about your wall
Send the wall's rough size, yard photos and a note on slope and access. We reply within one business day to book your free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(424) 275-6479How we plan a retaining wall
A retaining wall is mostly the parts you won't see later, the footing and the drainage behind it, so that's where we spend our planning time.
- I write your estimate. I come out and write the estimate myself, and I stay on the job while our crew forms, pours and finishes.
- Poured or block, talked through. If your yard slopes or the access is tight, we'll talk through whether poured concrete or block suits it better before you choose.
- In business since 2020. I started with small concrete jobs for neighbors, and once people kept calling, I made it a proper business in 2020.
- Licensed and insured. The state licensing board puts poured concrete under its concrete class and block walls under its masonry class, so your wall type matters.
- Start with a visit. Call (424) 275-6479 or use the form above, and we'll set a time for me to come look at your slope.
Based in Redondo Beach
Essential Redondo Beach Concrete is based in Redondo Beach and works in the cities around it, including Torrance and Hermosa Beach. If your city isn't listed, please call us.
From first call to walk-through
We explain each stage before it starts, from the first look at your slope to the final walk-through, and tell you what we've learned along the way.
The visit
You call or send a note, and we set a time to come out. I walk the slope with you, look at where water runs and how we'd get equipment in, and ask how you want to use the space.
The estimate
I write up the estimate so you can see the prep, the drainage, the finish and what's included. Nothing starts until you've read it and asked whatever you need to.
The build
Next, we find out what the office covering your address asks for, handle any permit paperwork and tell you what we learned. Then we dig, form, pour and backfill, and I go over the finished wall with you before we leave.
Retaining wall questions from Redondo Beach
What does a concrete retaining wall cost near Redondo Beach?
A concrete retaining wall in Los Angeles usually costs about $12 to $54 per square foot, and that's a broad market guide, not our price. Taking out an old wall, curves, stamped or multi-colored finishes, walls over 3 feet tall and difficult soil all push it up. Your estimate shows the prep, the finish and what's included.
How do I compare how retaining wall bids handle drainage?
Ask each bidder how water will drain out of the soil behind the wall, because highway engineering guidance says soaked soil can push twice as hard as dry soil. That guidance calls for drainage built into the backfill, and our estimate shows how we'll handle it on your wall.
What is the best way to choose between poured concrete and block for a retaining wall?
If your yard is hard to reach or the wall needs to curve, block is worth weighing against poured concrete. A concrete block trade group notes that segmental block walls are stacked dry without mortar, which suits tight access and tight curves. We'll go over both when I see your yard.
What causes the ground to slip around a retaining wall on a hillside?
On a slope, in terraced tiers or over weaker soil, the ground beyond a wall can still slip even when the wall itself is stable, according to highway engineering guidance. On those yards, the design has to look at the ground around the wall as well as the wall.
Where do I find Redondo Beach's permit and zoning rules for a retaining wall?
Start with the city's planning and zoning rules, which explain what each zone allows and the permits a home project may need. You can look up your property's zoning district on the city's Interactive Zoning Map, and it helps to have it handy when you call us.
Can an earthquake hazard zone affect a retaining wall project in California?
It can. The state maps areas where liquefaction, soil losing strength and flowing like liquid, may happen in a strong earthquake, and a property in one of those zones may have to have that hazard investigated and addressed during local permitting.
Plan your sloped Redondo Beach yard
Call (424) 275-6479 or use the form to tell us about your slope, and we'll set a time to come see the ground.