Retaining wall construction in Redondo Beach CA - a wall that drains and holds your yard
Slope creeping onto your patio or an old wall starting to lean? We build a wall planned around drainage so it holds the ground.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into building a retaining wall in Redondo Beach?
Retaining wall construction in Redondo Beach means building a wall that holds back soil and stands up to the steady push that soil puts on it, so a slope stays where it is and you get level, usable ground in front of it.
Most people call us when a slope is sliding toward the house or an old wall has started to tip, and they want to know what it'll take to fix. The price mostly turns on how tall and how long the wall is, what it's built from, how hard your yard is to get into and how much drainage work it needs, and a wall tall enough to need an engineer's design costs more. The schedule depends on the size of the wall and on the permit and design steps that come before we dig. When I come out, the estimate gives you the price for your wall and what it includes.
How do you know if your yard needs a retaining wall, or a new one?
Wall leaning forward
If the top of your wall has tipped out past the bottom, the soil behind it is pushing harder than the wall can hold, and trapped water is usually why. A wall that's started to lean rarely stops by itself, and the longer it goes the more of it has to come down.
Soil washing onto the patio
Mud on your patio or walkway after a rain, or a slope that keeps slumping a little more each year, means the ground needs something to hold it. Left alone, every wet season takes more of the yard and can start to undermine whatever sits at the bottom of the slope.
Cracks, bulges or loose block
A crack running through several courses, a belly in the middle of the wall or blocks sliding out of line usually means the wall is giving under pressure or its base has moved. It's worth having someone look early, because a section caught in time costs far less than rebuilding the whole run.
How we handle retaining wall construction
Before we talk about block or brick, I plan how the wall will drain, because water trapped behind a wall is the usual reason it starts to lean. That means working out where the water on your lot comes from and where it can go, and on a taller wall we bring in an engineer's design so the wall is built to a plan made for its height. Then our crew digs out along the wall line, packs a solid base and sets the first course dead level, since every course above it follows that one. We build up with gravel and a drain behind the wall so water has a way out, backfill and compact as the wall rises, cap it and clean up before we leave.
Not every tired wall needs to come out. If you have an older brick or stone wall that's sound but worn, masonry restoration can bring it back, and I'd rather tell you that than sell you a new wall. And when a new wall gives you level ground you didn't have before, some people turn it into a patio with a fireplace, which we can plan alongside the wall through our fireplace installation work.
Segmental block wall
These are manufactured concrete blocks stacked dry, without mortar, and locked together with keys or connectors, and they suit most backyard slopes. The masonry industry's design manual reports they hold up better than conventional walls in earthquakes when properly designed for seismic loads, so if you pick block, ask whether the design covers that.
Mortared concrete block wall
A block wall laid in mortar, usually with steel and grout in the cores, suits a wall near a property line or one that has to carry a fence on top. We can finish the face with stucco, stone or brick so it doesn't look like plain block.
Brick or stone faced wall
A wall faced with brick or natural stone suits a front yard or garden where the wall is on show. It costs more than plain block, but it can match your house and the older walls around it.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, look at the slope and give you a free estimate with no obligation.
Call (424) 265-1368What happens when you call us about a retaining wall in Redondo Beach?
Here's how a retaining wall job runs with us, from your first call to the day we walk the finished wall together.
Call or send the form
Call (424) 265-1368 or send the form, and tell us where the wall would go and roughly how big it is. We'll set a time for me to come out to your place.
I walk the slope with you
I look at the ground, where the water runs and how we'd get the crew and material in, and I answer whatever you want to ask. You get a price for the wall we talked about, the wall type and drainage plan behind it, and a straight answer on whether its height means bringing in an engineer.
We sort out the permit steps
If you go ahead, we work through the permit steps with your city or county office before anything is dug. In Redondo Beach, grading permits are reviewed by the Public Works & Engineering Division, and the Engineering Department at (310) 318-4461 can tell you current processing times, which decide when we can start.
Our crew builds, I check
Our crew builds the wall with me on site checking the base, the first course and the drainage before they're buried, since those are the parts nobody can see later. When it's done we clean up and walk the finished wall with you.
Why Redondo Beach homeowners call CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry for retaining walls
*Get the drainage right and the rest of the wall has something to stand on. Tell me about your slope or call (424) 265-1368, and I'll come out and take a look.*
The owner comes out and checks
I come out to look at your slope and give the estimate myself, and I'm back on site checking our crew's work while the wall goes up. You deal with the same person from the first visit to the last course, and no question is too small to ask me.
In business since 2017
I started this business in 2017, 9 years ago, after growing up mixing mortar for my uncle. Coming back to the trade after years in other work taught me to slow down and explain what we're doing and why before we start.
Licensed and fully insured here
We're licensed and fully insured, which matters on a wall holding back a lot of soil right beside your house or your neighbor's fence. It's worth asking every contractor you're comparing to show you both before you sign.
Permit steps checked before digging
Before work starts we check with the city or county office what your wall needs, and we take care of the permit when the job needs one. In Redondo Beach that includes the waste management plan the city asks for with every building permit.
Retaining walls, permits and clay soil in Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach Building & Safety is the office that tells you whether your wall needs a building permit and what the fees are, and applications go in online through the city's Citizen Portal. I don't guess at that for you, so we check what your wall needs with them before we start. The city's zoning hazard map is worth a look early too, because it shows flood zones and oil wells, and you'll want to know if either one touches your lot before you plan a wall.
A lot of ground in the Los Angeles area is clay, and clay can swell when it's wet and shrink as it dries, especially through a rainy season, so a wall has to stand up to that push on top of the soil's own weight. That's one more reason we keep water moving out from behind the wall, and we plan for it the same way on jobs in Torrance and Palos Verdes Estates, where sloped yards are a common reason people call.
Questions about retaining walls in Redondo Beach
How much does it cost to build a retaining wall in Redondo Beach?
Building a retaining wall in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $2,700 to $11,800 per job, according to one cost guide, and that's for the whole wall, not a per-foot figure. Height moves the price more than anything, since taller walls cost much more per foot of length than short ones. I'll give you the number for your own wall when I come out to look at it.
Does a retaining wall over 4 feet need an engineer?
One Los Angeles cost guide says a wall more than 4 feet tall needs a structural engineer to design it. If your wall is getting near that height, plan for the engineer's design in both your budget and your timeline, and I'll tell you at the estimate whether yours falls in that range.
What causes a retaining wall to lean or fail?
Poor drainage is by far the most common cause of trouble in walls that hold back earth, according to research on how these walls perform. Water that can't get out from behind a wall adds weight and pressure the wall wasn't built to take. When you're comparing bids, ask each contractor exactly how their wall will drain.
Who tells me if I need a permit for a retaining wall in Redondo Beach?
The city's Building & Safety office tells you whether your wall needs a building permit and what the fees will be. We check that with them before any work starts and take care of the permit when the job needs one.
How long does it take to build a retaining wall?
The building itself can move quickly, since the masonry industry's manual says an experienced crew of three or four typically puts up 300 to 500 square feet of segmental wall a day. The steps around it usually take longer, such as digging out, setting the drainage and any permit review or engineer's design before we start. I'll walk you through what your wall's schedule turns on when I come out.
What kind of contractor should build a retaining wall in California?
A masonry contractor is the usual trade for a block, brick or stone retaining wall, because California's masonry license classification covers building load bearing and non-load bearing walls from masonry units, with or without mortar. Ask anyone you're comparing to show you their state license before you sign.
Related masonry work for your yard and home
- Masonry restoration
Crumbling joints, loose bricks or stained stone on a garden wall or the house itself can often be brought back without rebuilding the whole thing.
- Fireplace installation
If you'd like a fireplace inside the house or out by the patio, we build it in masonry with the same care for the base and hidden details.
Cities we serve around Redondo Beach
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is based in Redondo Beach, California, and builds retaining walls across the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, from Hermosa Beach to Carson, and they're not the only places we work.
Redondo Beach, CA
Send your wall's rough size and photos
With the rough length, the height and a few photos of the slope, I can come out already thinking about the drainage and wall type your yard needs.