If your yard slopes onto the patio or an old wall is leaning, we build a reinforced, drained concrete wall that holds the ground back.
A concrete retaining wall in Murrieta is a reinforced wall poured on a deep footing that holds back the ground where your yard changes height, so you get a flat, usable space and a slope that stays where it belongs.
A poured wall works because the steel bar inside it, called rebar, and the deep footing under it keep it stiff enough to resist the ground pushing to bend it or tip it over. That's different from a stacked block wall, which we compare below. If your wall is tall or has a slope above it, I'll bring up the permit early, because we handle that application and meet the inspector.
The price mostly follows how long and how tall the wall is and how much digging it takes. Taking out an old wall or going above 3 feet adds cost, and so do a curved shape or a stamped or colored face. The schedule usually turns on whether you need a permit, since the city's review comes before we dig. Your written estimate lays out the figure for your wall.
Most homeowners weigh poured concrete against a block wall. Both can hold a slope, but they work differently, need different room behind them and share one thing you shouldn't skip.
A poured wall holds back the ground with stiff, reinforced concrete and a deep footing. A segmental block wall, the kind stacked from separate units, holds by its weight, the friction between blocks and a reinforcing mesh called geogrid buried in the fill behind it. Both can work, but they need different space and different prep.
If your wall sits near the lot line, block can be a problem, because the geogrid has to reach back behind the wall and may need to cross into your neighbor's yard. One guide points to poured concrete for these spots, since a poured wall can use designs that don't need that reach.
Neither a poured wall nor a block wall is built to hold back water, so drainage is a required part of both. When you compare quotes, look for it in every one. A bid that leaves drainage out isn't really cheaper, because it's missing part of the wall.
Here's how a retaining wall job goes with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and where a city permit can add time to the schedule.
Call (951) 477-4538 or send the form, and tell us the wall's rough length and height and whether there's a slope above it. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come out and measure the wall myself, look at where the water will go and ask how you plan to use the space. Then you get a written estimate that spells out the work for your wall.
If you need a permit, we apply with the state and city license details the city requires, and its posted processing time is currently 15 business days. Then our crew digs and sets the forms, and I check them before we pour.
Once the wall is poured and the forms come off, I walk it with you, show you where the water drains out and answer your questions before our crew cleans up the site.
I treat the drainage behind a retaining wall as part of the wall, not an add-on, because water that builds up back there pushes on the concrete. The city's standard retaining wall sheet calls for clean coarse gravel and a perforated pipe sloped to drain, or gaps left in the first course of the wall, and I'll tell you which one your wall gets and why.
Before I price anything, I ask how tall the wall will be and whether a slope sits above it, since both change how it's built and whether the design should go to an engineer. If the wall is making room for something else, like concrete pool decks beside it or a level pad for concrete floor installation, tell me early so we plan the heights and the drains together.
Many walls can follow the city's standard sheet. When a site doesn't fit it, the sheet allows other designs backed by an engineer's analysis, which adds a step but can solve a wall the standard design can't.
A plain, straight wall is simpler to form and costs less. A curve or a stamped or multi-colored face adds cost, so it usually earns its place where the wall faces your patio or house.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and measure. The estimate is free, done at your property and written down, with no obligation. It helps if you note the wall's length and height and whether a slope sits above it.
(951) 477-4538Murrieta requires a permit for a retaining wall over 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and for a shorter wall with a slope pushing on it. So a wall that shows about 3 feet above ground can still need one. The city's Building and Safety Division enforces these rules. When yours needs a permit, we handle the application and meet the inspector, and if we aren't sure, we ask the division first.
A lot of yards here step up or down, and the calls we get are usually for a wall that makes a flat spot below a slope or keeps the ground off a patio. We build the same way in Temecula and Menifee, but the permit office depends on where you live, so we check with the city or county office that covers your address.
I come out for the estimate and measure the wall myself, and our own crew does the work. I started this business in 2020, six years ago now, after learning the trade on other people's crews and, before that, patching barn floors on our family farm. I check the forms myself before every pour, because a wall is hard to fix once the concrete sets.
We're licensed and insured. The state license board describes a concrete contractor as one who forms, pours, places, finishes and installs concrete, which is the work a poured wall takes. Our promise is "Your satisfaction, guaranteed." To get started, call (951) 477-4538 or send us the form.
If your new wall levels a spot for a workshop, shed or room, a poured floor on that flat ground turns the space into something you can use.
Backyards built around a pool often need a wall to hold the slope, and the deck beside it should shed water away from the pool and the wall.
We're based in Murrieta and build retaining walls across the cities around it, including Temecula, Menifee and Fallbrook. If your city isn't listed below, give us a call and ask.
Around Riverside, poured concrete retaining wall installation usually costs about $35 to $50 per square foot, and that average covers digging, site prep, building the forms, the pour, basic finishing and cleanup. That's the area's going rate, not our price. Ask whether each quote covers the same steps, and your free written estimate gives the figure for your own wall.
Poured concrete is often the easier fit close to a property line, and one guide recommends it there. A block wall needs geogrid reaching back behind it, and on a tight lot that can run into the neighbor's yard, while a poured wall can use designs without that reach. I'll check where your line sits before we choose.
A poured wall is rigid, so it can show cracks if it moves, while a block wall trade group notes that block units can shift against each other without visible signs. That's why we take care with the footing and the drainage behind the wall, so it has less reason to move in the first place.
Most of the wait usually comes before the pour, not during it. If your wall needs a permit, the city's review comes first, and then the wall's size, how much digging it takes and any old wall to remove set the pace on site. After my visit, I'll walk you through the schedule for your wall.
Have the wall's rough length and height ready, and tell us whether a slope sits above it, since that changes how the wall is built and whether it needs a permit. It also helps to mention anything planned nearby, like a patio or pool deck. I'll still measure everything myself when I come out.
Call (951) 477-4538 or send the form, because a measured height early on tells us whether your wall needs a permit or an engineer before you plan around it.
