Concrete retaining walls in Victorville CA - soil held back and water let out
Slope sliding into the yard or an old wall leaning? We build one that holds the dirt back and lets water out.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does a retaining wall in Victorville need to hold up?
A concrete retaining wall in Victorville holds back the sideways push of soil, so a slope stays put and the flat ground below it stays usable. A good one is built for the water behind it, the grade and any weight above it, like a driveway or a house.
Most calls start with dirt washing onto a patio after a storm, a slope that keeps sliding or an old wall that's leaning or cracked at the base. The price mostly turns on how tall and long the wall is, the size of the footing it stands on, how much steel goes inside, how the drainage is laid out and how easy it is to get a truck to the spot. The schedule turns on whether the city has to review plans first and on the wait before we fill soil back behind the new wall. I'll come look and give you a written price for your wall, and if a set of concrete steps would help you get up the grade, we can price that at the same visit.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
Before anything else I ask whether a driveway, a slope or a building sits at the top, because that weight changes the wall you need. We plan the drain rock and outlets from the start, then dig the footing down to firm ground instead of raking loose dirt level. Next we set the rebar, the steel bars that keep the wall from bending under the load, and form and pour early in the day so the desert heat doesn't leave the face weak and dusty. Once the wall has cured, which is the wait that lets concrete gain strength before it takes a load, we place the drain rock and fill the soil back in packed layers. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the footing and the drainage you'll never see than on a fancy face, because a nice finish on a wall that's pushing over doesn't help anyone.
A wall often comes with other work. Leveling a sloped backyard is often what makes room for a concrete pool deck, and cutting into a hillside can clear a flat pad for a shop or a room that needs concrete floor installation. We can plan the wall and the slab together so the water from both has somewhere to go.
Poured concrete wall
A poured wall with a footing and steel inside suits taller walls and spots with a driveway or building above, because it's one solid piece built for that load. It takes more forming and costs more, but it's what I'd pick when the weight up top is heavy.
Segmental block wall
These are manufactured concrete blocks stacked dry, without mortar, and they hold the soil back mostly by their own weight. They suit lower walls and garden terraces where you like the look of block.
Building a concrete retaining wall in Victorville
The City of Victorville's permit list includes retaining or garden walls over 18 inches tall, or over 30 inches when the wall has no footing, so most walls holding back a real slope need one. If yours does, I'll tell you at the estimate and we'll handle the application ourselves, and if your lot sits outside city limits or the answer isn't clear, we call the city or county office and ask before we start.
Where it's mapped, the soil type named for Victorville is deep and moderately well drained, the kind found on low terraces and flood plains, but lots here vary and plenty have been filled and graded. That's why we dig the footing to firm, undisturbed ground or packed fill instead of trusting whatever's on top. We run into the same mix of cut slopes and filled pads on jobs in Hesperia and Apple Valley, so we handle those footings the same way.
Why Victorville homeowners call Monolith Victorville Concrete for retaining walls
I look at your wall myself
I come out to look at every job myself, here in Victorville and in the High Desert cities around it, and I'm on site with our crew when the wall goes in. The person who priced your job is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Pouring concrete since 2013
I learned the trade beside finishers who'd been at it for years, and since then I've seen what happens to concrete when the ground under it wasn't ready. That's why the dirt work gets as much attention from us as the pour.
We're licensed and insured
In California, forming, pouring and finishing concrete is work the state licensing board licenses contractors for. Ask any contractor you're weighing about their license before they dig, and that includes us.
On a retaining wall, the part you can't see does the work, so the first thing I want to know is what's behind it and what's above it. Send us the details and I'll come take a look.
Request a quoteGet a written price for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set a time, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation. I come out, look at the slope and what sits above it, and you get a written price to think over.
What happens after you call about a retaining wall?
Call or send the form
Call (760) 493-6027 or fill out the form and tell us roughly how tall and long the wall needs to be. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look and write a price
I walk the slope, check where the water runs and ask what sits above the wall, then give you a written estimate. Nothing gets dug until you've read the price and said go.
We handle the permit
If your wall needs a permit, we apply through the city's Self-Service Portal with plans prepared to current codes, and the Development Department reviews them before work starts. We set your date once the plans clear.
Build, inspect, walk through
We prep the ground, pour and finish inside the city's construction hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on permitted jobs the city inspects the finished work. When we're done, I walk the wall with you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Victorville?
Usually yes, once the wall is taller than the city's height limits covered above. For a question about your own lot, the city's Building Division answers at (760) 955-5100, and if your job needs a permit, we'll tell you at the estimate.
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Victorville?
A poured concrete retaining wall in San Bernardino usually costs about $33 to $49 per square foot of wall face, which is the part you see from the front. Where yours lands depends on the footing, the steel, the drainage and how hard the spot is to reach, and the written estimate gives you the figure for your wall.
Why does drainage matter behind a retaining wall?
Water building up behind a wall can greatly add to the load on it and make it leak, so drainage is part of the design, not an extra. Design guidance calls for drain rock, filter fabric and drain outlets, and the outlets need to stay clear. Changing the backfill later, adding a driveway near the wall or letting water pool behind it can undo what the wall was built for, even when the concrete is strong.
How much can a contractor ask for up front in California?
On a home improvement job, a California contractor can't ask for a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. After that, each payment has to be listed in the contract and match work done or materials delivered.
How long does it take to build a concrete retaining wall?
Most of the time goes to two waits, not the pour itself. One is the plan review if your wall needs a permit, and the other is the pause before soil goes back in. Trade guidance says to wait on backfill until the wall has gained enough strength or is braced, and to keep heavy equipment back from the top by a distance equal to the wall's height while that soil goes in.
How do I know what size retaining wall I need?
Height alone won't tell you, because the footing size, the steel, the drainage and the soil assumptions should come from the project's design or the code. That design should account for your slope and any driveway or building near the wall. It's also fair to ask how your site's soil was checked, because collapsible soil shrinks when it gets wet or carries more load.
Other concrete work that often goes with a wall
Concrete floor installation
A new floor on ground you've leveled with a wall needs the same packed base and drainage thinking, so the slab stays flat for a garage, studio or storage room.
Concrete pool decks
Once the yard is level, a pool deck gives you a flat place to walk around the water, poured so splash and rain run away from the house.
Victorville, CA
Get a written price on your wall
Have the wall's rough height and length ready, along with where it sits on the lot and any slope, driveway or building near it, and know that every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.