Building an addition or replacing a failing foundation wall? We fill the block cores and plan the water protection so the wall holds up below ground.
Foundation block wall installation in Antioch means laying concrete block into a load-bearing wall that carries part of your house. Because it sits below ground, it also needs a full system that keeps water out, not just the block.
Most people who call about this are putting on an addition, building a garage or replacing a wall that's given out. The block is only part of the job. Below ground, the wall carries weight from above and holds back the dirt beside it, so how it's filled and how water is kept off it matter as much as how straight the courses run.
The price mostly follows the length and height of the wall, how much dirt has to come out and go back, how easy it is to get the crew and the block to the spot, and what kind of water protection and drainage your site calls for. The schedule turns on whether a permit is needed, the dig itself and the weather. Your written estimate spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
Two walls built from the same block can face very different conditions depending on the ground around them. These are the things I look at on your lot before I write anything up.
Water that builds up against a wall below ground pushes on it, and that usually comes from a high water table or heavy clay backfilled against the block. If you've seen the soil around your house crack open or swell, point it out before we plan the wall, because those are signs of ground that shrinks and swells.
Gravel behind the wall lets water run down to the footing instead of sitting against the block, and a drain pipe with holes along it carries that water away from the house. Where it goes from there depends on how your lot slopes, so we work that out once I've seen it.
To lay the block, put the barrier on and place the gravel, we need open ground along the outside of the wall. A narrow side yard, a fence, a patio or a tree close by makes the dig slower and can change how we get block and grout to the spot, so I check access first.
Here's how it goes from the first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one you'll see at the start, and I'm on the job while the wall goes in.
Call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with your address and where the wall needs to go. Most of the time it's me who gets back to you to set a time to come look.
I come out, look at the site, the ground and the access, and tell you what I see. Then I send a written estimate that spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
If you go ahead, we handle any permit the job needs and line up the inspections. I'm on site while the crew digs, lays and fills the block, puts on the water protection and backfills.
When it's done, we walk the wall with you and clean up. I'll show you where the drain runs and what to keep an eye on, like water pooling near the house after a heavy rain.
On foundation work, we fill the block cores with grout and steel. Hollow block has its uses above ground, but under a house the wall is carrying weight and holding back dirt, and I want it solid all the way through before anything goes on top of it. If you're replacing an old wall, I'll tell you why I think it failed, because building the same wall again just repeats the problem.
We also talk with you up front about how the wall will be kept dry below ground, before the estimate is final and not after the dirt's back in. That means deciding together on the barrier that goes on the outside of the block and how water behind it gets carried off. It's the part you can't see later, and the hardest part to fix once the wall is buried.
A new foundation wall leaves a torn-up strip of yard until the backfill settles. If you've been thinking about a path along that side of the house, walkway construction can follow the same job, and if the addition opens onto a patio, we also do outdoor kitchen masonry. I'd rather plan those around the drain line now than dig through them later.
One publisher's comparison says block goes up faster with a small crew, needs no forms and allows changes mid-project without waiting for concrete to cure. Poured walls have their place, and we'll talk through which fits your job.
Trade guidance notes that sheet membranes and panels depend less on workmanship and surface prep than coatings, and many stay intact better if the wall settles or moves. That's worth weighing on any wall that could shift.
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day. I'll set a time to come out, look at the wall site myself and send you a written estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(925) 503-1025Whether your wall needs a building permit is something we confirm with the city for each job, not something I assume. Any work in the public right-of-way, the street and sidewalk side of your property line, needs its own encroachment permit from the city's Engineering Division. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections, and if it's unclear, we check with the right office before work starts.
In Antioch, the property owner, applicant, designer or contractor is responsible for making sure the work meets the city code and the state building code, so I'll go over what the city asks for with you before anything is filed. If you want to ask about your own project directly, the Building Division takes those questions at (925) 779-7065.
We're based in Antioch and work in the cities around it, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. The calls we get around here are usually for additions, garages and older walls that have given out, and we do the same work across all of them. If you're not sure we cover your address, call and ask.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done. I started as a helper mixing mortar and hauling block, learned from people who'd been at it for decades, and opened this business in Antioch in 2023. That's three years under our own name, and I'd rather tell you a smaller job is enough than sell you a bigger one.
We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. When something has failed, I want to fix why it failed instead of covering it up, and that goes double for a wall you'll never see again once it's buried. To get started, call (925) 503-1025 or send us the form.
When a new addition opens onto the yard, a built-in grill counter in block, brick or stone gives that space somewhere to cook and gather.
Once the backfill along the house has settled, a new path over that strip gives you solid footing and keeps foot traffic off the regraded soil.
We're based in Antioch and build foundation walls in the cities around it. Pick yours below to see the work we do there, or call if your address isn't listed.
Yes, a block wall below ground should have its cores filled with grout and steel. One publisher's comparison says grouted, reinforced block walls approach the performance of poured concrete, while ungrouted walls are significantly weaker and not appropriate below grade. Whoever you hire, ask whether the cores will be filled with grout and vertical rebar.
You need waterproofing where water may build up and push against the wall, and dampproofing is typically enough where it won't. That's national masonry trade guidance on what building codes usually require. The soil and drainage I find on your lot decide which one your wall gets, and we settle it before the estimate is final.
Antioch takes building permit applications through its Online Permit Portal, and the city's building permit requirements page lists what to submit. That includes the location, dimensions and setbacks of the proposed work, plus drainage patterns and grading when they apply.
The state's C-29 Masonry Contractor license covers installing concrete block for both load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls. A foundation wall carries the house, so it falls under that load-bearing work. Before you hire anyone, ask which license they hold.
There's no flat price, because each wall is set by its own length, height and site. The biggest swings come from how deep we dig and how much dirt we haul, whether the wall needs full waterproofing or dampproofing, and how much gravel and drain pipe go behind it. I'll put all of it in a written estimate after I've seen the site.
There's no set number of days, and I'll give you a schedule with your estimate once I've seen the site. The work runs in order, digging out, laying and grouting the block, putting on the barrier, setting the drain and backfilling. The dig and the weather usually set the pace more than the block does.
Have your address, where the wall will go and roughly how long it'll be. If you've noticed water standing near the house or downspouts emptying against the foundation, point those out, because they change the water protection the wall needs. Clearing a path to the spot helps me see what the crew will be working with.
A quick look now can catch an access or drainage problem before it's drawn into your plans, so call (925) 503-1025 or send the form.
