Slope washing onto the patio or an old wall leaning out? We build retaining walls that let water drain and keep your yard in place.
Retaining wall construction in Antioch means building a wall that holds a slope in place against the push of the soil behind it and any water that builds up there, so your yard, patio or driveway stops creeping downhill.
Most people call us when they see the slope moving. Dirt washes onto the patio after a storm, a timber wall bows out, or a block wall starts to lean and crack. Usually the wall is fighting water it was never built to let go, so before we talk about block or stone, I want to know where the rain goes on your lot.
The price moves with the wall's height and length, what it's built from, how easily we can get block and equipment to the spot, and whether an old wall has to come out first. The schedule turns mostly on paperwork, since a taller wall can need a permit and sometimes an engineer's plans before we dig. Your written estimate spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
Two slopes that look alike can need very different walls. These are the things I look at on your lot before I tell you what to build.
A wall holding back a flower bed has an easier life than one holding up a driveway, a fence line or a neighbor's patio. Anything heavy near the top pushes on the wall, so it changes how deep we set it, how thick we build it and whether it needs an engineer to size it.
Most of a retaining wall is the part you don't see. We dig back behind the face for a solid base and a zone of drain rock, so a wall squeezed against a fence or a house takes more planning, and sometimes more hand work, than one with open ground behind it.
If a failed wall is already there, it has to come out, and I want to see why it failed before we build the new one. Rotted ties, a clogged drain or no drain at all each point to something the new wall has to do differently.
Here's how it goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one you'll see at the start, and I stay with the job until the wall is done.
Call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with a few lines about the wall. Most of the time it's me getting back to you, and we set a time for me to come look.
I walk the slope, check where water runs and what sits above it, and tell you what I see. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
If you go ahead and the wall needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections. Then our crew builds the wall, and I'm on site with them while it goes up.
When it's done, we walk the wall with you and show you where the drains come out and how to reach them. Keep those outlets clear of mulch and dirt so the water keeps leaving.
Drainage behind the wall is the first thing we plan, before we pick a block or a stone. Water trapped back there adds its weight to the soil's, so we give it a way out with free-draining rock behind the wall and outlets that carry it off. Grading the top so rain runs away from the wall matters just as much.
We like drains that can be reached and cleaned later, with an access point you can actually find, because a drain nobody can get to can't be cleared when it slows down. When a wall calls for an engineer, we build to those plans exactly. We don't swap materials or trim the base to save a day.
Sometimes the honest answer is a smaller job. If an old brick or stone wall is sound underneath and just worn at the joints, masonry restoration may be all it needs. And when a new wall turns a slope into flat yard, that level ground can hold a patio or an outdoor fireplace, and fireplace installation is work we do too.
On a steep slope, two shorter walls with a flat step between them can do the work of one tall wall, and each carries less. Terracing takes more yard, though, so on a tight lot I'd usually build one wall right.
Interlocking block is made to stack and lock together, so it goes up faster and costs less to lay. Natural stone takes longer and costs more but suits an older yard. For most backyard slopes I'd pick block and put the savings into drainage.
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day, usually from me. The estimate is free, I do it at your property, and there's no pressure to book. After I've looked at the slope, you get a written estimate of what we'll do and what we won't.
(925) 503-1025In Antioch, building permits come from the city's Building Division, and its list of projects exempt from a permit includes retaining walls three feet or less in height. A wall taller than that isn't on the list, so we plan on a permit, pull it and line up the inspections. You can also call the division at 925-779-7065 with questions about what your project has to submit.
Where the wall sits on your lot matters here. The permit's site plan shows each retaining wall's location, size and distance from every property line. If any of the work reaches into the public right-of-way along the street, like a curb cut or a change to the driveway, the city's Engineering Division requires a separate encroachment permit for that part.
We're based in Antioch and work in the cities around it, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. Most retaining wall calls we get are about sloped backyards, side yards that drop off and old timber walls that have started to lean. If you're not sure we cover your address, call and ask.
I started out as a helper on a small masonry crew, mixing mortar and hauling block long before anyone let me lay a brick. I opened this business in Antioch in 2023, after learning the trade from people who'd been at it for decades. I'd rather fix why a wall failed than build the same mistake again, and if your slope needs less than you expected, I'll tell you.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew while the wall goes up. We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If a wall on your lot is leaning, or you need one built, call (925) 503-1025 or send us the form and I'll come take a look.
Old brick or stone walls with crumbling joints or loose faces can often be brought back, keeping the character of the yard without starting over.
Once a new wall levels off part of the yard, a brick or stone fireplace gives that flat ground a reason to get used on cool evenings.
We build retaining walls in Antioch and the cities around it, and these have their own pages. If yours isn't listed, call and ask whether we reach your address.
Retaining wall construction in the Bay Area usually costs about $21 to $65 per square foot of wall face, the part you see from the front. Where a wall lands in that range depends mostly on what it's built from, since boulders, stone, wood, concrete, interlocking block and other materials all price differently. Your written estimate gives the figure for your wall.
Poor drainage is by far the most common reason retaining walls perform badly, according to highway research on these walls. Water that collects behind a wall adds its own pressure to the soil's, and left alone those problems can end in a wall that fails outright. That's why drainage is the first thing to ask any builder about.
Often not for the long haul. Weep holes let water seep out through the face of the wall, but the same research found they're likely to clog over the wall's life, and drains that can be maintained proved more reliable. If you plan to keep the wall for years, ask which kind of drain it will have.
Some walls do, and one block wall installation guide says to check local code before a project of any size to find out. Without required engineering, builders follow the block maker's design charts, and with it, they follow the approved plans strictly. A final design can also call for other specialists on water sources, settlement and overall stability.
Work starts once underground utilities are marked and any permit is in hand. The 8-1-1 Call Before You Dig service marks buried lines a few days before digging, so plan for that wait. A wall tall enough to need a permit also has the city's review ahead of it.
Mostly by noticing where the water goes. If you can, watch the slope during a good rain to see where it runs and pools, and clear a path so I can walk the full length of the wall. Old plans or a survey help too, because the site plan needs your property line distances.
Call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with the wall's rough height and length, a few photos of the slope and your street address, and I'll show up already knowing what to look for.
