Concrete retaining walls in South El Monte CA - a level yard and a slope that stays put
Soil washing onto the patio or an old wall starting to lean? We build walls that hold the slope and give water a way out.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a concrete retaining wall that actually holds?
A concrete retaining wall in South El Monte holds back the sideways push of soil where your yard changes height, standing on a concrete footing that keeps it from tipping or sliding, so you get usable flat ground and a slope that stops creeping onto your driveway or patio.
Most people call us because a slope keeps washing down every time it rains, an old wall is leaning, or they want to carve a flat spot out of the yard, and dirt is patient, so it'll keep leaning on whatever's in front of it long after you've stopped thinking about it. The price mostly moves with how tall and long the wall is, how much footing and steel the design calls for, the drain behind it, how close we can get a truck, and what the ground underneath is like. The schedule turns on getting the design and any permit squared away first, then the wait before the soil can go back behind the new concrete, and you'll get your own number for all of it at the estimate.
How do you know your yard needs a retaining wall?
Mud on the patio
If soil washes onto your patio or driveway every time it rains, the slope has nothing holding it, and each storm takes a little more of the yard with it. Waiting usually means a taller wall later and a lot more shoveling in between.
An old wall leaning out
When the top of a wall tips away from the hill or pulls apart at a corner, the footing or the drain usually isn't keeping up with the soil behind it. Walls that start moving rarely stop on their own, and one that comes down takes the yard and whatever's next to it along.
Wet spots on the face
Damp stains, white crust or water seeping out of cracks usually means water is collecting behind the wall with no clear way out. That trapped water pushes on the concrete, so a damp wall now is often a cracked or leaning one later.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Before I price a wall, I ask who's drawing up its design, because height alone doesn't tell you how deep the footing goes, how much steel goes in or what the drain has to handle. Once that's settled, our crew digs out for the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, packs the ground under it, and ties in the rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from cracking apart under the soil's push. We form and pour the footing and the wall, then build the drain behind it with gravel and pipe so water has a clear way out instead of piling up against the concrete, and we clean up before we leave. The footing and the drain disappear once the soil is back, which makes them the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and I'd honestly rather talk you out of a fancier face on the wall than skimp on either one.
A wall usually makes room for something, so it often comes with other work. If you're leveling a slope to fit a pool, we can pour the concrete pool deck on the new flat ground, and if the space behind the wall is headed for a shop, studio or storage building, our concrete floor installation gives it a solid, flat floor.
Poured concrete cantilever wall
This is the wall most people picture, solid concrete tied into a footing that keeps it from tipping or sliding. It suits bigger grade changes and spots near a driveway, where the design calls for plenty of steel.
Concrete block wall
Block can do the same job, with steel bars set upright in the block cores to stand up to the soil. It suits owners who want a block face that matches a garden wall or fence line, and it goes up course by course instead of in one big pour.
Get a free estimate on 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 to look at the slope and measure, then you get a free estimate with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- South El Monte, CA 91733
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about a retaining wall?
Here's how a wall goes from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
You call (626) 719-0110 or send a message, and we get back to you to set up a visit. A few photos of the slope help me show up with the right questions.
I walk the slope with you
I come out myself to measure, see where the water runs and talk through what you want the yard to do, then you get your estimate. I'd rather spend extra time answering questions about the price there than leave you guessing once the truck shows up.
We build it and check it
If you go ahead, we handle the permit side when there is one, then my crew and I dig, pour and backfill the wall. Before we pack up, I go over the finished wall with you, drain outlets included.
Why South El Monte homeowners call us for retaining walls
The owner at every estimate
We're based right here in South El Monte, and I come out to every estimate myself, with the work done by me and my crew. On a wall, that means the guy who stood at the bottom of your slope is the same one setting the footing.
Pouring concrete since 2023
We've been in business since 2023, and I learned the trade working next to finishers who'd been at it for years and asking them a lot of questions. I still ask plenty, and I'm happy to answer yours.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, so the work on your property is covered while we're on it. In California, forming, pouring and finishing concrete is a licensed trade of its own, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring about it.
On a retaining wall, the part that counts is the part that ends up buried, so let's look at your slope together. Call (626) 719-0110 or send us a message and I'll come out.
Permits and grading for retaining walls in South El Monte
In South El Monte, the permit side comes before anybody digs. The city's Building & Safety Division takes all building permit applications through its online permit portal, and the county's permit page names retaining walls, so we treat a permit as part of the plan from day one. When your wall needs one, we pull it and set up the inspections, and since some areas around here go through the county instead of a city counter, we check with the right office for your address. If the wall means moving a good amount of soil, the city's grading questionnaire helps sort out whether a grading plan check is needed too.
Around here we mostly see walls where one yard steps down to the next, where a driveway runs close to a property line, or where an older wall has started to lean. We run into the same setups on jobs in El Monte and Rosemead, and on every one I look first at where the water goes.
Questions about retaining walls in South El Monte
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near South El Monte?
A retaining wall in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $20 to $50 per square foot of wall face, installed, which is the going market rate and not a quote from us. Wall face is the height times the length you see from the front, and where yours lands depends on the footing, steel and drain the design calls for and on the ground itself. Cantilever walls suit firm ground, and weak or settling ground can need piles or ground improvement, which adds a lot, so I'll give you your own number at the estimate.
Why does a retaining wall need drainage behind it?
Water trapped behind a wall can greatly increase the load on it and cause leaks. That's why a wall's design calls for drainage gravel, a filter layer that keeps dirt out of the gravel, perforated drain outlets and good surface drainage on top. Those outlets need to stay clear and working over the years.
Where do I apply for a building permit in South El Monte?
You apply through the city's online permit portal, which the Building & Safety Division uses for all building permit applications. If we're building your wall and it needs a permit, we take care of the filing and the inspections.
How do I check if my South El Monte lot is in an earthquake hazard zone?
Type your address into the state's EQ Zapp map, which shows whether a property sits in a mapped zone for fault rupture, liquefaction or earthquake landslides. The state's geological survey says those zones trigger geologic and engineering investigations before construction starts, so it's worth checking before the wall gets designed.
How long does it take to build a concrete retaining wall?
Longer than the pour itself, because soil can't go back behind a new wall until the concrete has gained enough strength and any bracing it needs is in place. The backfill then goes in packed down in controlled layers, since heavy compaction machines right behind a young wall can overload it. Design and any permit review come before all of that, and I'll walk you through the timing for your wall at the estimate.
Can I add a driveway next to my retaining wall later?
You can, but plan for it now, because adding a driveway near the wall, changing the backfill or letting water build up behind it can undo what the design assumed, even when the concrete is strong. Tell us your future yard plans at the estimate so the wall gets designed for them from the start.
Work that often goes with a new retaining wall
Concrete pool decks
When a wall levels a sloped yard to make room for a pool, the deck can go in on that new flat ground, sloped so water runs away from the pool.
Concrete floor installation
If the leveled space behind your wall is headed for a workshop, studio or storage building, a poured interior floor gives it a solid, flat base to start from.
Retaining walls in South El Monte and nearby cities
South El Monte Concrete is based in South El Monte, California, and builds retaining walls in the 12 cities listed here, including El Monte and Monterey Park. If your city isn't on the list, give us a call anyway, since we work in more places than these.
South El Monte, CA
Get your retaining wall looked at
Have your address, the wall's rough length and height, a few photos of the slope and any driveway plans handy, and the first visit gets a lot further.