Concrete retaining walls in Hayward CA - a yard that stays put after the rain
A slope creeping into your yard or an old wall leaning out? We pour a concrete wall that holds the ground and lets water drain.
Concrete retaining walls hold back the dirt on a slope so the ground beside them stays flat and usable. In Hayward, CA, we form and pour them in place, often to turn a sloped yard into room for a patio or a pool deck. Most calls start with a slope washing into the yard or an old wall leaning, cracking or seeping at the bottom.
I spend a lot of time on where the water behind a wall will go, because that pressure is what we're really holding back. The price turns on the wall's height and length, the drainage and how easy the site is to reach. The schedule mostly turns on the permit side, which we look into early, filing the paperwork or walking you through it when your wall needs one. You get your own number with the written estimate.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
- Footing and steel inside. We dig and pour a footing under the wall, then tie in rebar, the steel bars that hold the concrete together under load, from the footing up through the wall.
- Water with somewhere to go. We look at where water runs across your yard and where the drain behind the wall can empty, so it doesn't end up at your foundation or your neighbor's fence.
- I estimate, our crew pours. I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself. Our own crew does the forming, pouring and finishing, and I'm on site running the work.
- Concrete work since 2013. I started this business in 2013 after selling ready mix and learning forming and finishing on a crew. A tricky slope is still the kind of job I like most.
- Licensed and fully insured. We're licensed and fully insured for the work our crew does on your property, from digging the footing to pulling the forms and backfilling.
What goes wrong with retaining walls
| Problem | What it looks like | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Wall leaning out | What it looks like: Top tipping forward, gaps opening where it meets the ground | Usual fix: Rebuild with a real footing, steel and drainage |
| Water seeping through | What it looks like: Wet face, white crust or mud at the base after rain | Usual fix: New wall with a drain behind it |
| Cracked or bulging face | What it looks like: Cracks running across the wall, a bulge pushing out in the middle | Usual fix: Tear out and pour a reinforced wall |
| Slope washing down | What it looks like: Dirt and mulch sliding onto the patio, lawn or path | Usual fix: Cut the slope back and pour a wall |
Which kind of wall your yard needs
- Stacked dry-laid wall. Colorado State University's extension guide calls a dry-laid wall of stacked, open-joint material the much less expensive choice. It can suit a low garden edge with nothing heavy above it.
- Poured concrete wall. Poured with steel, it suits a wall holding up a driveway, a building or flat ground for a concrete floor, and it's proven rigid and cost-effective on lower walls.
- Tear out and rebuild. When an old wall is leaning or cracked, we usually take it out and pour new rather than patch it, because what gave out is most often the footing or drainage you can't see.
How a wall job runs
- Call and site visit. You call (510) 264-7026 or send the form. Then I come out, measure the wall's run and height, and ask what will sit above it.
- A written estimate. Your estimate spells out the prep, the steel and the joints, so you know what each line pays for before you decide.
- Permit and design. Once you say go, we sort out the permit. When your wall has an engineered design, we build to it and work with whoever drew it.
- Forming and pouring. Our crew forms, sets the steel and pours within the city's construction hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and holidays.
- Walk-through and clean-up. Once the wall's backfilled, I walk the finished job with you and show you where the drain lets out, and our crew cleans up.
What keeps a retaining wall standing
What keeps a wall standing is the part you won't see once we backfill: the footing, the steel and the drain. When a budget gets tight, people want to cut the hidden work and keep a nice face. I'll push back on that, because a smooth finish doesn't hold back wet dirt.
We build walls for homeowners, landlords and small commercial lots in Hayward and many of the cities around it, on both sides of the bay, including Castro Valley and San Leandro. If your slope won't stay put, ask us for an estimate.
Tell us about your wall
Send the rough length and height of the wall and whether the ground behind it slopes. We reply within one business day to set a time to come out.
(510) 264-7026- Free on-site estimate
- No obligation to go ahead
- Prep, steel and joints spelled out
Retaining wall questions from Hayward
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Hayward?
In most cases, yes. The city requires a building permit for every retaining wall unless it's 4 feet tall or less, holds back no flammable or combustible liquids and carries no surcharge, which is extra load such as sloped ground or a driveway behind it. The application needs a design certified by a registered design professional, so we plan for that first.
How does Hayward measure the height of a retaining wall?
The city measures from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, so the buried footing counts toward the 4 feet. It also counts no surcharge when the ground behind the wall stays level for at least as far back as the wall is tall. On your estimate, I give the height the city's way.
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in the Bay Area?
A retaining wall in the Bay Area usually costs about $50 to $65 per square foot. That's the going rate around here, not a quote from us. The height, tight access, the drainage and whether the wall needs an engineered design all move your number, and I put yours in writing after I walk the site.
Why do concrete retaining walls fail?
Colorado State University's extension guide says most retaining walls fail because water or soil moisture builds up pressure behind them. It says every wall should let that water drain down and away through gravel backfill, or drainage blankets and drain pipes. Ask any contractor how your wall will drain, and we'll show you how yours does before we start.
Which California contractor license covers concrete retaining walls?
California's C-8 Concrete Contractor class covers forming, pouring, placing, finishing and installing concrete, which is the work that goes into a poured wall. It's fair to ask anyone bidding your wall which license they carry.