Retaining Walls & Concrete Masonry
Strong, attractive retaining walls and masonry work that manages slopes and adds functional beauty to your property.
Why Retaining Walls Matter
Retaining walls serve both practical and aesthetic purposes. Their primary job is to hold back soil and create level areas on sloped properties. Without proper retention, slopes erode, landscaping washes away, and buildings can face foundation problems from shifting soil. A well-built retaining wall solves these problems while creating usable outdoor space.
In Whittier, many properties have elevation changes that make yards difficult to use. A retaining wall transforms a steep, unusable slope into terraced areas perfect for gardens, patios, or lawn. This not only makes your property more functional but also more valuable. The right wall design complements your home and landscape rather than looking like an afterthought.
Beyond residential applications, retaining walls serve commercial and municipal needs. They protect roadways from slope failure, create parking areas on hillsides, and manage drainage in developed areas. Whether your wall is three feet or thirty feet tall, proper engineering and construction techniques ensure it performs its job safely for decades.
Retaining Wall Options and Materials
Several types of retaining walls suit different applications, budgets, and aesthetic goals. The right choice depends on wall height, soil conditions, drainage requirements, and the look you want to achieve.
Common Retaining Wall Types:
- •Poured concrete walls: The strongest option, ideal for tall walls or areas with significant soil pressure. Can be faced with stone or finished decoratively.
- •Concrete block (CMU) walls: Built from concrete masonry units, these walls are cost-effective and versatile. They can be finished smooth, stuccoed, or faced with stone.
- •Segmental retaining wall blocks: Interlocking blocks specifically designed for retaining walls. These create attractive walls without mortar and work well for residential projects.
- •Natural stone or brick: Premium option that provides timeless beauty. More expensive but creates stunning results for high-visibility areas.
- •Combination walls: Poured concrete structural wall with decorative facing materials for strength and appearance.
Each material has advantages and limitations. Poured concrete provides maximum strength but looks industrial without facing. Block walls balance cost and performance well. Decorative options cost more but create focal points in your landscape. We help you choose based on your budget, site conditions, and design preferences.
Building Retaining Walls That Last
Retaining walls fail more often than most people realize. You have probably seen walls that lean, crack, or even collapse. These failures happen because the wall was not engineered properly, the foundation was inadequate, or drainage was ignored. We focus on the fundamentals that prevent these problems.
Every retaining wall starts with a proper foundation. This typically means a concrete footing below grade that provides a stable base and prevents the wall from sliding forward. The footing must be sized correctly for the wall height and soil pressure behind it. Cutting corners here leads to failure.
Drainage is equally critical. Water trapped behind a retaining wall creates tremendous pressure that pushes the wall forward. We install drainage systems including weep holes, drainage pipes, and gravel backfill that allow water to escape rather than building up behind the wall. This single factor prevents most wall failures.
Engineering becomes necessary for taller walls, typically anything over four feet high. An engineer calculates the forces acting on the wall and designs it to resist those forces with adequate thickness, reinforcement, and foundation. This costs more but ensures the wall performs safely. Many jurisdictions require engineering for retaining walls over a certain height.
We handle both simple garden walls and complex structural retaining walls. Small walls three feet or less are straightforward. Taller walls require more planning and engineering. We evaluate your site, explain what is required, and build a wall that works. If you need other site work like concrete flatwork or grading, we coordinate everything for your project.