Concrete retaining walls in West Covina CA - a wall that holds the slope and drains
A slope crowding your yard or an old wall leaning out? We build concrete retaining walls that hold the ground and let water out.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What does a concrete retaining wall actually do for your yard?
A concrete retaining wall in West Covina holds back a slope so you get level, usable ground. It sits on a concrete footing that keeps the soil's sideways push from tipping the wall over or sliding it out.
Most folks call us when a slope is eating into the yard, mud slides onto the patio every time it rains, or an old wall has started to lean. The price moves mostly with how long and how tall the wall is, how much dirt has to come out and go somewhere, and what you want the face to look like. The schedule turns on the digging, the footing and whether the wall is tall enough to need the city's approval first. I come out, measure it and put your own figure in the estimate, so you're not guessing from a website.
How can you tell a slope or an old wall needs work?
Wall leaning or bulging out
When the top of a wall tips forward or the face bows out, the soil behind it is winning, usually because water has built up back there or the footing was too small. It tends to move a little more each wet season, and a wall that finally gives way brings the dirt down with it.
Mud washing onto the patio
If every rain leaves dirt on your patio or walkway, the slope above is wearing away a little at a time. A wall holds that ground in place, and the sooner it goes in, the less soil you lose and the less shoveling you do.
Wet face or white stains
Damp patches, white crusty streaks or water trickling out along the bottom mean water is sitting behind the wall instead of draining away. That trapped water adds weight against the wall, so it's worth having the drains looked at before the wall starts to lean.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Water behind the wall is the first thing I plan for, so every bid we write spells out how your wall will drain before we get to what the face looks like. On the job, we dig the footing trench down to firm ground, set the rebar, the steel bars that take the strain from the soil pushing on the wall, and pour the concrete footing the wall stands on. Then we build the wall, and behind it goes filter fabric, a perforated drain pipe and clean gravel, followed by the backfill, the soil packed back in behind the wall a layer at a time so it doesn't settle and pull at the drain later. My old foreman used to say a wall is only as good as the work under it and behind it, and nobody sees either one once the dirt's back in, so if the budget gets tight I'll trim the face finish before I touch the footing or the drain rock. When the wall is up, I show you what the drains need from you so they keep doing their job.
A retaining wall usually makes room for something, and the flat ground it creates is often where the next project goes. When a wall levels a sloped backyard, we can pour concrete pool decks on it, and when the cut-out ground becomes a workshop or storage room, our concrete floor installation gives it a solid, level surface.
Get a written retaining wall estimate at your property
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the slope and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- West Covina, CA 91790
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in West Covina?
Here's how a retaining wall goes with us, from your first call to the day we clean up, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 412-8532 or send the contact form, and we'll get back to you to set a time to see the slope. A rough height and a couple of photos help me come prepared.
I walk the slope with you
I come out myself, look at the ground and where the water runs, and ask how you'll use the flat space. You get a written estimate with your price and how we'll build the wall, so you can lay it side by side with anyone else's.
We permit, build and finish
Once you say go, we handle any permit the wall needs, set and check the forms, then pour, build and backfill behind the drains. Before we leave, I walk you through caring for it.
Why West Covina homeowners call A&D West Covina Concrete Construction for retaining walls
The owner bids and builds
We're based in West Covina, and I'm the one who comes out to look at your slope and write the estimate, then works the job alongside our crew. The person who drew up your drainage plan is standing there when it goes in.
Trained to get forms straight
I learned under a foreman who made me tear out and reset forms until they were dead straight, and I started this business in 2023 after years on his crew. That habit shows in a wall that runs true from one end to the other.
Licensed in California and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. California's contractor licensing board has its own class for contractors who form, pour, place and finish concrete, which is the work a wall's footing and face come down to.
On a retaining wall, what's behind it counts more than what you see, so tell us about your slope and I'll come take a look.
Retaining walls and the work around them in West Covina
In West Covina, the wall's height decides most of the rules. The city's Building Section issues permits for private work, and a retaining wall over four feet tall needs an administrative use permit, so check with the city on the current rule before you settle on a wall that tall. The city's published guideline also caps retaining walls at eight feet, except landscaped crib walls and walls the city exempts. For walls that need the use permit, it suggests textured poured concrete, stone, masonry or textured colored block in natural, earth-tone colors so the wall blends in. If your wall needs a permit, we handle the paperwork, line up the inspections and keep you in the loop, and we'll talk through face finishes that fit what the city asks for.
Around here we see a lot of yards that step down toward the street or the back fence, with sprinklers on the slope above soaking the ground behind the wall, so we plan the drains for that extra water. We see the same kind of yards on jobs in Covina and Baldwin Park.
Questions about retaining walls in West Covina
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost near West Covina?
A concrete retaining wall in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $20 to $50 per square foot installed. That's the going range around here, not our price, and removing an old wall, stamped or multi-colored concrete, curved walls, brick work, taller walls and hard-to-dig soil all add to the cost. It's worth asking what a price covers, since one Los Angeles price like that includes site prep, digging, geotextile fabric, ready-mix concrete, gravel backfill and steel reinforcement. Your estimate puts your own figure on it.
Does a retaining wall in West Covina need a permit?
Any retaining wall over four feet tall needs an administrative use permit from the city. For a shorter wall, ask the city what applies to your address before you plan it, and when a permit is needed, we take care of the paperwork.
What causes most problems with retaining walls?
Poor drainage is by far the most common cause of retaining walls performing poorly, because water that can't get out from behind the wall piles extra push against it. That's why the most useful thing to ask anyone bidding on your wall is how they'll let water drain from behind it.
Who is responsible for a retaining wall in West Covina after it's built?
The property owner is, or whoever leases or has charge of the property, and that covers keeping the wall safe and undamaged, drainage and irrigation systems included. So the drains and watering lines are part of owning the wall, which is why I go over them with you when the job wraps up.
Why do retaining wall weep holes stop draining?
Weep holes, the small openings that let water out through the wall, usually stop working because poor backfill, plants or animals clog them. Once they're blocked, water builds up behind the wall, so if yours have gone dry while the ground stays soggy, give us a call and we'll come look.
How do I check for buried lines before building a retaining wall?
Call 8-1-1, the Call Before You Dig line, to have underground utilities marked before anyone starts excavating. On our jobs, we make sure the lines are marked before our crew digs the footing trench.
Other concrete work that follows a retaining wall
Concrete floor installation
If the flat ground behind your new wall turns into a workshop or storage room, a poured floor gives it a solid, level surface for everyday use.
Concrete pool decks
A wall that levels a sloped backyard often makes room for a pool, and the deck around it needs a slip-resistant surface that drains away from the house.
Service areas around West Covina
A&D West Covina Concrete Construction is based in West Covina, California, and the 12 cities listed here, including El Monte and Pomona, each have their own page. We work in many of the cities around West Covina too, so reach out even if yours isn't listed.
Plan your retaining wall with a site visit
Call (626) 412-8532 or use the form with your wall's rough length and height, a few photos of the slope and any fence you want on top, so I come out already thinking it through.
West Covina, CA