A leaning wall or a slope you want leveled? We build concrete retaining walls planned for your site and drained so they hold.
A concrete retaining wall holds back the sideways push of soil so you can use ground that would otherwise slide, and United Irvine Concrete builds them for homes in Irvine and across Orange County. Depending on the site, the wall may also have to handle groundwater, a slope or driveway above it, and earthquake shaking.
Most calls start with a hillside creeping onto a patio, an old wall that's leaning or cracked, or a yard that needs a flat spot cut into it. The job is more than a poured face. It's a footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, steel inside it and a drain system behind it. If the wall levels ground for a concrete pool deck or a pad that will need concrete floor installation, we plan both together.
The design, the height, what sits above the wall and how easily a crew and truck can reach it move the price. The schedule turns mostly on paperwork, because taller walls and walls below a rising slope or driveway need a city permit and an engineer's plan, and when yours does, we prepare and file it and keep you posted. My written estimate shows what's included for your wall.
We get back to you to set a time for me to come out. I'll ask a few questions about the slope and what you'd like to do with the ground above it.
I come out myself, measure, look at where the water runs and ask how you'll use the space. You get a written estimate that shows what's included, so you can see what the design, drainage and finish each involve.
If the wall needs a permit, we prepare and file it and keep you posted on where it stands. The city says to generally expect about five business days for the first plan check, and it lets you know if corrections are needed.
Our own crew forms and pours the footing and wall and builds the drainage behind it, with me or my foreman running the site. When it's done, we walk the finished wall with you and show you where the drain outlets are so you can keep them clear.
I won't price a retaining wall on height alone, because the footing, the steel, the drainage and the soil assumptions all come from a design for your site. So we start from that plan, dig out and pack the base, form and pour the footing, and set the rebar, the steel inside that helps the wall carry the soil's push. If you'd like to know whether your lot sits in a mapped earthquake hazard zone, the state's EQ Zapp tool lets you type in your address and check.
Behind the wall, the drainage gets as much care as the concrete. We shape the grade, the slope of the finished ground, so water runs away from the wall. Weep holes, small openings through the wall face, tend to clog over the years, so drains you can clean out are more reliable, and we put the outlets where you can reach them for as long as the wall stands.
What goes into one of our walls:
If an old wall has fine cracks but still stands straight and drains, clearing or fixing its drainage may be all it needs. When it leans, bulges or has pulled apart, patching the face doesn't touch the cause, which is usually water building up behind it. In that case I'll tell you plainly that a new wall with proper drainage is the better use of your money, even though it costs more up front.
The design sets most of it, because the plan decides how big the footing is, how much steel goes in and how much drainage the wall needs. Height, length and what sits above the wall matter, along with access, removing an old wall and the finish on the face. If the budget is tight, I'd sooner simplify the finish than cut the footing or the drainage, because those can't be fixed later without taking the wall down.
I learned concrete under a strict boss who made me tear out forms and set them again until they were right, and I've run this business in Irvine the same way since 2013. On a retaining wall, that means the parts you won't see once it's backfilled, the footing and the drain, get the most attention.
We do what the written estimate says, and if something changes once the ground is open, I explain it to you before we go on. Our crew keeps the site tidy and leaves your property as neat as we found it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and when you're ready to talk about your wall, call (949) 518-3401.
Call us and I'll come see the slope, where the water runs and what sits above it, then put the plan in writing.
Tell us the wall's planned height, what sits above it and any HOA rules. We reply within one business day to book your free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Irvine requires a building permit and an engineered plan when a retaining wall is over 4 feet tall measured from the bottom of its footing, or when it sits below a rising slope or a driveway. For that permit, the city asks for drawings stamped and signed by a California licensed civil or structural engineer. Those are the first things I check on site, and when a permit is needed, we prepare and file it.
Building a retaining wall in Orange County usually costs about $51 to $55 per square foot. That's what the work generally runs in the area, not our quote. Your own price depends on the design for your site, the drainage, what sits above the wall and access, and my written estimate shows what's included.
Poor drainage is by far the most common cause of retaining wall problems, and left alone they can go on to outright failure. Water trapped behind a wall can greatly increase the load on it. That's why, on a leaning wall, I look first for blocked outlets and wet ground.
It may, because your homeowners association can have its own approval process, so check your rules before the wall is designed. If you own a condominium, the city asks for a copy of the HOA approved design plans. We'll give you the drawings and details your association needs.
California's Contractors State License Board defines a C-8 concrete contractor as one who forms, pours, places, finishes and installs concrete work, which is what a poured wall involves. It's fair to ask anyone bidding on your wall what license they hold. We're licensed and insured, and I'm glad to go over it on the visit.
Yes, within the city's height limits. A retaining wall plus a fence or wall on top can reach 10 feet in total above grade along the street side and 12 feet along rear property lines. The city doesn't allow chain link, plastic or plain exposed concrete block, so we plan the wall and what goes on it together.
We're based in Irvine and build retaining walls in Costa Mesa, Tustin and the other cities below. Choose your city, or call us if yours isn't listed.
