Concrete retaining walls in Temecula CA - built to hold your slope and let water out
A slope creeping onto your patio or an old wall leaning out? We build poured concrete walls planned around drainage first.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
When does a yard need a concrete retaining wall?
Concrete retaining walls hold back the sideways push of soil. In Temecula we pour them in place so a cut slope or a raised yard stays put and gives you level ground you can actually use.
Most calls start with a slope you can't use or an old wall that's starting to lean. Height alone doesn't tell you what a wall needs, because water in the ground, a driveway or building above it, more slope behind it and earthquake shaking all add to the load. Those same things move the price, along with tearing out an old wall, a curved layout, a taller wall and a stamped or colored face. The schedule mostly turns on the permit side and on curing, the wait while the concrete hardens and gains strength before any soil goes back behind it. When I come out, you get a written estimate that shows what's included.
How do you know a slope or an old wall needs work?
Wall leaning or bulging
If the top of an old wall leans out past the bottom or the face bows, the soil behind it is winning, and trapped water is usually the reason. Every wet season pushes it a little further, and the longer it goes, the more soil and broken wall there is to haul out.
Dirt sliding onto your patio
A bare slope that sheds soil onto a patio, walk or driveway after every rain needs something to hold it back. Left alone, it keeps undercutting the concrete below, and then you're fixing two things instead of one.
Drain holes dry or plugged
The holes or pipes near the bottom of a wall should run after a soaking rain, so if they're dry, buried or full of roots, the water is stuck behind the wall. Clearing them early is a small job, and ignoring them is how a sound wall starts to lean.
How we build concrete retaining walls
Water building up behind a wall is what pushes it over, so drainage is the first thing I plan, and I ask what sits near the wall now and what might go there later, like a driveway. The footing, the steel and the drain should follow the design for your wall or the building code, and once that's set we dig out for the footing, set the forms and the rebar, the steel bars that keep the concrete from pulling apart when the soil pushes on it, and pour. Behind the wall go drainage gravel, a filter layer that keeps dirt out of the gravel, and drain outlets that carry the water through and away. Soil goes back only after the wall has gained strength, packed a layer at a time, because heavy equipment pounding right behind a young wall can push it out of line. If the budget's tight, I'd rather spend it on the footing and the drain than on a fancy face, because nobody sees them and they're what keeps the wall standing.
A wall is often the first step in a bigger change to the yard. Cutting into a slope can open up a level pad for a workshop or shed that's ready for concrete floor installation, and terracing a backyard often makes room for a pool and the concrete pool decks around it.
Poured-in-place concrete wall
This is the one for a wall with real work to do, like holding a cut slope or carrying a driveway above it. It costs more than stacked material, so I only recommend it where the job calls for a structural wall.
Block wall on a poured footing
Concrete block built on a poured footing suits people who like the look of block, and the footing is what holds the wall in place and keeps it from tipping or sliding. It needs the same drainage behind it as a poured wall.
Dry-laid stacked wall
For a garden edge with little pushing on it, stacked stone or block with open joints costs much less than poured concrete. If that's all your yard needs, I'll tell you so rather than sell you a bigger wall.
Get a written estimate for your retaining wall
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the slope and write up a free estimate at your property, with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Temecula, CA 92590
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Temecula?
From the first call to the final walk-through, here's who does what and what you'll have in hand before any digging starts.
Call or send us a message
Call (951) 466-2140 or use the form, and tell us roughly how long and tall the wall is and what sits near it. We set a time for me to come look.
I measure and write it up
I measure, ask what will sit near the wall and where the water should go, then write up an estimate that shows what's included. You can hold it next to any other quote and see whether both cover the same steps.
Permits, forms and the pour
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side, dig, set the forms and steel, and pour. The wall then sits and cures before anything goes behind it.
Backfill and a final walk
Once the wall has gained strength, we backfill, clean up, and I walk the job with you. I'll point out the drain outlets, because they need to stay clear for as long as the wall stands.
Why Temecula homeowners call B&R for retaining walls
I come out and I'm there
I look at the job myself and write the estimate, and I'm on site working with our crew when the concrete goes in. The person who planned your drainage is the one making sure it goes in that way.
Licensed and insured, papers on request
We're licensed and fully insured. Ask to see it at the estimate, before you sign anything.
A Temecula business since 2023
I started B&R in Temecula in 2023 after learning the trade on concrete crews around the Inland Empire. I grew up on a family farm fixing what broke ourselves, and I still plan the parts nobody sees before anything else.
We check Temecula's retaining wall handout
The city publishes a handout on retaining walls and block walls built on top of them, and we check your plan against it before we build. That saves surprises once the work is underway.
When you're ready, send us the wall's rough length and height and what sits near it, or call (951) 466-2140.
Retaining walls and grading work in Temecula
Building a wall means digging into a slope and filling behind it, and the city treats any excavation or filling as grading. The city's Department of Public Works issues grading permits, which are required before most construction or grading work on private development inside city limits. Whether your wall needs one depends on the job, so before we schedule I check which city or county office covers your address. If a permit is needed, we file it, set up the inspections and tell you what the office expects from you as the owner.
A lot of yards around here sit on a slope, so walls often go in to make room for a level patio, a pad or a pool, and we plan the wall for what's coming as well as what's there now. We see the same kind of hillside lots on jobs in Murrieta and Fallbrook.
Questions about retaining walls in Temecula
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Temecula?
In the Riverside area, concrete retaining wall installation usually costs about $16 to $46 per square foot. That's the going rate for the area, not our price, and it covers excavation, site prep, building the forms, pouring, basic finishing and cleanup. For your own wall, I'll come out and write up an estimate that lists what's included.
What causes retaining walls to fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water or wet soil builds up behind them and presses the wall outward. Every wall should let that water drain freely down and away, so ask how yours will drain before you sign. When an old wall is leaning, a plugged or missing drain is usually the first thing I look for.
Which city offices handle permits for a retaining wall in Temecula?
In Temecula, grading permits come from the Department of Public Works, and the Building Department handles plan check, building permits and inspections. If your address falls outside city limits, a county office may cover it instead, which is why I check before we schedule.
Can I add a driveway near a retaining wall later?
You can, but plan for it before the wall is built, because a driveway near the wall adds load the original design may not have counted on. Changing the backfill or letting water collect behind the wall can undo the design the same way, even when the concrete itself is strong. Tell me at the estimate if a driveway, a shed or a pool might go in later.
How long does it take to build a concrete retaining wall?
The building itself is usually the shorter part, and the permit side plus the curing time, the wait before soil can go back behind the wall, set most of the schedule. Backfilling too early can overload a wall that hasn't gained its strength yet. I'll walk you through the order of the work when I come out.
What license should a concrete contractor have in California?
California's licensing board has a C-8 Concrete Contractor classification, which covers forming, pouring, placing, finishing and installing concrete. That's the work a poured wall involves, so it's the classification to ask any contractor about.
Concrete work that often follows a retaining wall
Concrete floor installation
When a wall cuts a level pad into your slope for a workshop, shed or garage, a poured floor on that pad is the natural next job.
Concrete pool decks
Terracing a backyard with a wall often makes room for a pool, and the deck around it should be planned with the wall's drainage in mind.
Service areas for retaining wall work
B&R Temecula Concrete Contractors is based in Temecula, California, and builds retaining walls across the cities around it in southwest Riverside County and north San Diego County. Our 12 area pages include Menifee and Escondido, and they aren't the only places we work.
Temecula, CA
Get your retaining wall measured and priced
Call (951) 466-2140 or send the form with the wall's rough length and height and what sits near it, so I come out with the right questions.