Concrete retaining walls in Compton CA - a wall that drains and stays put
Leaning wall, bulging block or a slope washing into the yard? We build a wall planned around the water behind it.
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What does it take to build a retaining wall that holds?
Concrete retaining walls in Compton, CA hold back soil where your yard changes level. Building one means digging out, setting the reinforcement, pouring or stacking the wall and backfilling behind it with gravel so water has somewhere to go, because the finished wall has to stand up to the push of wet soil behind it.
Most calls start with a wall that's leaning, cracked or bulging, or a slope that keeps sliding onto the patio or walkway. The price moves with the wall's length and height, whether an old wall has to come out first, whether it curves and how hard the soil is to work, and the schedule mostly turns on the permit and how much digging the site needs. After I see it, you get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for.
How we build concrete retaining walls
I start by looking at where the water goes, because water stuck behind a wall is the usual trouble, and I plan the drainage as carefully as the wall itself. Then we go over block and poured concrete with you and let the slope, the soil and the space decide which one fits. For a poured wall we dig down to firm ground, set forms and rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete from pulling apart under the soil's weight, and pour. A block wall goes up course by course on a packed base. Either way, gravel and drainage go in behind the wall before any soil goes back, and a poured wall gets time to cure, the wait while it gains strength, before the backfill leans on it.
A wall often comes with other work on the same job. If it's there to level out a spot for the pool area, we can pour the concrete pool deck on the flat ground it creates, and if you're cutting into a slope to make room for a workshop or an addition, we handle the concrete floor installation too.
Building a concrete retaining wall in Compton
The city's Building Department issues permits for new construction and for repairs and improvements to existing structures, and the city says building a retaining wall will require a permit. Rules differ between Compton, the cities around it and the county areas, so we check with the right office for your address and handle the permit side for you. The city also asks anyone digging to call 8-1-1 and notify DigAlert first, so buried lines get marked, and we don't start digging until that's done.
Soil can change from one lot to the next across the county, so I go by what's actually in your yard instead of guessing. Before the design is settled, it's worth typing your address into the state's EQ Zapp tool to see whether your lot sits in a mapped earthquake hazard zone. We see the same short grade changes, planter walls and driveway cuts on jobs in Lynwood and Carson.
- Call (424) 400-7244
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
- Compton, CA 90220
What happens when you call Superior Compton Concrete in Compton?
Call or send a request
You call or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. We answer the phone into the evening, seven days a week.
I measure and check drainage
I walk the slope, measure, look at where the water runs and ask how you'll use the space. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, down to the drainage behind the wall.
We handle permits and prep
Once you're ready, we check with the right office for your address and get the permit side sorted before anyone digs. Then we prep the site and dig out for the wall.
Build, backfill and walk through
We build the wall, set the drainage, let the concrete cure and backfill behind it. Before we pack up, I walk the finished wall with you.
Why Compton homeowners call Superior Compton Concrete for retaining walls
I look at every wall myself
I come out to see every job myself, and our own crew does the work with me on site. The person who measured your slope is the one watching the drain go in.
Licensed and insured in California
California's licensing board sets out a concrete contractor class for the forming, pouring and finishing a wall like this takes. We're fully licensed and insured, which matters when the job means digging into a slope next to your house.
In business since 2021
I spent summers and then years on other people's concrete crews before I opened this business in 2021. Those years taught me that what's hidden behind a wall decides how it holds up, so that's what I watch closest.
A wall is only as good as what's behind it, so the drainage is the first thing I'll want to see. Ask for a site visit and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your retaining wall
We get back to every request within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. I measure, look over the slope and the drainage and put what's included in writing.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (424) 400-7244
- Location
- Compton, CA 90220
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Questions about retaining walls in Compton
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost per square foot in Compton?
A poured concrete retaining wall in Los Angeles usually costs about $12 to $54 per square foot installed, and that's the area's going rate, not our price. Where your wall lands in that range depends on what I find on site, and the free written estimate gives you the figure for yours.
Does a retaining wall in Compton need a permit?
Yes, the city says building a retaining wall will require a permit, issued by its Building Department. When you hire us, we check with the right office for your address and take care of that side for you.
What causes a retaining wall to fail?
Most retaining walls fail because water and soil moisture build up behind them and push, according to a university extension guide written for Colorado. That guide says every wall should let water drain freely down and away, using gravel backfill, drainage blankets or drain pipes, and that structural walls need weep holes, small openings that let the water out. Ask which of those your estimate includes.
Is block or poured concrete better for a retaining wall?
Neither one wins everywhere, because the right wall depends on the design and the conditions on your site. One comparison guide says block usually costs less to install up front. Block walls are concrete units stacked without mortar that hold by their weight and the way they lock together, and a trade association guide says they can shift and settle without showing it, while a rigid poured wall may crack when it moves.
How long does a concrete retaining wall last?
One contractor's comparison says both block and poured walls can last more than 50 years when they're properly engineered and drained. That means the design and the drainage decide how long your wall lasts more than the type of wall does.
Who should design a block retaining wall?
A trade association guide says block retaining wall designs should be prepared by a designer who knows soil and structural mechanics. Before you sign anything, ask who prepares the design for your wall.
Other concrete work that goes with a wall
Concrete floor installation
When a new wall cuts back a slope to make usable ground, a poured floor turns that space into a workshop, storage room or addition you can actually use.
Concrete pool decks
A wall that levels part of the backyard can set up a flat, well-drained area for a pool deck that stays even and sheds water away from the pool.
Book a site visit for your wall
Call (424) 400-7244 or send the form with the wall's rough length and height, how steep the slope is and what's there now, so I come out ready to measure the right things.
Request an estimateCall (424) 400-7244