Retaining Walls & Concrete Masonry

A properly built retaining wall holds your soil in place, controls erosion, and can completely transform a sloped or difficult yard into usable outdoor space.

Professionally installed concrete retaining walls with terraced landscaping in Santa Rosa, CA

Why Your Property Might Need a Retaining Wall

If your yard has a slope, a hill, or a grade change of more than a few feet, a retaining wall is often the best way to manage it. Without one, sloped soil erodes when it rains, shifts over time, and can create drainage problems that eventually affect your foundation or landscaping.

Retaining walls also create usable flat space where you did not have it before. A terraced backyard with retaining walls can go from a steep, unusable hillside to multiple flat levels you can use for a patio, garden beds, lawn, or outdoor living area. Here is when a retaining wall makes sense for your property:

Soil erosion on a slope that gets worse every rainy season
Grade changes next to a driveway, walkway, or foundation
Unstable hillside that threatens adjacent structures
You want to create flat usable levels in a sloped yard
Existing timber or block wall that is failing and needs replacement
Standing water or drainage issues caused by poor grading
Terracing a hillside to add planting beds or outdoor space

A retaining wall works alongside other concrete surfaces on your property. Many clients pair a retaining wall project with a new concrete driveway installation or patio when they are already doing site work.

Types of Retaining Walls We Build

Let us walk you through your options

Not all retaining walls are the same. The right type depends on how tall the wall needs to be, what is behind it, how much space you have to work with, and your budget. We build several types and will recommend the one that fits your situation best.

Poured concrete retaining walls are the strongest option for taller walls or situations where the soil load is heavy. We form and pour them on-site, reinforced with rebar throughout. These walls last for decades and do not require the kind of ongoing maintenance that timber walls do.

Concrete block and masonry retaining walls use interlocking concrete blocks or traditional masonry units to build a wall that is both strong and attractive. These work well for tiered landscapes where you want a wall that blends with the surroundings. They can be built straight or curved to follow your property's natural contours.

Concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls are a great option for taller structural walls on commercial properties or for situations that require engineered plans. We work with your engineer or can coordinate engineering services for walls over 4 feet tall, which typically require a permit in Santa Rosa.

Every retaining wall we build includes proper drainage — gravel backfill and weep holes or drain pipes — so water pressure does not build up behind the wall and cause it to fail over time. A wall without proper drainage is just a wall on a timer.

How We Build a Retaining Wall That Holds

The most common reason retaining walls fail is a bad foundation or no drainage. The wall looks fine from the outside, but water builds up behind it, or the footing was not deep enough to handle the load, and eventually it starts to lean, crack, or collapse. We build walls that hold because we do not skip those steps.

We start by excavating below the frost line to set a stable footing. For poured concrete walls, we set rebar into the footing so the wall and footing are one continuous structure. For block walls, we set a level, compacted gravel base to build from. Either way, the foundation is solid before anything goes up.

As the wall goes up, we backfill in layers, placing gravel directly behind the wall for drainage. We install perforated drain pipe at the base where needed and ensure weep holes are spaced so water has a way out. This protects the wall from hydrostatic pressure — the number one killer of retaining walls.

For taller or more complex walls, we can work from engineered drawings. Visit our Santa Rosa concrete contractor homepage or give us a call to talk through your project. We also handle the related concrete foundation work if your project involves both.

Frequently Asked Questions About Retaining Walls

Do retaining walls require a permit in Santa Rosa?+

In Santa Rosa and most of Sonoma County, retaining walls over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing typically require a building permit and engineered plans. Walls under 4 feet usually do not require a permit for residential properties, but this can vary depending on your specific location and zoning. We will let you know at the time of your quote whether a permit is needed for your project, and we can coordinate the permit application and engineering review if required.

How long do concrete retaining walls last?+

A properly built concrete or concrete block retaining wall can last 50 years or more with minimal maintenance. The key factors are a solid footing, proper reinforcement, and good drainage. Walls that fail early almost always have one of those three things missing. By contrast, timber retaining walls typically last 10 to 20 years before they begin to rot and lean. Concrete is the longer-lasting investment for most residential and commercial applications.

My existing retaining wall is leaning. Can it be repaired?+

It depends on how much it has moved and what caused it to lean. A wall that has shifted slightly due to drainage issues can sometimes be stabilized if the drainage problem is fixed and the footing is still sound. But a wall that has moved significantly, cracked badly, or has a footing that has failed underneath it typically needs to come down and be rebuilt correctly. We will come out and assess it honestly. If a repair will hold, we will tell you. If rebuilding is the right move, we will explain why and give you a fair quote for the replacement.

Need a retaining wall built or replaced in Santa Rosa?

Call (707) 867-4944

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