Concrete retaining walls in Sunnyvale CA - a wall that drains and stays put
Slope sliding into your yard or an old wall starting to lean? We build poured concrete walls planned around drainage so they hold the soil back.
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- Free in-person estimates.
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Is a poured concrete retaining wall right for your sloped yard?
A concrete retaining wall in Sunnyvale is a reinforced wall poured on a concrete footing that holds a slope back, so the soil stays out of your yard, driveway or patio. The footing reaches back under the soil it holds, and the weight of that soil sitting on it is what keeps the wall from tipping.
Most folks call us when a bank is slumping onto the lawn or an old wall has begun to lean, and the first thing to settle is what kind of wall you want, because that sets the budget. A dry-laid wall of stacked stone or block with open joints costs a lot less than poured concrete, so we'll talk through which one fits your slope before anything else. At Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete, based in Sunnyvale and working across it and the cities around it, the price of a poured wall moves with its height and length, what sits above it, how much digging and drainage it takes and whether an engineer has to design it. The schedule mostly turns on that design work and on what the city asks for, and your written estimate puts a figure on your own wall.
How do you know it's time for a new retaining wall?
Wall leaning at the top
A wall tipping forward usually means pressure behind it, most often water, has started to beat the footing. Once a wall starts moving it rarely stops on its own, and when it gives way it takes the fence, plants or slab beside it.
Soil sliding off the slope
A bank that slumps onto the lawn or walkway after every rain has nothing holding it in place. Each wet winter moves a little more, and it can start undercutting a patio or path at the bottom.
Water seeping at the base
Wet ground or a dark stain along the foot of a wall after rain means water is pooling behind it with nowhere to go. That's worth a look before you ever see the wall move, because trapped water is what does the pushing.
Cracks spreading across the face
A hairline crack can be nothing, but cracks that keep widening or a face that steps out of line mean the wall is shifting. Patching the face covers it up for a season and does nothing about what's pushing from behind.
How we build a concrete retaining wall
Water building up behind a wall is what pushes it over, so drainage is the first thing I plan and the thing I'll ask you about most, like where the roof, the slope and the neighbor's yard send their rain. If your wall is tall or holds up weight above it, such as a driveway or a structure, we talk about whether it needs an engineer before I put a price on it. Then our crew digs out for the footing, the wide concrete base the wall stands on, and ties rebar, the steel bars that keep concrete from pulling apart, through the footing and up into the wall so the two act as one piece. We set the forms and pour, give the concrete time to cure, the slow hardening that builds its strength, before anything leans on it, and finish with drain pipe and clean gravel behind the wall plus weep holes, small openings through it, so water has a way out instead of building up.
A wall often makes room for something else in the yard. Cutting a slope back can open up a level spot for concrete pool decks, and we plan the wall's drainage so it doesn't send water across the new deck. When a wall forms one side of a garage, shed or workshop, our concrete floor installation work gives you a flat slab inside that meets it cleanly.
Low walls for beds and yard steps
These suit a raised planter or a gentle slope you want to turn into two level spaces. The footing is smaller, but the water still needs a planned way out.
Taller walls holding a bank
These suit steep yards and slopes with a driveway, patio or building above them. The footing and steel get heavier here, and this is where the engineer question comes up.
A finished face to suit your yard
Some owners want a plain smooth face, others want a textured or decorative finish or a wide cap that doubles as a seat. We'll go over what each looks like on your wall at the estimate.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
We get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out myself, walk the slope with you and leave a written estimate that's free and comes with no obligation.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about a retaining wall in Sunnyvale?
From your first call to the final walk-through, here's how a wall job runs, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly how long and tall the wall needs to be and what sits above the slope. That helps me know what to look for when I come out.
I walk the slope with you
I look at where the water runs, ask how you'll use the space and talk through your choices. You get a written estimate laying out the wall, its drainage and the price.
We check with the city
Before anything goes on the schedule, we find out what the city asks for on your project. Any design or permit work gets sorted out first, so your start date is set around it.
We build, then walk it together
Our crew does the work with me checking in as it goes. When it's done, we walk the finished wall with you and go over how to look after it.
Why Sunnyvale homeowners call Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete for walls
I write your estimate myself
We're based in Sunnyvale, and I come out to look at your slope and write the estimate, then our own crew builds the wall with me on site checking it. You deal with the person responsible for the work from the first visit to the last pour.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete on a city crew, pouring sidewalks and curbs and fixing what tree roots and time had broken. That's where I learned that a slab or a wall is only as good as what's under and behind it.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured. California's contractor license board describes a class for concrete contractors who form, pour, finish and install concrete, so it's fair to ask anyone you're considering what license they hold.
Backed by our satisfaction guarantee
Every wall we build is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. You're the one who lives next to it, so I want you happy with how it looks and how it handles a hard rain.
If you've got a slope that's moving or a spot you'd like leveled, call (669) 348-0343 or send us the details, and have the wall's rough length and height handy, plus what sits above the slope.
Retaining walls, permits and slopes around Sunnyvale
The city decides project by project whether a wall needs a permit or plan review, so I don't guess at it. Sunnyvale's One-Stop Permit Center at City Hall reviews building plans, and first-time applicants call it to find out whether their project needs plan review, with staff explaining the steps and the documents they'll need. Every permit service, from applying and uploading drawings to booking inspections and paying, runs online through the city's E-OneStop system. Before we schedule your wall, we check with the city on what it needs, and if it calls for a permit, we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site.
A lot of the walls we're asked about here hold back a side yard that steps down, a bed beside a driveway or a bank cut back to make room for a patio. We see steeper lots on jobs in Cupertino and Saratoga, and wherever we're working I start by asking what sits above the slope and where its water will go, so the wall doesn't send runoff toward your house or the neighbor's.
Questions about retaining walls in Sunnyvale
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Sunnyvale?
A poured concrete retaining wall about 3 feet high in Sunnyvale usually costs about $47 to $51 per square foot, counting the ready mix concrete, materials and supplies. Taller walls, engineering, extra drainage, tight access and tearing out an old wall all push your figure up, and I'll write up the price for yours after I've seen the site.
When does a retaining wall need an engineer?
Walls taller than about four feet often need an engineer to look at the site, according to extension guidance from Illinois, so plan on design work before building if yours is that tall. If your property sits in a state Seismic Hazard Zone, the state has found that weak soil or rock may lie beneath it that can fail in an earthquake unless the right precautions are taken during grading and construction. Either way, we settle the design question before the wall is priced.
Is a poured concrete retaining wall better than a block wall?
For tall walls, steep banks close to a house and walls with a driveway or building above them, I'd usually pick poured concrete. One mason's guide says a properly engineered poured wall is stronger foot for foot and takes up less room front to back, which helps on a tight lot. For a low bed on a gentle slope, the cheaper stacked wall mentioned above may be all you need.
What causes a concrete retaining wall to crack?
Movement is the usual cause, because a poured wall is rigid and shows cracks when the ground or the wall shifts. One masonry trade group says segmental block walls can move and adjust without visible signs of distress, which is the trade-off with concrete. That's why we put the effort into the footing and drainage, since a wall that isn't being pushed has much less reason to crack.
How do I keep retaining wall weep holes from clogging?
Plan for it from the start, because traditional weep holes are likely to clog at some point over a wall's life, so ask any contractor how they'll keep the drainage clear. On our walls I show you where the water lets out, so you can check it after a heavy rain and clear away leaves or soil.
Can you replace an old retaining wall that's leaning?
Yes, we take the old wall out and build a new one, but first I want to know why it leaned, because usually it's water and a new wall with the same problem will lean too. Where the old wall is concrete, our concrete cutting work lets us saw it into pieces we can haul away without tearing up the yard around it.
Concrete work that often goes with a retaining wall
Concrete pool decks
Leveling a sloped backyard with a wall often makes room for a pool, and planning the deck alongside it keeps runoff headed away from the water.
Concrete floor installation
If your new wall becomes part of a garage, shed or workshop, you'll want a flat, well-drained floor poured to sit tight against it.
Service areas for retaining walls around Sunnyvale
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is based in Sunnyvale, CA, and builds retaining walls across it and the cities around it. The 12 cities below each have their own page, from Mountain View to Campbell, and we work in other nearby cities too.
Have us look at your slope
Planning a wall in the dry months leaves time for any design work and city review before the rain starts pushing on the slope.