Retaining wall construction in Hawthorne CA - built to drain and stay standing
Slope crowding your yard or an old wall starting to lean? We plan the drainage first and build a wall that holds the soil back.
Custom Hawthorne Concrete and Masonry is a masonry crew based in Hawthorne, best known for careful brick repair and solid block walls. Retaining wall construction sits right next to that work, since it's block, base and drainage done carefully. We build walls across Hawthorne and the cities around it.
- Drainage planned before any block
- Site covered and cleaned as we go
- Prep done before the pretty part
Retaining wall construction that starts with water
Retaining wall construction in Hawthorne usually starts with a yard that won't stay put. Soil keeps sliding onto the patio, or an old wall has started to lean. A retaining wall holds back the dirt behind it, plus anything resting on top. A segmental wall stacks concrete units without mortar and holds that soil mostly by its own weight.
Height and length drive most of the price. After that it's the fill your soil calls for and whether a tall wall needs an engineer's design. The schedule turns on that design and any permit. Your written estimate puts a number on your wall. If your old brick wall is sound and just tired, masonry restoration may be the better fix, and I'll say so.
- Drainage plan. We decide where the water goes before we talk about block, because water stuck behind a wall is what pushes it over.
- Digging and the base. We dig out and pack a leveling pad, the base layer under the first row, so the wall starts dead flat.
- Stacking and backfill. We set each row, fill behind it with stone that drains and pack it down as we go so wall and fill settle together.
- Marking buried lines. We call 8-1-1 to get underground lines marked, which takes a few days, then dig carefully around them.
Retaining walls we build and rebuild
A lot of our calls are about a wall that's starting to lean. Others are a bare slope that needs holding back. This is the work that covers both.
Segmental block walls
Concrete units stacked without mortar on a packed base, the usual pick for terracing a slope or holding back a raised yard.
Reinforced walls
On taller or heavier jobs, flat layers of soil reinforcement reach back into the fill and make the wall act wider and heavier.
Drainage fixes
Weep holes, the small openings that let water out, often clog with bad backfill, plants, animals or trash, and we clear or rework them.
Replacing a failed wall
When a wall leans or bulges, we take it down, fix the drainage that failed it and rebuild on a proper base.
Planning steps, a planter or an outdoor fireplace installation on the new level ground? Ask about it when I come out.
Why retaining wall construction is worth doing right
A wall that drains usually holds its line, and the yard above it stays usable. One that traps water starts to lean, and you pay to build it twice. Good-looking block on a bad base is nice plating on a bad meal.
- Water has a way outFree-draining fill, a drain pipe along the bottom and clear outlets keep water from piling up behind the wall after a heavy rain.
- A level, packed baseA flat, compacted pad keeps the first row true, and every row above it can only be as straight as that one.
- The site around itProperty lines, buried utilities, slopes above and below and nearby loads like a driveway, a house or a pool all shape the design.
- Caps set to finishCap units set level and glued down finish the top and keep the last row from shifting when someone sits on it.
How your wall gets built
I come out and look
You call or send the form, and I come out myself to look at the slope and what's around it, like gutters, downspouts and how your yard drains.
Written estimate and plan
Your written estimate starts with the drainage plan and says whether you need an engineer. If a permit's needed, we handle it with the city or county office first.
Prep, build, walk-through
Our crew preps the site, covers what needs covering and cleans as we go. When it's done, I walk the wall with you.
Why Hawthorne homeowners call us for walls
I worked restaurant kitchens before I picked up a trowel, and the habits stuck. You prep, you keep your station clean and you don't send out anything you wouldn't eat, and a retaining wall gets the same treatment.
The slow part first
I'd rather spend a day getting the base and drainage right than save the day and hand you a wall that leans in a few years.
Our own crew builds it
Our own crew does the work, with me or our lead mason running it, not a crew somebody met that morning.
Backed by our guarantee
Our retaining walls are backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (424) 307-8119 and I'll come take a look at yours.
Retaining walls in Hawthorne and nearby cities
Some California lots sit on ground the state has found likely to have weak soil or rock underneath, the kind that can fail in an earthquake and damage what's built on it. Builders on a lot like that take proper precautions during grading and construction, so we find out where your lot stands before we grade.
The state's contractor board puts walls of block and stone, mortared or not, under masonry work, and poured concrete under concrete work, so it's fair to ask a builder which kind they're licensed for. We're licensed and insured, based in Hawthorne, and we build walls the same way in Inglewood and Torrance.
Tell us about your wall
Tell us the wall's rough height and length, your soil and any nearby road, building or pool. We reply within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, no obligation.
Call (424) 307-8119Retaining wall questions we hear
Why do retaining walls lean or fail?
Poor drainage is by far the most common reason. Water that can't get out builds up behind the wall and pushes, and problems left alone can turn into outright failure. That's why we settle the drainage plan before we talk about block.
What should go behind a retaining wall?
Granular fill that drains freely, like gravel and sand, goes behind a segmental wall. If your yard is topsoil or mostly clay, that dirt can't be the backfill, so we bring in fill that drains, which adds material to the job.
How tall can a retaining wall be before it needs an engineer?
One trade guide calls for an engineered design on segmental walls over 4 feet tall on sand, gravel, silt or lean clay soil. Height counts from the top of the leveling pad, not the yard. If yours is in that range, I tell you up front and we add an engineer's design to the plan.
How much does a retaining wall cost near Hawthorne?
Building a retaining wall in Los Angeles usually costs about $2,700 to $11,800 per job, and that's the area's going rate, not our price. Height, length, fill and any engineering decide where yours lands. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your yard.