Areas we serve
Retaining Walls in El Cajon, CA
San Diego Elite Retaining Walls builds walls for El Cajon's hillside neighborhoods, especially Fletcher Hills and Granite Hills, where clay soil is hard on old walls.
El Cajon at a glance
Neighborhoods and areas
- Fletcher Hills
- Granite Hills
- Bostonia
- Rancho San Diego
- Crest
ZIP codes
92019, 92020, 92021
- Serving homes across San Diego County
- Written estimate before work starts
- Drainage planned into every wall
- Permit questions answered up front
Retaining walls for El Cajon
Serving El Cajon
Granite Hills is named for what's in the ground, and Fletcher Hills isn't much different: slopes, big rock and pockets of clay. Summer heat bakes that clay hard and winter rain soaks it, which is rough on any wall without drainage.
Local homes and lots
Single-family homes on hillside lots, plus older flat lots in the valley with aging garden walls.
Problems we solve
- Clay soil pushing an old wall out of line
- Granite outcrops in the way of a new wall
- A hillside yard with no level space
Retaining wall services in El Cajon
Every service is available here.
Engineered Retaining Walls
Tall and heavily loaded walls built from a licensed engineer's stamped plans, with permits, soils reports and inspections.
Retaining Wall Installation
New retaining walls for slopes, terraces and level yards, planned around height, soil and drainage.
Block Retaining Walls
Segmental concrete block walls for garden beds, terraces and taller reinforced walls.
Concrete Retaining Walls
Reinforced concrete and concrete block walls for tall walls, tight spaces and heavy loads.
Retaining Wall Repair
Fixes for leaning, cracked and bulging walls, starting with why the wall moved.
Retaining Wall Drainage
Drain rock, pipes and weep holes that keep water from pushing a wall over.
Hillside Terracing
Tiered walls that turn a steep slope into level, usable yard space.
Masonry Block Walls
Grouted, rebar-reinforced concrete block walls for retaining soil or screening a yard, finished in stucco, veneer or plain block.
Natural Stone Retaining Walls
Dry-stacked, mortared and veneered stone walls for gardens and slopes that call for a natural look.
Boulder Retaining Walls
Walls of large boulders set by excavator, suited to rocky hillsides and larger lots.
Wood Retaining Walls
Pressure-treated timber walls for low garden edges, and replacement of old timber and railroad-tie walls.
Geogrid-Reinforced Walls
Segmental block walls tied into the slope with layers of geogrid, for taller walls and walls under load.
Retaining Wall Replacement
Tearing out failed walls and rebuilding them on a proper base with drainage, permitted where the new wall needs it.
Slope Stabilization
Drainage, erosion control, planting, regrading and walls to keep a hillside yard in place.
Seat Walls and Planter Walls
Low walls built to sit on or plant in, often tied into a patio or a retaining wall.
Driveway Retaining Walls
Walls beside or below driveways that carry vehicle loads, usually engineered and permitted.
Retaining Walls for Pools and Patios
Walls that cut into a slope to make level ground for a pool, spa, patio or outdoor kitchen.
Commercial Retaining Walls
Retaining wall repair, replacement and new walls for HOAs, apartment and condo properties, and smaller commercial sites.
Retaining Wall Permits and Engineering
How retaining wall permits, engineering, soils reports and HOA approval work in San Diego County.
Planning a retaining wall in El Cajon?
Send a short message about your wall or slope and we'll call you back to set up a site visit.
- Site visit to look at the slope, soil and drainage
- Written estimate before any work starts
- Permit and engineering questions answered up front
Prefer to talk? Call (760) 539-8329
El Cajon retaining wall questions
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in El Cajon?
Plan on one for anything over 3 feet, or any wall with a slope, driveway or structure above it. El Cajon's Building and Fire Safety Division gives two figures: its online FAQ exempts walls up to 4 feet from the bottom of the footing that don't hold back a slope, while its permit handout exempts only walls up to 3 feet with no surcharge, so the division confirms which applies to your wall. Walls taller than the zoning height limit also need an administrative zoning permit from Planning.
Why do retaining walls crack in El Cajon?
Clay soils in neighborhoods like Fletcher Hills shrink in the summer heat and swell in winter rain, and that movement works on the ground under and behind a wall. Walls built without a drain or with a shallow footing take the worst of it, which shows up as stair-step cracks and leaning.
How much does a retaining wall cost in El Cajon?
It depends on the wall's height, length, material and drainage, and on how easy it is to get equipment and materials to the spot. Elite Retaining Walls prices walls the same way in El Cajon as anywhere else in San Diego County; only permit fees change from city to city. You get a written estimate after a site visit.