San Anselmo hillsides shift every rainy season. A properly built, drained concrete wall keeps your soil, yard, and home exactly where they belong.
Concrete retaining walls in San Anselmo hold back sloped soil so it cannot creep, erode, or wash downhill - most residential projects run two to five days from excavation to finished wall, depending on height and slope. A retaining wall is the permanent answer to a hillside that moves a little more each rainy season, turning an unusable slope into stable, level outdoor space.
Many San Anselmo homeowners have already watched an older timber or block wall slowly lean and crack. The problem is almost always the same: the original wall had no drainage behind it, so winter rains built up pressure until something gave. If your slope is actively eroding or an old wall is showing stress, the window to act is before the next November storm - not after.
A new concrete retaining wall pairs naturally with other concrete work on the property. If your project also involves resetting a patio or adding level hardscape, our slab foundation building service can handle the base for any new structure built behind the wall.
Bare patches of soil, exposed roots, or small gullies forming after a wet winter are a clear sign the hillside is not stable. Erosion that starts small accelerates with each storm. What begins as a cosmetic problem can eventually undermine a fence, patio, or your home's foundation.
If an older timber, block, or concrete wall is tilting forward, showing horizontal cracks, or developing gaps where it meets the ground, it is under more pressure than it can handle. Walls in San Anselmo built without adequate drainage are especially prone to this after years of wet winters. A leaning wall does not fix itself.
When soil slowly moves onto a patio, driveway, or walkway after rain, the hillside is actively shifting. This is one of the most common complaints from homeowners on sloped Marin lots. Left alone, creeping soil damages hardscape, clogs drains, and turns your yard into a muddy mess.
Many San Anselmo homeowners have yards too steep to use comfortably - no flat area for kids, a garden, or outdoor furniture. A retaining wall lets you cut into the slope and create a level terrace, turning unusable hillside into functional outdoor living space. This is one of the most common reasons homeowners here invest in a new wall.
We build poured concrete and concrete block retaining walls for residential properties throughout Marin County. Poured concrete walls are cast in forms on site and deliver a solid, single-piece structure that is well suited for taller applications on steep hillside lots where maximum strength and longevity matter most. Concrete masonry unit walls use individual blocks stacked and filled, which works well for shorter walls and tiered terraces where you want design flexibility.
Every wall we build includes proper drainage behind the face - gravel backfill and perforated drain pipe - because that is what separates a wall that holds for decades from one that fails after its first rainy season. We also handle all permit work through the Town of San Anselmo and, where required, engineered drawings from a licensed structural engineer. You do not have to deal with the building department.
Many retaining wall projects involve adjacent concrete work. If you are building a new level area behind the wall and need a stable base for a structure or ADU, our concrete footings service provides the below-grade foundation that new walls and structures require. For properties where the slope continues above the new wall, a tiered approach is often the right answer - we can design a multi-wall system that stabilizes the full grade in a single project.
Best for taller walls on steep hillside lots where single-pour strength and maximum longevity are the priority.
Suits shorter walls and tiered terraces where design flexibility and staged construction work better.
Ideal for properties with long slopes that need multiple level changes rather than one tall wall.
Every wall includes gravel drainage and perforated pipe - the detail most failed walls are missing.
San Anselmo sits in a valley surrounded by the hills of Marin County, and a large share of its residential properties are built on sloped lots where soil movement is a real and ongoing concern. Many homeowners here do not build retaining walls to improve curb appeal - they build them because the hillside is actively eroding or because a previous wall is failing. The mature oaks and redwoods that make the neighborhoods shaded are also hard on older walls, since tree roots displace soil and compromise drainage over time.
Marin County's wet winters are the core challenge. San Anselmo receives roughly 40 inches of rain per year, most of it arriving between November and March. Water-logged clay soil is dramatically heavier than dry soil - and clay is exactly what most Marin lots sit on. That weight is what pushes walls outward and causes them to fail. A wall built without drainage behind it is not a question of whether it will fail, only when.
We work on hillside properties throughout the area, including the older sloped lots in Mill Valley, the terraced properties in Fairfax, and steep residential streets in San Rafael. If your lot has a slope, we have seen it before.
Parts of San Anselmo are in designated high fire hazard areas. Building a retaining wall is a good time to rethink slope landscaping - replacing flammable plants with fire-resistant groundcover that also controls erosion. See CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps to check your property.
We respond within one business day. Before quoting anything, we schedule an on-site visit - retaining walls are site-specific, and the slope, soil, and access all affect the price.
After the visit you receive a written estimate covering materials, drainage, and the permit timeline. If your wall is over four feet, we walk you through the Town of San Anselmo permit process before you decide anything.
The first day of work involves digging out the wall base, preparing the footing, and installing the gravel drainage layer. This is the most disruptive day - expect machinery and significant activity in the yard.
The wall goes up, backfill is placed, and the crew cleans the work area. We walk the finished wall with you before leaving and explain what normal curing looks like versus something worth calling about.
Free on-site estimate. Written quote before any work begins. We handle the permit.
(415) 604-1678We hold a current California C-8 Concrete Contractor license, verifiable on the CSLB website in seconds. That license means we are bonded, insured, and legally authorized to perform structural concrete work - which matters when the job involves holding back a hillside.
Verify on CSLBEvery retaining wall we build includes gravel backfill and perforated drain pipe behind the face. Most failed walls in Marin County lack exactly this. We do not consider drainage an upgrade - it is the base standard on every job.
We handle the Town of San Anselmo building permit from start to finish. You do not have to call the building department, fill out forms, or wonder if the work is legal. When the wall is done, there is a permit on record - which protects you and matters at resale.
San Anselmo and the surrounding Ross Valley towns have been our working territory since 2022. We know local clay soils, know the Town of San Anselmo permit office, and have built walls on the steep residential streets that make this area both beautiful and challenging.
San Anselmo hillside properties deserve a contractor who understands local terrain, local permits, and local soil. We bring all three, and we back every wall with proper drainage and documented permit work so you are protected long after we leave.
For authoritative guidance on concrete construction standards, see the American Concrete Institute. For local permit requirements, visit the Town of San Anselmo Building Division.
Once the hillside is stabilized, a new concrete slab provides the structural base for any structure built on the leveled area behind the wall.
Learn moreBelow-grade concrete footings anchor walls, fences, and structures to stable ground - a natural complement when retaining wall work opens up new building possibilities.
Learn moreDry-season slots fill fast in San Anselmo. Reach out now and we will come to your property, assess the slope, and give you a written number with no pressure.
