Retaining Wall Planning Checklist for San Diego

Two estimates for the same retaining wall can be thousands of dollars apart because they describe different walls. One resets the face; another digs out the drainage zone and rebuilds it. One includes engineering and the permit; the other leaves both for later. Batterline San Diego Retaining Walls put this retaining wall planning checklist together so the measurements, the permit questions and each estimate's scope sit on one sheet before you sign anything.

It runs in six parts:

• Measure and note: the length, the visible height, what the wall is built from, any lean, bulge or gap at the top, what sits below it, and any old permits, plans or soils report.
• The load above: a driveway, a building or pool footing, a fence, or a slope rising behind the wall, and whether equipment can reach it.
• Water: downspouts and sprinklers near the top, puddles after rain, and whether the outlets at the base look open or buried, checked by looking only.
• Permit questions: which office issues the permit for the address, whether the wall is over 3 feet from the top of the footing or holds a surcharge, City standard design or engineered plans, a soils report, and coastal, grading or right-of-way permits.
• Who is doing the work: the California contractor license number and classification, insurance, and who designs an engineered wall.
• What each estimate should name: fifteen lines from the wall system and footing to drainage, geogrid, inspections, haul-off, hidden conditions and payment terms, with a column for each estimate.

A short list of things worth a second look closes it out, such as a patched face on a wall that is moving along its length. For the reasoning behind each line, the retaining wall permit guide covers the City and County rules, the cost guide explains what sits inside a San Diego price, and the walkthrough on reading an estimate goes line by line.