Concrete block walls in Woodland CA - a wall sized right for where it stands
Want a privacy wall or one that holds back soil? We size it to your lot and the city's rules, then build it solid.
What does it take to build a block wall in Woodland?
A concrete block wall in Woodland is a wall of hollow concrete block, tied together with steel and grout, that gives you a solid privacy fence or holds back soil where your yard changes level. Most of the planning comes down to where it sits on your lot and how tall it can stand.
Most people call because an old wood fence has given out, the neighbor's yard sits higher than theirs, or they just want privacy that doesn't lean. The price moves mostly with the wall's length and height, whether it holds back soil, how much footing and steel it needs, and the finish if it faces the street, and the schedule turns on the permit, the inspections and, for a tall wall, an engineer's design. If your wall holds back a slope, it overlaps with our retaining wall construction work. We're based in Woodland and work in many cities around it, from Winters and Vacaville to Roseville and Elk Grove, and the estimate is written out so you can see what's included for your wall.
How we build a concrete block wall
It starts with where the wall goes, because where it sits on your lot shapes how tall it can be, and I work that out with you and the city before we lay the first block. Once the line and height are settled, our crew marks it out, digs the footing trench and pours the concrete footing with steel set to stand up into the wall. We lay the block course by course, keep it plumb and level, grout the cores the design calls for and cap the top. Last comes the finish and the cleanup, and we haul off the dirt so your yard is usable again.
A block wall often sits next to other work. If you're adding onto the house or building a garage, foundation block wall installation uses the same block and steel below grade. And a wall along the back line makes a good anchor for a grill counter or pizza oven, which is where our outdoor kitchen masonry comes in.
Woodland rules for block wall permits and fences
Woodland's Building Division issues building permits, and the city's fence rules call for one on any concrete block fence, any fence over six feet and any retaining wall 36 inches or taller, so most block walls we build here go through the city. A wall over six feet also needs an engineer's design with the permit plans, which adds cost and time, so if six feet gives you the privacy you're after, I'd stop there. Before we start, we check with the building office for your address and confirm the current rule for your lot, and if a permit's needed we pull it and set up the inspections.
Most block walls we're asked for here run along back and side lot lines, with the odd low wall out front. Walls next to the street or sidewalk have to be painted, stained or given a graffiti-resistant coating under city rules, so we price that finish in from the start, and before anyone digs, the city's fence guidance says to call 811 so buried lines get marked and to call the utility if one runs close. We run the same checks with the local office on jobs in Davis and Dixon, since each city sets its own rules.
How a block wall job works
Call or send a few photos
Call (530) 207-3191 or use the form, and send a few photos of the spot if you can. Photos let me see the slope and what's nearby before I drive out.
I come out and measure
I walk the line with you, ask what the wall has to do and look at what's around it. You get a written estimate that spells out the length, height, footing, steel and finish, so you know what you're paying for before any work starts.
We handle the permit first
If your wall needs a permit, we pull it and book the inspections. Woodland wants inspection requests in at least a day ahead, so we plan each one into the schedule.
Our crew builds, I walk it
The same crew lead and masons see your wall through, working inside the city's construction hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. I stop by while it goes up and walk it with you before we call it done.
Get a written estimate for your block wall, footing and finish
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the spot, ask questions and measure. The estimate is free, done on site and written out so you can see what's included, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions before you build a block wall
How tall can a block wall be in my front yard or backyard in Woodland?
In Woodland, a solid wall in the required front setback or along the front property line can be up to three feet six inches tall, while walls in the interior side and rear setback areas can sit right on the property line and go up to seven feet. So a low wall fits out front, and the tall privacy wall belongs behind the front setback. Those are the heights in the city's fence handout, and we confirm the current rule for your lot with the city before we draw anything.
How much does a concrete block wall cost?
Across the US, building about 220 square feet of concrete block wall, roughly a wall four feet tall and 55 feet long, usually costs about $2,100 to $2,800 per job, before sales tax and fees. That's a national figure, not our price, and the length, height, whether it holds back soil, the footing and any engineering on a tall wall all move yours. Your written estimate spells out what's in your number.
How do I get a permit for a block wall in Woodland?
You apply to the city with to-scale drawings showing where the wall goes and a side view of it, plus a description of the materials. When your wall needs a permit, we take care of that as part of pulling it, so you don't have to chase the paperwork.
Can I put a fence on top of a block retaining wall in Woodland?
Sometimes, yes. Where a six-foot fence is allowed, the city's Director may approve a fence and retaining wall with a combined height up to eight feet, measured from the middle of the retaining wall to the top of the fence. It's the Director's call, so we ask before we design the wall to carry one.
Who licenses masonry contractors in California?
The Contractors State License Board does, and its masonry contractor classification covers building concrete block walls for structures and fences, with or without mortar. Before you hire anyone for a block wall, it's worth asking which license they hold.
How do I keep a block retaining wall from tipping over?
The footing does most of that work. The block industry's guidance says that in a cantilever retaining wall, the concrete footing holds the block in place and keeps soil pressure from tipping or sliding it, while steel set upright in the block cores takes the strain from the earth behind. Grout bonds the block and steel so they act as one, and a wall can be grouted only where the steel sits or filled solid, which the design for your wall decides.
Why Woodland homeowners call Signature Woodland Concrete and Masonry for block walls
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, then a crew lead and our masons do the work while I stop by to check on it. You deal with the person who measured your lot, start to finish.
In business since 2017
I learned masonry working under an older mason and started this business in 2017. Nine years in, I still ask what a wall has to do before I price it, because that's what decides how it's built.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured. That counts on a wall that sits on your property line, where the digging and the work reach right up to your neighbor's side.
Height settled before the estimate
Most block wall calls here start with the same question, how tall it can be where you want it, and we answer it against Woodland's rules for your lot. You find out before you commit, not after the permit comes back.
On a block wall, getting the spot and the height right comes before anything else. Call (530) 207-3191 or send us the details and I'll come take a look.
Other work that goes with a block wall
Foundation block wall installation
If a new addition, garage or crawlspace needs a block foundation, this is the same block-and-steel work, built below grade to carry the house.
Outdoor kitchen masonry
Planning a grill counter, pizza oven or bar along your new wall? We build the masonry so the kitchen and wall look like one project.
Retaining wall construction
When your yard drops off or a neighbor's lot sits higher, a retaining wall holds the soil back and gives you level ground to use.
Get your Woodland block wall measured and priced
Have the wall's spot on your lot, the height you want and whether it holds back soil handy when you call (530) 207-3191, and the first call goes a lot quicker.
