Retaining Wall Design & Construction in San Rafael, CA

50 Years of Combined Experience. Full-Service Retaining Wall Work from Design Through Construction.

Westward Builders is a family-run general engineering and construction firm based in San Rafael. Our team brings over 50 years of combined hands-on construction experience to every retaining wall project, and we handle every stage in-house: design, engineering coordination, permitting, and construction. We’re licensed and insured, and we serve both residential and commercial clients across Marin and Sonoma counties. On hillside terrain like the kind you’ll find throughout San Rafael and the surrounding communities, that full-project capability isn’t a convenience. It’s what helps keep a project on track.

Call (415) 968-1090 or reach out online to request a free estimate. We proudly serve residential and commercial clients across Marin and Sonoma counties.

Retaining Wall Types We Design, Permit & Install

Retaining walls hold back vertical soil faces that, without structural support, can slide and cause damage to your property or your neighbors’ property. They’re also how hillside lots gain usable flat space for patios, gardens, terracing, and lawns. Our licensed and insured team has hands-on experience across every major wall system used in Northern California.

We provide design, permitting, and installation for:

• Soldier beam walls – Vertical steel beams set in concrete piers with pressure-treated wood lagging for strength and stability. We also offer pier drilling and installation for projects requiring deep foundation support.
• Cast-in-place walls – Formed using 6- to 12-inch-wide lumber, these walls deliver a modern board finish that’s both sleek and strong.
• Rock-carved and stucco-textured shotcrete walls – Available in multiple colors, these walls blend seamlessly into your landscape for a natural aesthetic.
• Catchment walls – Built with the Geobrugg high-tensile steel mesh system and drilled, grouted rock anchors to secure unsupported slopes and help reduce rockfall or debris movement.
• Versa-Lok walls – Pre-engineered segmental block walls that are cost-effective and versatile, well-suited to moderate-height applications and terracing projects.

Soldier beam and shotcrete systems are commonly specified for steep hillside cuts and high-load applications where gravity walls aren’t sufficient. Our working process covers everything from design and permitting through construction and finishing, with close attention to detail at every step.

Why Retaining Wall Design in Marin County Has to Be Done Right

A retaining wall performs two jobs at once: it resists lateral earth loads pushing against the structure and manages the water moving through and around the soil behind it. In Marin County, wet winters and clay-heavy hillside soils put both systems under real stress. When drainage isn’t properly engineered, hydrostatic pressure (water pressure that builds up behind a wall with nowhere to go) can cause even a well-built wall to bow, crack, or shift over time.

Engineering & Drainage Integration

Proper footing embedment and integrated drainage are foundational to lasting retaining wall performance. We work with engineers to design walls that account for site-specific soil conditions, water movement, and load requirements before any concrete is poured. For walls over four feet in height, Marin County requires engineer-stamped structural calculations and a dimensioned site plan, and a soils report may also be required. We manage that entire process on your behalf, so you’re not left navigating permit requirements on your own.

What Our Clients Have Seen

Christophe M., a verified reviewer, noted that our team completed a hillside studio project involving significant excavation and a large retaining wall smoothly and on schedule. Gavin W., another verified reviewer, noted that we designed and installed French drainage solutions alongside a retaining wall replacement, helping improve protection against future water problems. That combination of structural work and drainage integration is exactly the kind of job where managing everything in-house helps keep results consistent.

Why San Rafael Property Owners Work with Westward Builders

Retaining wall construction in San Rafael involves more than building a structure. It means navigating Marin County permit requirements, coordinating geotechnical engineering, managing hillside site conditions, and sequencing work so drainage and wall construction reinforce each other. We handle all of it without asking you to bring in outside contractors or engineers.

• Full in-house project management – Planning, permits, engineering coordination, design, and construction are all handled by our team.
• Emergency service – Available for urgent retaining wall and slope situations.
• Bilingual service – We work in English and Spanish. Hablamos español.
• Free estimates – No cost to find out what your project involves.
• Own trucks and equipment – We don’t subcontract heavy equipment, which keeps operations efficient and costs down.
• Clean job sites – We keep sites safe and organized from start to finish and deliver results within budget and on schedule.
• Part of the Marin H2O family of companies – Backed by the confidence of property owners across Marin and Sonoma counties.