Concrete block walls in Corona CA - a wall that fits your lot and city rules
A cracked wall, a leaning fence or no privacy out back? We build block walls on real footings, with steel inside, sized to Corona's rules.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a block wall in Corona?
A concrete block wall in Corona is a run of block set on a poured footing, which holds the wall in place and keeps it from tipping or sliding, with steel dowels coming up out of the footing to anchor it. At Keystone Corona Masonry and Concrete we build them as privacy walls along back and side lines, as low front walls with iron above, and on retaining bases where a yard steps down.
Most people who call me have an old wall that's cracked or leaning, a wood fence they're tired of patching, or a new yard that needs a wall built. The price mostly comes down to how long and how tall the wall is, what goes on its face and cap, and whether it holds back ground, while the schedule turns on whether your spot needs a permit and how easily our crew can get block to the line. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate once I've seen where the wall goes.
How do you know it's time for a new block wall?
Cracks running through block
A crack that runs through the block itself, not just the mortar, usually means the wall had nothing built in to handle shrinking as it dried, or the footing under it has moved. Left alone, rain works into the crack and keeps widening it, and what could have been a repair turns into a section torn out and rebuilt.
A wall leaning or bulging
If the top of the wall has moved out past the bottom, or the face bows in the middle, the footing is often too small for the wall or water is building up behind a wall that holds back ground. A leaning wall doesn't straighten itself, so it's worth having someone look before it goes any further.
A fence you keep replacing
Rotting boards, wobbly posts and a new panel every few years are a good sign you'd be better off with block along that line. A block wall on a solid footing takes the sun and the knocks from balls and mowers without pieces getting swapped out, and it cuts more street noise than wood does.
How we build a concrete block wall
I start by walking the line with you, because where the wall sits on your lot decides how tall it can be and what it has to look like, and I check the city's rules for that spot before I price it. Then our crew digs and pours the footing and sets the dowels, and we lay the block with horizontal steel running through the wall and control joints, planned breaks that let the wall shrink a little without cracking across its face, spaced the way walls are usually done around here. We grout the cells that carry steel, set the cap, finish the face with stucco or whatever we agreed on, and clean up the line before we leave.
Some walls do more than stand in the yard. If the block is going to carry part of a house, a garage or an addition, that's foundation block wall installation, and it starts from a different footing and a different plan. When a wall is going up around a patio, it often makes sense to build the grill counter in block at the same time through our outdoor kitchen masonry work, so one crew does both and they match.
Privacy wall along back and side lines
This suits most homeowners who want a solid screen from the street or the lot behind them, because the back and side lines are where the city lets a wall stand tallest. We usually stucco or cap it to go with the house, so it doesn't read as a plain gray wall from your patio.
Block wall on a retaining base
This suits a yard where one side sits higher than the other, since the lower courses hold back the ground and the block above gives you the screen. Water can't be left to collect behind that base, so we plan drainage behind it and count it in the price from the start.
Get a written price for your block wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day, by phone or by message, whichever way you reached us. I'll set a time to come out, walk the spot with you and give you a free written estimate at your property, with no obligation to go ahead.
(951) 393-1203What shapes a concrete block wall in Corona
The spot that takes the most planning is a street side yard, the side of a corner lot that faces the street. The city's Director of Community Development issues the fence permit for a wall up to 84 inches there, running from the front of the house back to the rear line, and a wall that tall along a side street comes with landscaping and a sprinkler system in the side street parkway, which the director also approves. When a wall needs a permit, we pull it, set up the inspections and meet the inspector on site, and we put the parkway planting in the estimate so it isn't a surprise later. If we're ever unsure what applies to your spot, I ask the city before we start.
Corona measures a wall's height from the highest ground right next to either side, so on a sloped lot the uphill side sets the limit and the downhill face can stand taller than it looks from above. We're based in Corona and work across the cities around it, and we take the same care measuring sloped yards on jobs in Chino Hills and Norco, checking that city's rules each time.
What happens after you call about a block wall in Corona?
Call or send us a message
Call (951) 393-1203 or use the form, and we'll get back to you the same way you reached us. It helps to tell us where the wall goes and roughly how long it'll run.
I walk the line with you
I come out, look at the spot, the grade and what's around it, and check the city's rules for that part of your lot. You get a written estimate that spells out what the work includes, so you can hold it up against any other bid line by line.
We build it and walk it
If you go ahead, we take care of any permits, our crew builds the wall, and I check the footing and steel before they're covered up. When it's done, we walk the finished wall with you before we pack up.
Frequently asked questions
How tall can a block wall be in my back yard in Corona?
Along the back and side lines of your lot, Corona lets a wall reach seven feet at any point, as long as it's outside the front yard and the street side yard. On a slope, the uphill side sets that measure, so I check it there before we settle on a height. If you want a tall privacy wall, those back and side lines are where it belongs.
Can I build a block wall in my front yard in Corona?
Yes, but it has to stay low. In the front yard setback, the part of the front yard nearest the street, the city allows wrought iron up to 60 inches, or decorative block up to 36 inches with iron on top to 60 inches in all. The city also doesn't allow plain precision block out front unless it gets stucco or another exterior finish, so we plan that finish into the job and the price from the start.
Does a block wall contractor need a license in California?
Yes, whenever the job needs a building permit, uses employees, or comes to $1,000 or more in labor and materials. The California Contractors State License Board licenses anyone who builds or alters structures in the state. The rules also don't allow a bigger job to be split into pieces under $1,000 to get around the license.
How much does a concrete block wall cost in Corona?
The cost of a block wall comes down mostly to its length and height, then to what goes on its face and cap. A front wall with stucco and iron, a tall side street wall with parkway planting, or a wall on a retaining base with drainage behind it all cost more than a plain run along a back line, and a tight side yard where block gets carried in by hand adds labor. I'll put your figure in writing after I've walked the spot.
How long does it take to build a block wall?
A block wall usually takes longer than people expect, because the footing has to set before any block goes on it, and the grout and any stucco need their time too. A wall that needs a permit also waits on the city before we start, and a long run or a finished face adds days of work. I'll walk you through the schedule for your wall when I give you the estimate.
What is the best way to cap a block wall?
A solid cap, which masons call a coping, is the best way to top a block wall, because it keeps water from getting into the wall and gives it a finished look. You can choose concrete brick, cast stone, brick or natural stone, and I'll usually steer you toward the one that goes with the trim or stone already on your house.
Corona, CA
Tell us where your block wall goes
Call (951) 393-1203 or send the form with the wall's spot on your lot, its rough length and the height you have in mind, and I can come out with the rules for that spot already looked up.