Structural Work in Palms
Palms retaining walls and footings in grouted, reinforced block or poured concrete, coated and drained, with treated sills and LADBS plan review.
For a Palms retaining wall or footing, the material we specify first is concrete block filled solid with grout and tied with vertical steel. It carries the push of soil behind it, takes a waterproof coating well and stands up to hard sun and dry wind without the checking that exposed timber suffers. Where a lot rises at the back, block walls can step with the grade. Footings beneath them are poured concrete, sized by the engineer and inspected by LADBS.
Block, concrete and the steel inside
Solid-grouted block suits walls that hold back moderate heights of soil, and its cells take vertical rebar hooked into the footing. Taller walls, or those beside a driveway that adds load, may call for cast-in-place concrete or soldier piles, depending on the engineer's numbers. On the back face, a bituminous or membrane coating keeps moisture out of the masonry, and drain rock around a perforated pipe carries water off. Under the house, pressure-treated sills and galvanized connectors pair with whatever footing repair the plans require.
Who reviews the plans
Palms sits within the City of Los Angeles, which puts plan review and inspections with LADBS. Mar Vista, Brentwood and Playa Vista share that department. Culver City and Beverly Hills each run their own building offices, with their own forms and inspection requests. Strong sun dries exposed concrete quickly, so fresh pours are kept damp and covered while they cure, and block walls receive their coating only after the grout has set. A survey may be worth ordering before a wall goes near a shared property line, since the footing heel can reach farther than the face suggests.
Structural Work in Palms: questions
Its fate turns on an engineering check of the block or concrete, the steel inside if we can locate it, the footing and the drain. A wall built without enough reinforcement may need replacing even when it looks plumb. LADBS reviews any new design and inspects before the cells are grouted.
What the soil can bear and how deep firm ground lies, then any extra load near the wall, such as a driveway or a neighbor's structure. Drainage paths, setbacks and the room available to work between buildings follow. Those answers decide between block, poured concrete and piles.
Largely, with each caisson and each foot of wall on its own line. The material named on each line, block or poured concrete, explains part of the difference between options. Coatings, drain rock, pipe, haul-off, engineering and the LADBS permit are listed separately.
Structural Work in other cities
Planning work in Palms?
Tell us about the lot and the job. A builder replies by phone or email to set up a visit.