Proper Drainage when making amendments to your San Diego hillside property

When building a retaining wall to retain you San Diego hillside, be sure to install proper drainage behind the wall. French drains are effective and can be tied into the existing or new drainage system that lead to the street or storm drain. All drainage from development should be directed away from any steep hillside areas and directed towards a public storm drain system or onto a street developed with a gutter system designed to carry surface drainage runoff. This does not apply to natural drainage courses existing on the portions of the site that are not proposed to be developed. These natural drainage courses should be retained where feasible, but not be impacted by additional runoff from the developed portions of the site.

Also be sure to seal the backside of the wall with a waterproofing sealer. Then backfill the wall with gravel to help filter soils and runoff before it enters your drainage system. Be sure to check code and pull permits if the retaining wall exceeds three feet in height. Be sure to use re-bar and geo-grid and dig a proper footing to support the weight. If your building multiple walls that are three feet high then set back the next wall at least 6 feet and install geo-grid to effectively secure the weight. Make sure to compact the backfill properly. Contact California Smartscape for a free consultation

Learn more about San Diego code for steep hillside amendments