Foundation block wall installation in Yuma AZ - walls built on solid ground
Planning an addition or new room on Yuma soil? We set the footing on firm ground and build a block wall that carries it.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a block foundation wall in Yuma?
Foundation block wall installation in Yuma is building the concrete block walls that sit on a footing and hold up your house or addition, from a short stem wall to a crawlspace or basement wall with soil packed against it.
Most people who call about this are planning a room, a garage or an addition and want the base done right before the framers show up. At J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry, I tell people the price is mostly decided underground, by how much soft soil has to come out and be replaced, how tall the wall is, how much dirt will lean on it and whether that means steel and grout inside the block. The schedule turns on the permit, any soil testing you choose and how long the wall waits for its support before soil goes back against it, and your written estimate puts your own figure on all of it. If you already have a block wall that's cracked, foundation repair is the job to look at instead.
How do you know you need a new foundation block wall?
Plans for an addition
You're drawing up a room, garage or casita, and the plans show a stem wall or crawlspace under it. That wall sets the level for everything built on top, so sorting out the ground and the wall early saves you from redoing framing later.
Yard higher than the floor
When the dirt outside sits above where your new floor will be, the wall has to hold that soil back as well as carry weight. That's a different wall from one that only holds up a floor, and guessing at it can leave you with a wall that bows or cracks.
Loose dirt where you'll build
If a shovel sinks in easily, or you turn up old fill or soggy spots where the wall will go, the ground needs work before any block goes up. Building over it usually shows up later as settling cracks you can't fix without digging everything back out.
How we build a foundation block wall
We start by laying out the wall and digging for the footing, the concrete strip the block sits on, and we dig out soft spots rather than build over them. We pour the footing, then lay the block course by course, setting steel and filling the cores, the hollow cells in each block, with grout wherever the design calls for it. Then comes the step I'm most careful about. We hold off on pushing soil back against the new wall until it's braced or the first floor deck is on, because a wall that's meant to be held at the top can crack or even fail if the dirt goes in first. If you've had your ground tested, I build the whole plan around those results, and once the support is in place we backfill, pack the soil down and clean up.
A new foundation wall usually changes the yard around it, so we often stay on for the next part. Our walkway construction ties the new side of the house back to the drive or the door, and our outdoor kitchen masonry puts the same block skills to work on a grill island for the patio.
Stem wall
A short block wall on a footing that lifts a floor or the edge of a slab above the dirt. It suits additions, garages and casitas on fairly level lots, where little soil leans against the wall.
Partially grouted wall
Grout goes only in the cores that hold steel, and the rest stay hollow. It suits walls where the steel is spaced out, because you're not paying to fill cells that aren't doing extra work.
Solidly grouted wall
Every core gets filled. National grouting guidance says this may be faster and cheaper when the upright steel bars sit close together or the wall has many bond beams, which are reinforced rows of block.
Get a free estimate for your foundation wall
Send the address, the wall you're planning and any soil test results. We'll reply within one business day, and I'll come out to walk the job before writing a free estimate, with no obligation to book.
(928) 271-5129- Based in
- Yuma, AZ 85364
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a foundation wall in Yuma?
Here's how a foundation wall job runs from your side, from the first call to the walk-through at the end.
Call or send your details
Call (928) 271-5129 or use the form on this page with the property address and the kind of wall you're planning. We'll set a time for me to come see the site.
I walk the lot with you
I look at the ground, the slope and any plans or soil results you have, and explain what I see as we go. Your written estimate lays out the footing, the wall, the steel and grout, and the soil work, so you know what the price covers.
We dig, pour and lay block
Once the permit is in place, my crew and I dig, pour the footing and lay the block, and I'm on site working with them. Through Yuma's long hot season we start early in the morning so the block work happens outside the hot midday hours.
Each stage, then a walk-through
I tell you what comes next as each stage wraps up, from footing to block to backfill. When the wall is done we clean up and walk it with you.
Why Yuma homeowners call J&L for foundation block walls
I walk every job myself
I come out, look at the ground with you and write the estimate myself, then work alongside my crew on the build. The person who priced your wall is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Laying block since 2013
We've been in business since 2013, and I learned the trade laying block and brick on new homes before moving to homes people already live in. Those 13 years mean I can tell you why a footing matters, not just that it does.
Fully licensed and insured contractor
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters if you're building on your own property, because Arizona lets owners skip a contractor license when they do the work themselves, with their own employees or with duly licensed contractors, as long as it's solely for their own use and not for sale or rent.
A foundation wall is the part of your house you won't see again once the soil goes back, so it pays to get the ground and the plan right first. Ask for an estimate or call (928) 271-5129.
Foundation block walls, permits and soil in Yuma
The City of Yuma's Building Safety Division issues building permits, and it generally requires one for any new construction or remodel. Its list of work that doesn't need a permit names things like fencing, painting and minor repairs, not foundation walls, so the division is the place to ask about your job. When a job needs a permit, we handle the application and set up the inspections, and I'll tell you what to expect before work starts.
Problem soils turn up across Arizona, Yuma included, like expansive soil that swells when it gets wet and collapsing soil that settles when it soaks. So I treat the ground under every foundation wall as something to check, not assume. We're based in Yuma and work across the cities around it, and we take the same care with the ground on jobs in Somerton and San Luis.
Questions about foundation block walls in Yuma
How much does a foundation block wall cost in Yuma?
The cost comes down to your lot and your wall, so I can't give an honest number until I've seen the site. The biggest swings come from how much soft soil has to be dug out and replaced, how tall and long the wall is, how much dirt it holds back and whether it needs steel and full grout. Your written estimate puts a figure on each part.
Does a block foundation wall need steel inside?
Not always. Trade guidance says block foundation walls can be built without steel, but walls holding back a lot of soil may need reinforcement. The wall's height and the dirt against it settle the question, and I'll show you which side of that line your wall falls on.
How do I find out if the soil on my lot is a problem?
The surest check is hiring a soil engineering firm to drill borings and test how much your soil swells, which is what Arizona's state geologists recommend. If you already have a report, have it ready when I come out, along with the address and the kind of wall you're planning.
What should a foundation footing sit on?
A footing should rest on undisturbed native soil, meaning ground nobody has dug up or filled. Weak or soft soil should come out and be replaced with compacted soil, gravel or concrete, so on a lot with poor ground, plan for that digging and fill before any block goes up.
How long does foundation block wall installation take?
It varies more with the permit, any soil testing and how much ground has to be fixed than with laying the block itself. The wall also has to wait for its bracing or floor deck before soil goes back, as I explained above. I'll walk you through the order of things when I come out.
Can you lay block during the Yuma summer?
Yes, with early starts. An older industry guide counts masonry as hot-weather work above 100°F, or above 90°F when the wind is over 8 mph, because heat and wind dry mortar and grout too fast. That's why we keep block work to the cooler morning hours, as I mentioned in the steps.
Related masonry work around a new foundation
Outdoor kitchen masonry
A built-in grill counter or bar is heavy block and stone, so it needs the same firm footing and careful layout as a wall under your house.
Walkway construction
After backfill, the ground along a new addition is often bare and uneven, and a walkway gives you a clean, level path to the door.
Service areas for foundation wall work
J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry is based in Yuma, Arizona, and builds foundation block walls across the cities around it. Fortuna Foothills and Somerton are two of the four areas with their own page below.
Yuma, AZ
Get your foundation wall planned right
Calling before your plans are final lets me fit the footing and wall to your lot before anything gets drawn around them.