Foundation block wall installation in Reno NV - a wall that holds when the soil goes back
Building a new house or addition on a block foundation? We build the wall straight, level and ready to carry the house above it.
What goes into building a foundation block wall in Reno?
Foundation block wall installation in Reno means building a concrete block wall on poured concrete footings set below the frost line, so the wall can carry your house and hold back the soil around it without the ground heaving it.
Most people who call us about this are adding a room, building a new house or replacing a wall that's past saving, and if your old wall can be fixed instead, I'll tell you and point you to foundation repair. The price mostly moves with the wall's length and height, how much soil sits behind it, whether it needs steel, which water barrier your site calls for and what we find under the footings. The schedule turns on digging and pouring the footings, the weather while we lay block, and when the floor framing goes on, since soil doesn't go back until the wall is held. I look at the job in person and lay out what we'd do and why, so you'll have a number for your own wall.
Why Reno homeowners call Anchorstone for block foundations
When you hire us for a foundation wall, you deal with me from the first look to the last block, and you'll understand what's in your wall and why before we leave.
I write your estimate
I come out myself, look at the ground and the plan with you, and write the estimate on what I see.
I'm there while it's built
I'm on site with our crew while the work gets done, so the person who planned your wall watches it go up.
Learned on new foundations
I spent my first years laying block on new houses, then started Anchorstone in 2023 to work on lived-in homes.
Covered while we're on your lot
We're licensed and fully insured, which matters when we're digging and setting heavy block right next to your house.
A plain promise on the work
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, so call (775) 447-1254 when you're ready to talk through your wall.
How we build foundation block walls
The right wall comes down to how much soil sits against it, how wet your site stays and what it has to carry, so I look at all three before we plan anything.
What happens when you call about a foundation wall in Reno?
Every foundation wall is planned around the rest of your build, so we line up the footings, block and backfill with when the floor framing can go on.
Call or send the form
Call (775) 447-1254 or send the form with where the wall goes and roughly how long and tall it is, and we'll set up a visit.
We look together
I walk the site with you, look at the ground, the plans and the house the wall ties into, and explain what I see as I go.
Your written estimate
You get a written estimate that lays out what we'd build and why, so you can weigh it and decide without anyone pushing.
Build and walk-through
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit your job needs, protect your house and yard, build the wall, then walk you through it.
Questions about a step? Call and talk it through.
(775) 447-1254Questions about foundation block walls
How much does a foundation block wall cost in Reno?
A cinder or concrete block wall in the Reno and Sparks area usually costs about $17 to $28 per square foot of wall face, installed, and that range covers block wall work in general. A foundation wall can land differently once you add the footings, any steel, the water barrier and the digging, so I price yours on site at the estimate.
Does my foundation wall need dampproofing or waterproofing?
Dampproofing is usually enough when water drains easily through gravelly backfill down to a drain system below, but a high water table or heavy clay can build water pressure against the wall, and that's when waterproofing is worth weighing. Waterproofing materials are generally stretchy, so they can bridge small cracks and ride out minor movement. Sheet membranes also depend less on how carefully the wall was prepped than brush-on coatings do, and many hold together better if the wall settles.
Does a block foundation wall need steel reinforcement?
Not always, because block foundation walls can be built without steel, but a wall holding back a lot of soil may need it. How much dirt ends up behind the wall shapes the design, so a short crawlspace wall and a full basement wall can come out quite differently. Ask whether your wall plan calls for steel, and if it does, I'll show you where it goes.
How do I check that a contractor is licensed for foundation work in Nevada?
Ask which license classification the contractor holds, because the Nevada State Contractors Board licenses contractors by classification and each one sets the type of work they're allowed to do. Matching that classification to a foundation wall is the part worth checking before you sign.
What happens if the soil under my footings is soft?
Weak or soft soil gets dug out and replaced with compacted soil, gravel or concrete before the footings go in, because footings should sit on undisturbed native ground. It's an extra step that adds time and cost, and it's often something you only find once the trench is open.
What is the best way to keep water away from a block foundation wall?
Start with the ground around it, because the top layer of backfill should be a soil that soaks up little rain and the finished grade should slope away from the house. On the wall itself, block gets a coat of parging, a smooth mortar layer that closes up the holes, before any dampproofing goes on. Even then no dampproof coating is completely waterproof, which is why the grading matters so much.
What Reno's ground means for a foundation block wall
Washoe County's published design criteria put the frost line 24 inches down, and we set footings below it so freezing water in the soil can't heave them, the same way frost lifts a loose paver in winter. The same criteria list an earthquake design category of D2 and rate weathering damage as severe and termite damage as moderate to heavy, which is the county telling you a foundation here faces hard winters, shaking and pests.
On jobs around Reno we usually see cold nights well into spring and soil that can change from one lot to the next, so I look at what's in the trench before the footings go in. We're based in Reno and meet the same conditions on jobs in Sparks and Carson City, and if your city isn't on our list, ask us.
Plan your foundation wall with Anchorstone
Reach us at (775) 447-1254 or through the form before digging starts, so the footings, steel and water barrier get planned together.