Masonry contractor in Coachella, CA - walls and pavers built for desert soil

Yes, the City of Coachella requires a building permit for a new driveway and for hardscape such as concrete flatwork, patio slabs and pavers, with only certain walkways exempt. Taking out or rebuilding part of a masonry wall to add a gate or driveway needs one too, and the city's building official has to issue it before work starts. If your job needs a permit, I'll tell you at the estimate, and we work it out with the city and pull it ourselves.

The city's exempt list includes fences no more than 2 feet high that meet its design rules, and retaining walls up to 2 feet measured from the top of the footing to the top of the wall. That wall exemption doesn't apply if the wall carries extra weight above it, like a slope or parked cars, or holds back flammable or combustible liquids. Side and rear yard sidewalks up to 30 inches above the ground beside them are listed as well, if they're not over a basement or story and not on an accessible route, so I check your plans against the list at the estimate.

A contractor needs a license from the Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit or more workers than themselves, or when labor and materials total $1,000 or more. That small-job limit used to be $500, and the exemption under $1,000 only covers work that needs no permit, done by someone with no employees. Contractors have to be licensed before they bid, and we're licensed and insured.

Most often it's the soil under them. Earlier city council findings say Coachella's soil holds high levels of sulfate, which wears on concrete, and that the soils are highly expansive, swelling and shrinking with moisture, with a high chance of liquefaction in an earthquake. The city ties that to rules for concrete that touches these soils, and it's why we put most of our care into the footing and base you won't see once the wall is up.

Fill that may carry alkali or sulfate is allowed in Coachella only after a sample is taken at the building department's direction and an approved testing lab shows it has no more alkali or sulfate than the native soil where it goes. The Public Works Director can waive the sample for good cause. When a wall or raised patio needs imported fill, I bring it up at the estimate so the testing is settled before any dirt arrives.

The price comes down to the size of the job, the material and how much work happens below ground before anything shows. A long property-line wall, a paver driveway that needs an old slab torn out, or a repair matched to old brick costs more than a short garden wall on good ground, and a permit or soil test adds time and cost. The schedule turns on permits, material lead times and the summer heat, and I measure and write your estimate myself so you have your own figure before you decide.