Foundation block wall installation in McAllen TX - a solid wall built for your soil

Dampproof the wall where water won't build up against it and waterproof it where it can, which is what trade guidance says building codes typically require. That pressure comes from a high water table or backfill that drains poorly, like heavy clay, while dampproofing suits ground where water drains through granular backfill into a drain below. Sheet membranes and panels depend less on workmanship and surface prep than coatings, and many hold together better if the wall settles, so ask any contractor what backfill, drain and protection they plan for your lot.

Not always, since a wall can be partially grouted, with grout only in the cores that hold steel, or solidly grouted in every core. Any core with steel in it has to be filled, because reinforced block needs grout around the bar to do its job. When the vertical steel is spaced close together, grouting every core may be faster and cheaper than picking cores one by one, so the wall design settles it.

Installing a concrete block wall usually runs about $16 to $19 per square foot across the US, which is a national market figure and not our price. Where a foundation wall lands turns on its height and length, how many cores get grouted, the kind of water protection and how much digging and drainage the site needs. Your own figure comes from the estimate I write after walking your lot.

The City of McAllen Building Permits and Inspections Department issues them, and as a general rule it requires a permit when you erect, construct, alter, repair or improve. Applications go through the city's online permit portal, and inspections are requested by calling the city's request line.

Some lots here sit on Hidalgo series soil, which is deep, well drained and moderately permeable loamy ground. The catch is irrigation, because on irrigated Hidalgo soils water may collect 4 to 8 feet below the surface, which matters for any wall set below ground and can push the job from dampproofing toward waterproofing. We're based in McAllen and work in the cities around it across the Valley, so we look at each lot on its own before we decide.

Keep water moving away from the wall and keep the soil next to it at a fairly steady moisture through the year, which is what extension guidance written for Galveston County suggests for protecting foundations. A foundation wall is designed for a certain soil pressure, and swings in water content can raise that load a great deal, so good drainage keeps the real pressure close to what the wall was built for.