Pics of raised bond beam connecting to retaining wall?

11 years ago

Hi! The PB we are considering wants to put in a 30 inch bond beam on the pool (inground gunite 15 x 30 against a hill) with wing walls(retaining wall) on either side. Does anyone else have this? We are worried a tile bond beam with a mesa stone retaining wall on either side will look awful. Even a stone bond beam wouldn't quite match up. At least we can't picture it. Does anyone have any pictures of their pools with anything like this? Any advise? Thank you!

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Comments (8)

jmck_nc
11 years ago
We have this. Ours is all faced in rock and I think it looks good. The raised wall leads to a waterfall then neg edge on the left side and to the retaining wall on the right side. The wall steps down as the slope decreases on the right side. I can't access a picture from this computer but will try to post one tomorrow.
Judy
PoolMD123
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Judy! I'd love to see it. So did you use a retaining wall with a stone face on it?
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There are no absolutes in life, so I'll amend pls8xx's statement: The new wall will very likely fail if constructed as you say. You're in a freeze-thaw part of the country, which is why your footer needs to be below frost line. If you attempt to "float" the footer, the expansion and contraction of the soil will heave and crack the footer, the mortar joints in the CMUs, and the brick veneer. You also need to consider that with a 3' high wall, the forces attempting to knock it over are pretty intense. Without being tied to a proper footer, and without vertical steel reinforcement, those forces will eventually win and your wall will very likely fail. Again, no absolutes in life; the brick piers on my 100 year-old house go 6" into the ground and sit on bare earth. But if you're taking the time and expense to do something, why build in the probability of failure? As to the EP Henry wall solution... did that quote also include demo & removal of the existing wall and related sitework? If so, they may not be that out of line. If you approach it as a DIY job, you may be surprised at how quickly $X per ton of disposal adds up. If you do the project yourself, be fanatical about following the manufacturer's instructions. These systems are designed so they can be installed without special masonry skills, but you still need to be very accurate in preparing the base. If you don't feel like you're spending a ridiculous amount of time getting the first course of block perfectly level... well, you're probably not doing it right. If you want to put a fence back on top of the wall, Keystone makes a system that'll hold the fenceposts securely within the structure of the wall. Might be worth looking at. Best of luck!
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as pool expert says. Yes, it can be done, but you will need to get the engineering. I am looking at the Pool Engineering, Inc. Detail #240 C.M.U. option and it looks like what you want to do. Will need to call them at (714) 630-6100 and tell them what you want to do. They will get you the proper plans. It will require some demo and reconstruction to the bond beam to get the proper steel over lap, but is very doable. i have done something similar in the past. Good luck this type of stuff is not for the weak of heart, but not rocket science either. It would also be a good time to add waterfalls and or sheer decents to the pool.
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In order to solve all the problems your yard offers, you need a complete plan which includes retaining walls and planting. To be sure, it is much easier to care for a yard that is organized and has organized plantings, as opposed to one which is hodgepodge. Personally, I think you would do yourself a favor to hire a landscape designer or L architect in order to determine the complete concept for the property: walls/planting and whatever else that's needed we don't yet know about. (Here, we're looking only at piecemeal images. It's very difficult to grasp the existing conditions of the property and understand the extent of what is needed.) You probably need some walls, but in some places, slope will probably work fine. It's a matter of determining how it can all work together. If you have DIY skills, I would suggest you pursue the comment of plsx88 ... "... low walls of less than 4 ft are within what a homeowner can build himself at a fraction of the cost a contractor wants." Even so, you would probably need a designer to help you determine their design. A timber wall would probably suffice if you just want someone else to come in and do it. But it will not be as nice and enduring as a concrete wall. Given that you got some prices, I'm thinking that you've either had some design work done, or you're getting prices based on some vague suggestion by a contractor. If it's the latter, abandon that idea. You can only get a price based on a plan and specs. Otherwise, you will not know what you are getting until it's too late.
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jmck_nc
11 years ago
Finally getting back with a picture. Hope this helps you. In this picture, the raised bond beam transitions to the retaining wall behind the chair on the left side of tanning ledge. Let me know if you have questions.
Judy

In this picture, you can see the flow of the walls from above.
jmck_nc
11 years ago
oops! Here is the second picture
PoolMD123
Original Author
11 years ago
Gorgeous pool Judy! And thank you for the pictures. This is a huge help. I keep asking PB for pics of this and he is searching but nothing so far from his files. We'd have to pay extra for the stone facing (on the bond beam and retaining wall blocks) which makes me nervous. We'd have a sheer descent instead of natural waterfall. Our pool will be grecian so we'll have a straight wall/bond beam on the side instead of curved like yours.
But your pool seems very similar to ours in some ways. I see you have a tanning ledge as well. We are also thinking about that with the bubblers. Do you like it?
jmck_nc
11 years ago
Glad the pics help. Regarding the tanning ledge...yes we like it. If I had young kids I would definitely want it, but not at the expense of a large shallow end. My dog LOVES it! The bubblers were something the pool builder suggested but really I don't find them that great...most of the young kids we've had over play with them for a couple of minutes and lose interest. If I had known, I would have left them out.

For the wall...maybe you could do tile in the poll and transition to rock for the retaining wall part but put the transition where there will be plants to hide it. Once our landscaping grew in it changed the look completely.
Judy
PoolMD123
Original Author
11 years ago
That's a good idea. PB finally suggested that tonight. Putting plants/bushes in front of it.
Thank you!
Wei Li
3 years ago
Hi, I realized that you post was 8 years old... But we are facing the same problem of transitioning from raised bond beam to dry stack wall. And your post is the only one that's related to this issue.... is it possible to see a pic of how your wall look in the end w/ the plants help hiding the transition? really appreciate it..

Pics of raised bond beam connecting to retaining wall?

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Pics of raised bond beam connecting to retaining wall?

Comments (8)

jmck_nc

PoolMD123Original Author

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jmck_nc

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jmck_nc

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