need advice building a retaining wall
Mike Durham
3 years ago
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Jeff Smith
3 years agoMike Durham
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Need some advice on retaining wall. . .
Comments (2)Most bang for the buck .... Generally, for contracted walls, this will be the type that is most commonly built at this time in your area. The contractors will have all the kinks worked out and will be more assured that their bid will produce a profit. And there will likely be competition to get the job. Uncommon construction will always cost more. For the DIY project, the most bang for the buck is where the type most matches the resources of the homeowner. By resources, I mean the number of people, their physical shape, experience, and skill level, the time available, and the tools needed. I'm down on the use of timber walls. Probably because I live in a wet warm climate and timber walls last longer in other areas. Though a badly constructed timber wall can fail in the first five years, I would agree with marcinde that a well constructed timber wall will be good for 15 to 20 years, even in my climate. But if you sell ten years after the wall is built, a discerning buyer will see that wall as a liability, where a well constructed permanent wall will have appreciated in value....See MoreNeed retaining wall advice
Comments (5)In my opinion, you are not ahead of yourself in planning your retaining walls. You are behind. Clearly, there is a large grade change and with that comes several problems that need to be resolved. They may be small problems, or large problems. They can be aesthetic problems, circulation problems, drainage problems, erosion problems, or other problems. One of the problems that goes hand in hand with low regulation in terms of site plan requirements (I'm not against low regulations, just pointing out the problems) is that people can build without the benefit of a high level of engineering or site plan review. Then you wind up facing situations like this which would have to be addressed prior to construction in an over regulated state such as mine (and where you find skilled experienced people who are capable of completing such designs prior to construction). Now you have to scramble to solve these issues as the house in already well under construction. I would recommend hiring a professional who understands site planning with experience in retaining walls, grading, drainage, and who can work with you to understand how you want to use the site. That person should be able to work as a facilitator to get that info out of you whether you have or have not given it much thought. Retaining walls can make a site more usable by having flatter areas where certain activities which do not work well on steep slopes can work well.. They can also impede access by becoming a barrier, if not well thought out. Retaining walls can also limit erosion. Erosion is caused by volume and speed of water working together. Slope adds speed to runoff which causes more erosion. Retaining walls often are used to terrace areas into several flatter areas rather than a large sloped area. Lots of exposed foundation and a house that sticks way up out of the ground are a couple of obvious aesthetic problems that can be mitigated by using retaining walls. Nice materials can be used to make a retaining wall a major aesthetic improvement on their own (ungly materials do the opposite). Regional aesthetics will have a lot to do with what is considered ugly whether it is a house or a retaining wall. Steps can be incorporated into retaining walls to help with circulation. Also grades for vehicular access can be made with the use of retaining walls. There are a couple of things to ponder....See MoreRetaining wall fell, need advice
Comments (5)Can you see where your wall went? What was it made of? if cement blocks they could be cleaned up with chisel & hammer, I did mine after Northridge earthquake, much cheaper than hiring someone to come & haul them away & get a new wall. Of course I mixed cement in wheelbarrow & dad set the blocks. used rebar both in the blocks & across to strengthen it. In your case because it is a retaining wall you have to have a cement base. But if you could retrieve all your blocks you could cut the expense greatly. Might have retaining wall put in with chain link fence on top of it or wood as that would cut cost by probably 2/3 but you need to find out why earth is moving. I know of some swimming pools that have poorly built fences or no fences,just hedge & ground isn't moving just because of the pool. If the fill in your backyard is mostly sand that could cause problems. We have some areas out here in Ca. that are extremely unstable- guess you saw the beachside community that buried number of people few years back. People love a hillside house & every couple of yrs some slide down on top of other houses but they just fill it in & rebuild. Good Luck!...See MoreNeed help building a retaining wall
Comments (5)A wall needs deadmen when the mechanism to overcome failure is mass and the mass of the wall needs extra ballast to do so. Your wall is relying on nothing but vertical posts at this point. It will fail by leaning over assuming that it is well anchored. If it is not well anchored it could fail from the bottom rotating out and upward. A deadman is used to combine the mass of the soil that it binds to the wall to overcome the force on the wall. Many people believe that it attached the wall to the slope, but that is not correct. A method to make this type of wall design work that is often done with vertical sea walls is the use of helical anchors. Have you ever seen a retaining wall like yours?...See MoreSeabornman
3 years agoMike Durham
3 years agoSeabornman
3 years agoYardvaark
3 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
3 years agoMike Durham
3 years agoYardvaark
3 years agocyn427 NoVaZone7
3 years agoRevolutionary Gardens
3 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoMike Durham
3 years agoYardvaark
3 years ago
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