Retaining Walls

What are the Retaining Walls? A retaining wall is a structure that holds or retains soil behind it. There are many types of materials that...

What are the Retaining Walls?
A retaining wall is a structure that holds or retains soil behind it. There are many types of materials that can be used to create retaining walls like concrete blocks, poured concrete, treated timbers, rocks or boulders. Some are easy to use, others have a shorter life span, but all can retain soil.

Gravity Wall or Reinforced Wall?

The following characteristics must be considered in order to build the proper type of retaining wall.

• Type of the soil to be identified. (Sand, clay, or something in between)
• What is above the wall: a driveway or something heavier like a pool?
• Will the ground above or below the wall be level or sloped?
• What is the height of the wall?

All of these factors will determine whether you will need a Gravity Retaining Wall or a Reinforced Retaining Wall.

Gravity retaining walls are walls that depend on their own weight and setback to retain the soil and are typically shorter in height. Interlock Block retaining walls are ideal for this type of wall, because as they are stacked together they lock into place to form a setback. This setback helps the wall support the pressure from the soils behind it.

Materials for Retaining Walls
Over the years many different retaining wall materials have been used to alter the landscape in which we live. Common retaining wall products include railroad ties or treated timbers as well as wall stones, natural stones, bricks and concrete block.

While wood is often an inexpensive and simple choice for a retaining wall, its short lifespan makes it a relatively poor choice. As the wood decomposes faster, so does your retaining wall and the integrity of your usable space. Stones, rocks or boulders can create beautiful retaining walls, but the installation of these materials can be expensive and labour intensive. Furthermore, maintenance of stone walls can be difficult, because over time or they may erode or become home to rodents and weeds.

Cast-in place or mortared retaining walls are another option. These walls can be installed with a variety of veneers, bricks, flagstones, etc. which add texture and style. However, these structures are rigid and do not move and flex with climate changes, earthquakes and other natural forces, and can be very expensive to build.

[ads-post]

Segmental Retaining Walls like the Concrete masonry blocks that are modular and interlocking for ease of use. Simply stack the mortarless blocks together using manufacturers installation information, and create a maintenance-free retaining wall that will add usable land, fix a grading or slope issue, and solve many other site problems. These SRW’s use similar construction techniques as found in the mortarless construction of the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt and will stand the test of time. SRW’s come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours as well as different facing textures. Some of the more common textures offer a hard-split or soft-split look, a tumbled look, or more recently a stamped face. Concrete blocks made out of recycled materials are also available. Segmental Retaining Walls has relatively longer life span.

Purpose Of Retaining walls
Retaining walls are useful structures with wide application. It can convert any unusable land to a usable one just with little construction. It is very easy to maintain flat space than a slope, mow or prune. Also, there is a natural separation between beds and turf. These features can certainly save a considerable amount from the landscape’s maintenance. We have listed some most common purposes of Retaining Walls as follows.

To enhances the Appearance of Property
A retaining wall can be made highly attractive with the proper selection of the material. A landscape lighting, an alluring planting and a set of stairs can make your property stand out from the rest in style. Moreover, retaining walls can be used to create interesting features in the landscape. Upscale entryways, having raised area for signage, made from retaining wall can give a captivating appearance.

To create flat areas
A retaining wall can convert a slope into a flat land. This indicates a possibility of the construction of buildings and other structures that wouldn’t be possible with the steep slope.

Terracing
A whole mountain can be converted into several steps by constructing a series of the retaining walls. This method is called terracing and it helps to turn the steep land into a flat area which can be used to grow crops. This technique not only helps farmers to grow crops but it can be used in commercial property which may prevent soil erosion and create a pedestrian access on the slope.

To improve the site drainage
A retaining wall can be used to direct the water in a property. However, you will need to follow some local and state regulations to build one.

To hold water back
To separate land from the water, a seawall is built which is another type of retaining wall. Moreover, it helps to protect the soil erosion at the shore and create a harbour for boats. The permits are also required in this section too.