What Type of Retaining Wall Should You Build?

People will get retaining walls for various reasons. Whether to strengthen a home’s foundation or create a new private space for your own enjoyment, people will purchase and construct retaining walls for various reasons. Retaining walls can be used for decorative purposes or to prevent erosion damage to your home or the surrounding area. However, you shouldn’t make hasty decisions on the type of retaining walls to build. You also shouldn’t let a contractor or home store employee talk you into using a certain material. Below are several factors to look into before you decide how to build your retaining wall.

Type of Materials

The best way to determine which material you should use for your retaining wall is to know what end result you want. Several different materials are long-lasting and freely available in most landscaping stores. Materials can include things like flagstone, recycled concrete pavers, vertical poles, poured concrete, precast concrete modular units, and brick veneer.

Type of Retaining Wall

You must determine your needs in order to decide which structural retaining wall you want. The two main types of retaining walls are “structural” walls, which are made of concrete, and “dry-laid” walls, which are made of stacking stones or rocks on top of each other. If you want to mainly uphold soil, structural walls are your best choice. Building these walls can make it easier to build structures and houses on the soil. On the other hand, dry-laid walls are better used for drainage as mortar isn’t required to build them.

Location to Build

Plan ahead to determine where you should build your retaining wall. This will save you time and expenses you will need to modify the area that it was originally installed in, or move it to a completely different area of your yard.

Drainage

Believe it or not, lots of retaining walls fail because of pressure that builds up against the wall from both water and wet soil. When building yours, make sure the water has a path to drain away from the wall. This can be accomplished with drainage pipes, drainage blankets, or gravel backfill. Having ‘weep holes’ will also lessen the pressure behind the wall. Dry-laid walls are the better option if drainage is one of the bigger concerns during the construction process.

Foundation

A strong foundation is necessary for any building project. Retaining walls are no exception if you want them to remain stable. The ground should also be solid and structurally sound to begin building on it. Ground that is made of compacted earth or gravel fill is the best options. The front and back of the wall’s base width should be at least one foot from the infrastructure. For building dry-laid walls, the largest, most stable stones should be put down first. Also, remember that the base width should be as wide as the wall is high.

Slope

Did you know that retaining walls will be more secure if they ‘lay back’ or slope back? One would think that would have the opposite effect, but having the wall slope back against the soil will actually apply pressure in the opposite direction, which will make the walls more stable compared to only having the pressure pushed against the wall, through the soil.

Anchors

Even if you’re wall starts off stable, that doesn’t mean it will always stay that way. Establishing anchors is key to keeping your walls in place for several years after installing the structure. Placing anchors or deadmen far back into the slope will help walls resist pressures and keep them from leaning forward as the sloped ground pushes against them. They can also help pivot them as the ground shifts over the years. Experts recommend that a deadman be installed every sixteen square feet of exposed wall space.

Cost

Like all building or construction projects, building a retaining wall is going to cost money. So look at what your budget is. Dry laid material usually costs between $20-$35 for an installed wall. The cost can vary further depending on the type of materials you use, as well as the overall wall height. Structural walls tend to cost twice to ten times as much as dry-laid materials too.

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Contact Rock & Block Hardscaping Supply

We at Rock & Block Hardscaping Supply have all the materials you need for your next outdoor project. Check out our website at https://rockandblock.co/ or visit our stores in El Cajon or Temecula today. Let’s start your next project today!