FREE ESTIMATES FORT BEND BRAZORIA TEXAS STONE BRICK BLOCK TIMBER LANDSCAPE RETAINING WALLS EROSION CONTROL-BUILDERS

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The biggest enemy is water

A retaining wall attempts to master erosion and gravity. Since these forces are two of the most powerful on the planet, homeowners usually turn to expert engineers, contractors and builders when they need such a partition built. In fact, most regulating bodies require that a certified engineer either build or inspect these structures when they go over a certain height. The same goes for when they are built close to a structure or driveway. Your landscape designer or landscape architect should be able to help you with this permitting process.

“Our full service solution with retaining walls is most important when integrating them into the yard drainage system. The biggest enemy is water, so you’ve got to have good drainage behind the wall. Another concern is tree preservation, as it is with any building project. You want to be sure that tree roots aren’t harmed in any way. In general, what Designer Properties brings to the table in this arena is that we take into account all aspects of your landscape, including such things as grade changes, comingled steps and different surfaces.”

Types Of Retaining Walls

Different retaining wall building materials give different advantages and disadvantages. The longevity of different types of retaining walls, however, depend on the building material used, volume of soil held back, structural design, and drainage.



Here are the pros and cons of the common types of retaining walls.

Modular and cinder block retaining walls - these building blocks are relatively cheaper. Installing them is easier for smaller projects, too. They are the most flexible when it comes to design. But, they can't hold back larger volume of soil.

Poured concrete retaining wall - They can handle tremendous amount of soil volume. They can be used to hold back steeper slopes, and they can conform to the contour of the land perfectly. But, they utterly lack style and design needed for landscaping purposes, and they are relatively expensive to build.

Railroad retaining tie and wood plank or round timber - they are among the cheapest choice for retaining wall and are readily available. They also give a rustic appearance to your landscaping design. But, they are the most prone to rotting and structural failure. Improperly treated wood retaining walls are also prone to termite infestation that weakens the structure in a very short time.

Bricks - they are flexible when it comes to adding pattern and texture to your retaining wall. They are also among the cheapest building material for retaining walls. But, they are notorious for collapse and structural failure. They can't be used to hold back larger volume of soil compared to other molded or block building materials.

Depending on your project and the amount you are willing to pitch, there's a right retaining wall for you. Just know the pros and cons of the different types of retaining walls so that you can get the most value for your money in your retaining wall.

 

                                                                  

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Dry Stacked Stone Retaining Wall

Mortared Retaining Wall & Steps

 

Mortared Retaining  Wall

A retaining wall is a structure

A retaining wall is a structure that holds back earth. Retaining walls stabilize soil and rock from down slope movement or erosion and provide support for vertical or near-vertical grade changes. Cofferdams and bulkheads, structures to hold back water, are sometimes also considered retaining walls. Retaining walls are generally made of masonry, stone, brick, concrete, steel or timber. Once popular as an inexpensive retaining material, railroad ties have fallen out of favor due to environmental concerns.

The most important consideration in proper design and installation of retaining walls is that the retained material is attempting to move forward and down slope due to gravity. This creates a soil pressure behind the wall (depending on the angle of internal friction (phi) and the cohesive strength (c) of the material). This pressure is smallest at the top and increases toward the bottom and will push the wall forward or overturn it if nor properly addressed. Also any groundwater behind the wall that is not dissipated by a drainage system causes an additional horizontal hydraulic pressure on the wall.

 

There are three common types of retaining structures: gravity, cantilevered, and sheet pile walls.

Gravity walls are made from a large mass of stone, concrete, or composite materials. Gravity walls depend on the size and weight of the wall mass to resist pressures from behind. Gravity walls will often have a slight setback, or batter, to improve wall stability by leaning back into the retained soil. For short, landscaping walls, gravity walls made from dry-stacked (mortar less) stone or segmental concrete units (masonry units) are commonly used. Dry-laid gravity walls are somewhat flexible and do not require a rigid footing below frost.

Earlier in the 20th century, taller retaining walls were often gravity walls made from large masses of concrete or stone. Today, taller retaining walls are increasingly built as composite gravity walls such as: geosynthetic or steel-reinforced backfill soil with pre-cast facing; gabions (stacked steel wire baskets filled with rocks), crib walls (cells built up log cabin style from pre-cast concrete or timber and filled with soil) or soil-nailed walls (soil reinforced in place with steel and concrete rods).

For reinforced-soil gravity walls, the soil reinforcement is placed in horizontal layers throughout the height of the wall. Common soil reinforcement materials include steel straps and geogrid, a high-strength polymer mesh, that provide tensile strength to hold soil together. The wall face is often pre-cast, segmental concrete units that can tolerate some differential movement. The reinforced soil's mass, along with the facing, becomes the gravity wall. The reinforced mass must be built large enough to retain the pressures from the soil behind it. Gravity walls usually must be a minimum of 50 to 60 percent as deep (thick) as the height of the wall, and may have to be larger if there is a slope or surcharge on the wall.

Prior to the introduction of modern reinforced-soil gravity walls, cantilevered walls were the most common type of taller retaining wall. Cantilevered walls are made from a relatively thin stem of steel-reinforced, cast-in-place concrete or mortared masonry (often in the shape of an inverted T). These walls cantilever loads (like a beam) to a large, structural footing; converting horizontal pressures from behind the wall to vertical pressures on the ground below. Sometimes cantilevered walls are buttressed on the front, or include a counter fort on the back, to improve their stability against high loads. Buttresses are short wing walls at right angles to the main trend of the wall. These walls require rigid concrete footings below seasonal frost depth. This type of wall uses much less material than a traditional gravity wall.

Sheet pile walls are often used in soft soils and tight spaces. Sheet pile walls are made out of steel sheet piles or wood driven into the ground. Structural design methods for this type of wall exist but these methods are more complex than for a gravity wall. As a rule of thumb; 1/3 third above ground, 2/3 below ground. Taller sheet pile walls usually require a tie-back anchor "dead-man" placed in the soil some distance behind the wall face, that is tied to the wall face, usually by a cable or a rod. Anchors must be placed behind the potential failure plane in the soil.

Proper drainage behind the wall is critical to the performance or retaining walls. Drainage materials will reduce or eliminate the hydraulic pressure and increase the stability of the fill material behind the wall (assuming of course, that this is not a retaining wall for water...).

EROSION CONTROL-RETAINING WALLS

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Designer Properties helps local contractors survive

By JIM LUFKIN — The Sentinel Posted: 09/16/2009 07:20:14 PM -

Local contractors are banding together to survive the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Their organization, Designer Properties, gives homeowners a way to find reliable local trades people for Home improvement projects…..

Designer Properties is your entry into our local contractor referral network. We are local builders, trades people as well as building and home improvement suppliers who have worked together for many years. Many of us know each other; we have worked together, referred work to each other, and called on each other for help with projects over the years.  We are local and want to build our community.

Most of us work by referral and only advertise here. You don’t build up a strong referral base for your business overnight.  It takes a solid track record over a long period of time to earn the trust of customers.  We all know our reputation depends upon the quality and cost of our work.

Our local members offer their community a full spectrum of services. Just click on any one of the categories listed in the columns, and you will find info and photos of projects. To contact a contractor/tradesmen to assist you in meeting your building needs fill out our contact form.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for please contact us via the Contact Us page.

Designer Properties is your local high-value referral network for all your construction and home improvement needs. LET’S KEEP IT LOCAL!

"Q. How do you offer so many service's ?  A. We are a company of Contractors-Tradesmen & Designers,"

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