Solving Problems Affiliated with Retaining Walls

Retaining walls almost always enhance a property’s value and functionality, whether they’re used in residential or commercial settings. On a steep site that wouldn’t normally be suitable for development, one or more retaining walls can be used to create level areas where building lots, driveways and parking areas can be located. A retaining wall can improve a home’s living space and real estate value by creating space for a walkout basement.

Walls vary in size, shape and materials used for construction

Retaining walls come in all shapes and sizes. They can be straight or curved, with exposed faces that are vertical or tilted back into the earth. Massive retaining walls are sometimes used to separate divided highways. On the opposite end of the spectrum, short retaining walls just a foot or two high, are often used as landscaping elements, creating garden spaces, sheltered alcoves and visual variety.

Just as retaining walls vary in size and shape, they can also differ because of the materials used to build them. Railroad or “landscape” ties enable people to construct retaining walls from wood. Short retaining walls are often fashioned from native stone. A wide variety of modular concrete blocks are available specifically for retaining wall construction. These systems typically involve interlocking blocks designed to improve the overall strength of the completed wall. Standard CMU (concrete masonry unit) block retaining walls can also be found, often constructed by do-it-yourselfers. Poured concrete retaining walls are built using techniques very similar to those used for poured concrete foundation walls.

Common structural issues can compromise value and safety

The value of a retaining wall –functional, aesthetic and property-enhancing—is significantly compromised when it starts to fail. Failure can take several forms. Retaining walls made from wood ties start to fail when the wood deteriorates because of rot. Masonry retaining walls start to fail as cracks develop, as individual blocks shift or fall out of place, or as the wall bows or tilts toward the ground, threatening to topple.

Retaining wall problems should always be addressed as soon as possible for two reasons. First of all, once a problem develops, it will only worsen over time, usually becoming more expensive to correct. Secondly, a weakened retaining wall can pose a safety problem, since complete failure of a wall can release tons of soil onto people, pets and property. 

Foundation repair contractors can also handle retaining wall repairs

Many people don’t realize they can call a foundation repair contractor for help repairing retaining walls. Retaining walls resemble foundation walls, and damage typically occurs because of the same factors: pressure from expansive or wet soil, improper drainage, soil erosion or settlement, and construction defects. They can also fail because the root systems of trees and shrubs disrupt joints between blocks, landscape ties or stones.

Sometimes a failed retaining wall can only be repaired by dismantling and reconstructing the wall, or at least the damaged section. But an experienced foundation repair contractor may be able to avoid this costly work using specialized wall anchors and the same repair techniques that correct bowing, cracking and tilting foundation walls.

The repair involves driving or anchoring strong steel rods or anchors through a tilting or cracked retaining wall and into the soil behind the wall. Then the contractor uses the anchors or rods along with steel clamping plates and oversized nuts, to exert clamping pressure against the wall, pulling it back into its original position.

It may also be necessary to improve drainage and correct other issues that initially caused the damage. The wall anchor repair technique is an effective way to fix many retaining wall problems without resorting to more extensive destruction and reconstruction strategies.

Contact the experts at Southeast Foundation Repair today for a free estimate for foundation repair in Wilmington, NC and nearby locations.