A retaining wall allows you to create a near vertical face on what would normally be a slope. A retaining wall is designed to “retain” or hold back the soil behind it and resist the horizontal loads from the soil pushing against it.
An unusable area that is sloping, difficult to mow or grow vegetation, or is subject to erosion can be transformed into a focal point of your backyard with a retaining wall. Retaining walls can be built from a variety of different materials. These are a few basic types of retaining walls common for residential and commercial properties.
Segmental gravity retaining walls
Also called segmental retaining walls (SRW) or block walls, these are the decorative blocks that you would typically see at a home improvement store. The wall relies on the weight of the blocks as well as the friction between blocks to supply support. Taller walls require an engineer to design additional reinforcement behind the blocks, usually in the form of geogrid or geotextile. If you are considering a retaining wall using segmental blocks, check out my book*.
Cantilever retaining walls
These walls are typically a cinder block or concrete face that is tied to a concrete footing. Cantilever walls rely on the concrete footing for support. All of the components are structurally attached with steel reinforcement (rebar).
Wood
This is the cheapest option for the DIYer from a material perspective. However, these walls require more labor and tools. There are a lot of options for the style of wall you can use including railroad ties, post and panel, or cantilever structure. The wood should always be pressure treated. Some municipalities require a building permit for shorter wall heights when wood is used. Also, many cities in high seismic regions such as California do not allow wood retaining walls. When done right, wood walls can last up to 15 years. When not done right, a wood wall can require replacing within 5 years.
Pile and lagging
These walls consist of steel or concrete piles driven into the ground with wood or concrete lagging (boards or panels) placed in between the piles. Pile and lagging walls are especially useful in a cut when you are excavating fill to create your wall.
Stacked Stone or boulders
Stacked fieldstones rely on the weight of the stones to act as a gravity wall. It is difficult to build a retaining wall using boulders because of the heavy equipment required. If you already have them on your site, this could be a great way to utilize stones or boulders and avoid disposal fees. Stones can be used for smaller retaining walls, and careful attention must be made to the size and shape of each stone.
If you are looking to build a retaining wall on your property, but do not know where to start, check out our services or send me an email so that I can answer any questions you may have.