RETAINING WALLS

There are a variety of types of retaining walls ranging from garden walls to engineered retaining walls. Retaining walls are commonly designed to hold back soil to prevent down-slope movement or erosion. Additionally, there are many other uses for retaining walls such as creating usable flat areas or building basements. Retaining walls are commonly constructed with reinforced concrete block (CMU) or cast-in-place concrete.

Concrete Block Retaining Walls. Are constructed by using hollow core CMU’s which are reinforced with steel and then filled with concrete.

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Poured-in-Place Retaining Wall. Are formed per dimensions specified in plans with proper reinforcing steel and then filled with concrete. Poured in place retaining walls could be poured either plain smooth faced or with a variety of designs such as brick.

Common causes for the failure of retaining walls are: poor drainage which creates a hydrostatic pressure, shallow footing, and poor quality of cement or possibly lack of reinforcement in the wall.

Retaining walls exceeding 3 feet in height require an engineered plan, retaining wall permits and varying grading requirements such as a Geologic and Soils Engineering Exploration Report.

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