A retaining wall is a versatile tool that helps engineers construct on or along slopes or on sites with limited spaces in cities and towns. It helps hold back water or earth on one side. Retaining walls are vertical or near vertical structures above the ground. They are designed to create level areas on sloping sites and maximize development space. They can also help create terraces for infrastructure to run along slopes and provide additional support to natural slopes that are at risk of failure. Retaining wall contractors also use these walls for underground car parks, basements, and metro stations.
Purpose of a Retaining Wall
There are several reasons you may require a retaining wall on your property. Listed below are a few:
Helps Make a Slope Functional
Retaining walls help make sloped areas functional. These walls flatten slopes so that soil and water don’t flow downward. These walls can also help provide pedestrian access to sloped areas. So, instead of walking up and down the slope, the wall will help you walk around the area by making it flat.
Improves Drainage
Retaining walls can help direct the flow of water in different areas. This property comes in handy, especially when the slope is near a water body. However, there are several city and state regulations around building retaining walls for regulating water flow. You must research and ensure you are following these regulations when building the wall.
Prevents Soil Erosion
One of the primary purposes of a retaining wall is to hold back the soil. If the soil slopes downwards, it can easily create erosion in the area. Like water, the wall will help hold back soil and prevent soil erosion. That is why you will notice many people build retaining walls near the sea. This wall will prevent the shoreline to be exposed to erosion and prevent the sealine from shifting. However, like water, you should ensure you are taking all the required permissions and not violating any building codes while building retaining walls to prevent soil erosion.
Improves Your Property’s Appearance
With the right materials, retaining walls can create a very aesthetic and pleasing look for your property. You can build these walls along corridors and driveways to define the area and create different features in your landscape.
Helps Create a Flat Space
If you have a steep slope on your property, the retaining wall can help turn it into a flat-level space, enabling you to build different structures in the area.
Makes Maintenance Easy
Maintaining flat surfaces is always easier than slopes. Pruning, planting, or mowing a slope can be tough and time-consuming. Retaining walls help flatten areas and also provide a natural separation between your gardens and flower beds and the turf. As a result, you can maintain your landscape easily and save money on expensive maintenance year after year.
Types of Retaining Walls
There are several different types of retaining walls. Listed below are the most common types:
Gravity Retaining Wall
A gravity retaining wall is made of brick masonry or plain concrete. The wall’s weight makes it stable. It is usually built up to a height of 3m.
Cantilever Retaining Wall
The cantilever retaining wall is the most popular among building owners. It is made of different components like slab, toe slab, heel, and stem to help the cantilever beam. The wall stays stable because of its weight on the heel slab. Cantilever retaining walls are usually used when the wall is up to 6m tall. The wall can retain the earth’s horizontal pressure and other vertical pressures as well.
Counterfort Retaining Wall
The base slab and stem of the wall are tied together with the help of counter-forts in a counterfort retaining wall. These counterforts provide support to the stem and reduce the bending moment in it.
Bridge Abutment
The bridge abutment is like the cantilever retaining wall. The top of the stem in this wall is supported by the bridge’s deck slab. The stem can either be fixed at the base or supported at the top of the wall.
Box Culvert
A box culvert is like a closed frame. It contains multiple cells or a single one. Apart from the lateral earth pressure, the box culvert can also resist vertical load from the soil and other vehicle loads.
Retaining walls can be extremely helpful for both residential and commercial properties. If you want to learn more about these walls or want to get a retaining wall on your property, then contact R & G Almanza Landscape Inc. They are retaining wall contractors that can help you install a retaining wall on your property and level the area.
