A retaining wall holds back a lot of weight, and wet dirt is heavier than dry. Most walls that fail do it because water builds up behind them. Drainage behind the wall matters as much as the wall itself.
Poured walls need a footing, steel reinforcement and a way for water to get out, usually gravel backfill and a drain or weep holes.
Taller walls may need an engineer to sign off. We can tell you at the estimate whether yours is likely to need one.
What goes into a poured wall
- Footing
- Poured below the wall, wider than the wall itself
- Reinforcement
- Vertical and horizontal rebar
- Drainage
- Gravel backfill plus drain pipe or weep holes
- Height
- Taller walls may need engineering
Questions people ask
My old wall is leaning. Can it be fixed?
Sometimes. Often the honest answer is that it needs to come out and be rebuilt with proper drainage. We will look at it and tell you which.