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Rebuilding front garden retaining walls - any experience?

2 replies

SmiteTheeWithThunderbolts · 05/12/2014 17:39

The walls are brick, probably built in the 1920s, retaining about 1 metre in height of (clay) soil. The walls needs extensive repairs, and replacement might be the best option

One builder suggested one of the walls might be moving because of water damage due to poor drainage. The existing walls have what look like concrete drain pipes coming out at the front (above the pavement) but no water has come out of them for years. The builder mentioned weep holes and possibly putting in a pipe along the back of the wall.

I've Googled and now understand the function of weep holes and perforated pipes (although doesn't the pipe itself need to drain somewhere?). What else do I need to know to ensure the builder's suggestions will actually be suitable and effective for our particular wall? Or am I over-thinking this into a massive engineering project? As the wall is only retaining 1 metre height of soil will a like-for-like replacement wall with lots of weep holes along the bottom be OK?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

OP posts:
MillyMollyMama · 06/12/2014 00:15

This is an engineering project. It is a retaining wall that appears to be failing. Clay soil dries out in summer and then gets saturated in winter. This puts additional pressure on the retaining wall and if it is not designed to withstand this, it will fail. Ask a qualified Structural a Engineer to design it for you. A builder is not qualified to do this and should not attempt to design this wall!

shanghaismog · 06/12/2014 20:53

Would a gabion wall work? No need for any drainage then. Def needs to have structural calculations.

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