Timber crib retaining walls

[MrsWembley]

Does anybody here have any knowledge or experience with these things? Need some advice about one...

🤞

Anybody?🤞

Try googling. Loads of info available.

Actually, not for what I need to know 😟

I've googled to the point that I know what to officially call them and how they are built and even roughly how much they cost in the first place. But I don't know how long they will last, what problems people have with them and what's up with mine!

Ok. That’s a different question.

Ok. They are designed to last 60 years. As they are a retaining wall system you should speak to the builders who installed it if it has a problem. It should also have been agreed with building control and it should have been inspected by them to ensure it is installed correctly. It should also have been designed by a structural engineer as it’s a retaining wall. If it looks like it will fail you could contact the manufacturer if you can identify the system.

Therefore, I am assuming yours is beginning to fail. As a result, I would get a report from a Structural Engineer so you have someone on your side who can tell you if this is dangerous or not. If it is going to fail imminently, you need to know and no one on MN can tell you that. Hope that’s a bit more helpful. DH is a Structural Engineer.

Much more helpful, thanks!

We've been here a year and a half and I'm starting to clear Russian vine that's covering pretty much everything over and above two retaining walls behind/to the side of the house. One is fine but the other looks as if it is walking slightly. It's been here 30 years, so I'm guessing it's fine for a while longer, but DP is stressing and telling me it's going to collapse any day now (yes, he's a drama queen!) and I'd just like to reassure him or at least know what questions to ask anyone who comes to check it.

If it’s 30 years old I would get a Structural Engineer to look at it. Obviously it should have been designed to hold up the weight of what is behind it. An Engineer will be able to tell you whether it’s still capable of doing this job. The earth that it’s retaining could have changed (eg contains a lot more water and therefore force on the wall has increased) so it might need monitoring. If it’s bulging it’s a greater concern but hopefully any movement is minor and not worrying.

I would look for a local geotechnical or structural engineering consultant. Unofficial comment: Crib walls are quite flexible they tend to warn of failure by gradually bulging rather than a sudden big slip. Infill stone may have got clogged up over the years and therefore water pressure building up, or it may have settled a bit but still be essentially stable.

Thanks! That's all sounding much more positive!