Do You Need to Install Retaining Walls on Your Property?
How stable is the earth on your property? If your property is more or less flat, you won't have to spend long worrying about the effects of a landslip or a flood. If your property is more rugged, you must spend time considering the risks posed by water cascading downwards, eroding the soil or causing a landslip. If too much water or soil reaches parts of your property where it doesn't belong, the results could be catastrophic. To manage your land well, you may have to invest in some control measures to maintain the landscape the way you want it. One of the most effective ways of controlling the landscape is the use of retaining walls. By working with a retaining wall contractor, you can prevent unwanted flows of water and all the landslips and erosion that frequently follow them.
What are retaining walls?
If you build a standard brick wall and expect it to be able to bear the weight of soil, sand, or whatever you want to hold in place, you will find that after a while, it will give way. By contrast, retaining wall contractors construct walls designed to withstand lateral pressure and protect your landscape. There are many types of retaining walls, and you must work with an established retaining wall contractor to identify the most suitable wall for your property.
What type of retaining walls would be best?
Your retaining wall contractor will need to make a full site inspection to determine the most appropriate retaining walls for your needs. They might suggest a Gabion wall, a concrete sleeper wall or something entirely different. There are three main types of retaining wall, and the retaining wall contractor will make an assessment regarding the suitability of the site and what you want to achieve.
Gravity, anchor, or cantilever?
Gravity walls are one of the most common types of retaining wall. Gravity walls are often thick and strongly built using concrete or stone. They rely on the gravity applied to the wall to hold it in place and allow it to hold back the material. If the retaining wall must be thinner, an anchor wall could be a better idea. Rather than relying on gravity to support the wall, an anchor wall has supporting anchors pushed deeply into the ground. These anchors provide the support the wall needs to stop it from moving. A final type of retaining wall that might be suggested is a cantilever retaining wall. A buttressed or counter-fort cantilever retaining wall could be a great solution that uses less concrete than other types of retaining walls.