Stone retaining wall repair recommendations: By using NFC you are basically increasing the depth of your retaining wall. Most masonry blocks would be an average depth of 200-250mm, by using NFC you are increasing that depth of your solid masonry block from 200mm up to 500mm (Infill depth) or more depending on the height of your wall. It is always recommended that every third or fourth block should have part of the back edge removed. This would give a far better adhesion tying the NFC infill layer and the NFC core filled blocks creating a far stronger structure.
Get the first course right. Use a torpedo level to level each block front to back and either a 4-foot or 6-foot level to keep each course level and even. Set the blocks with a heavy rubber or plastic mallet. Getting the first course flat and level is extremely important, so take your time. Try to lay the course as close to the center of the trench as possible. Even a small pebble on the surface of a block will throw the one above it out of alignment. And that crooked block will affect the one above it, and so on. That little stone could eventually create an unattractive hump in the top course.
A wall that leans into the soil it retains is less likely to be pushed outward by soil pressure than a plain-old vertical wall. Design and build your retaining wall to slope at a minimum rate of one inch for every one-foot of rise (height). Fortunately, working with retaining wall blocks makes it incredibly easy to achieve this “step-back” construction! The locking flange on the bottom edge of every block guides it to click into position slightly behind the lower block, preventing the top blocks from being pushed outward.
Designing very tall walls gets rather complex when accounting for lateral pressure, as do the reinforcement options. For example, a retaining wall 8 feet tall is not just twice as strong as a wall 4-foot tall. The 8-foot wall actually needs to be four times stronger. For walls taller than 4 feet, hiring a licensed engineer to develop a design would be a smart move. At the very least, remember to follow the system manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. Plus, keep in mind that building big walls means moving truckloads of soil, gravel and heavy block. Discover extra information on Best Retaining Walls Colorado.
We serve all of Colorado out of our home office in Colorado Springs. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Estimates are always free and everything we touch comes with a warranty. Colorado Retaining Wall specializes in the building and repair of retaining walls. Whether the wall is for a backyard or driveway of a residence or a commercial Shopping Center, we design and build large block walls for all Earth retention requirements. We have the ability to fortify the wall with shotcrete or soil nails which would include helical tie-backs or micropiles. Nearly every wall we build requires engineering and we have deep relationships with engineers that work hand-in-hand with our foremen regardless of the size of project. Please read our reviews and look and our photo gallery.