Water can be one of the biggest challenges for retaining walls. Poor drainage can lead to water accumulation behind the wall, increasing the soil pressure and potentially causing the wall to collapse. To prevent this, you need to effectively manage your water. This involves integrating drainage solutions into the wall design, such as weep holes, drainage pipes, and permeable backfill materials. Please ensure you have proper drainage, especially in areas with high rainfall or where groundwater levels are significant.
Author Archives: agsturf
Designing a retaining wall involves more than just choosing the right type. Here are some things you need to consider before designing and building a retaining wall:
Soil Analysis
One of the most critical aspects of retaining wall design is understanding the soil you’ll be working with. Soil type and soil pressure, including active, at-rest, and passive pressure can greatly influence the wall’s stability, as different soils have varying levels of strength, drainage capacity, and susceptibility to erosion. For instance, clay soils tend to retain water and expand, which can increase the pressure on the wall, while sandy soils drain well but may not provide as much support. Engineers often use the Rankine or Coulomb theories to calculate earth pressure coefficients, which help in designing walls that can resist these forces.
Sheet pile walls use interlocking sheets of steel, vinyl, or wood driven into the ground to hold back soil. These walls are particularly effective in tight spaces or when dealing with soft soils. When additional support is needed, anchored retaining walls come into play. These walls use cables or rods driven deep into the ground behind the wall structure to provide additional support, making them ideal for handling higher soil pressures or surcharge loads. They can also be combined with other types, like gravity or cantilevered walls, to enhance their strength.
Gabion and Stone Walls
Gabion walls are made of wire cages filled with stone or other materials, offering a permeable and flexible retaining solution. Stone walls, whether dry-stacked or mortar-bound, provide a timeless aesthetic while still offering the necessary support. Both types are excellent choices for environmentally friendly designs, allowing for water passage and blending seamlessly into natural landscapes.
A cantilever retaining wall is a relatively more complex structure. This design uses the principles of leverage to provide support and to resist overturning and sliding. The weight of the retained soil on the base slab helps to stabilize these walls and is hence believed to be an efficient solution for taller walls. Cantilever walls are often reinforced with rebar and may require geotechnical engineering expertise to ensure they meet the necessary safety factors, especially in areas with seismic activity.
Segmental Retaining Walls
Segmental retaining walls are modular systems made from interlocking concrete blocks. These walls are popular in DIY projects due to their ease of installation and flexibility in design. The blocks are designed to work together, using friction and gravity to hold back the soil. For larger or more critical applications, geogrid reinforcement may be used to provide additional stability.
Retaining walls can be built in different ways according to the needs and conditions and choosing the right type of wall is the first step in your retaining wall design process. Here are the most common types:
Gravity Retaining Walls
Gravity retaining walls are the walls that solely rely on their weight to resist and hold back the soil. In general, this type of retaining wall is constructed using a variety of materials, including natural stone and concrete blocks. They can even be gabion walls filled with rock or other heavy materials. The primary design principle for these types of walls is to counterbalance the retaining soil pressure through sheer weight. This is what makes them suitable for lower heights and areas where space isn’t a constraint.
Retaining walls are integral elements in many landscape designs, as they offer both practical and aesthetic benefits. Whether you’re a homeowner tackling a DIY project or a professional involved in structural engineering, understanding the intricacies of retaining wall design is crucial for building a retaining wall that will last long. However, designing a retaining wall can be a daunting process that involves more than just stacking stones or pouring concrete. From managing soil pressure to selecting the right materials, every aspect of the design process is important
In this blog, we’ll understand more about retaining wall design by exploring various construction best practices, design ideas, and maintenance tips. We’ll discuss the different types of retaining walls—such as gravity retaining walls, cantilever retaining walls, and segmental retaining walls—and how to choose the best option for your specific needs. Whether you’re working with concrete blocks, natural stone, or gabion walls, our guide will help you navigate the complexities of retaining wall construction and design. So, continue reading to discover how to build a retaining wall that can outlive you.
Artificial grass isn’t just aesthetically green. Artificial grass saves one of the world’s most critical natural resources, water. You are helping to eliminate the amount of pesticides and chemicals that run off your property. Lastly, your purchase keeps tires out of the landfill, as our manufacturing process incorporates used tires.
If you are a parent, you know the difficulty in keeping your home dirt and mud free after playtime. With an artificial grass lawn, children can go between indoor and outdoor play with minimal mess being tracked inside.
With an artificial grass lawn, you can rest easy knowing that your children are playing on a lawn that is free of pesticide sprays, hard surfaces, and stinging insects. All of our artificial grass products are chemical-free and non-toxic. And despite popular belief, artificial grass is actually softer than natural grass. Let’s help make playtime safe and fun for your family!
Homeowners love synthetic grass because it is effortlessly green and realistic-looking. If you are looking to sell your home, artificial grass homes in Toronto are being reported as taking less time to receive an offer. If you aren’t moving, your neighbours will walk past your house wondering how your lawn stays so green and yet they never see you slaving away.
The saying goes, time is money, and money is time. COVID has taught us all that time is a precious commodity that cannot be given back. Don’t waste this summer weeding, watering, mowing and fertilizing. Don’t miss out on family time scheduling gardeners and shopping for lawn chemicals. Spend time playing on your lawn with your family this summer, make the switch to an artificial grass lawn like so many others have in Toronto. Choose a high-quality product from Feildmasters online shop to ensure you purchase grass that won’t require frequent turf repairs.
When making a large purchase, the savvy consumer will consider the cost of the product + the cost of maintenance. With an artificial grass lawn installed by Feildmasters, turf repairs will not be something you frequently need to worry about. In addition, purchasing high-quality artificial grass means fewer maintenance costs down the road. Unlike a natural lawn, which requires weekly maintenance, synthetic grass can go a whole season with nothing more than the odd sweeping.