Retaining Walls
We Construct and Repair Brick and Stone Retaining Walls in the Dallas, TX Area
Whether you need a small repair to your existing retaining wall or need a quote on an entire new wall, contact us and we’ll give you honest and excellent service.
Common Problems with Retaining Walls
Problem: Retaining wall is leaning, shifting sideways, or toppling over (aka “overturning” or “tilting”).
Cause: This is most likely due to either lack of foundation support or hydrostatic pressure constantly pushing on the wall eventually causing them to lean, fall over and fail.
Solution: The majority of the time you will have to demo, haul away and construct a new wall. At this point there is no way to cure the leaning or sliding issue, therefore the retaining wall should be completely replaced. It is imperative that an experienced team builds your retaining walls to help prevent these types of major issues.
Problem: Improper Drainage
Weep Holes: These are 2″-4″ openings drilled throughout the exterior of stone wall allowing for excessive water to pass through. These may be clogged in existing retaining walls and not allowing moisture to escape creating the unwanted hydrostatic pressure behind the wall.
Filter Fabric: This is a permeable membrane laid behind the rock wall to prevent surrounding dirt and silt from falling down in side the rock space thus clogging up necessary drainage.
Drainage: Depending on the wall location and surrounding grade, we may implement and install a custom underground drain system to move standing water out and away from the wall area. We set up catch basins below grade connected with 4″ PVC pipe to allow for sufficient water flow through out the system.
Improper Draining is the #1 killer of retaining walls over time
How Do You Repair Drainage Issues with Retaining Walls?
Dallas weather changes consistently. Many times the ground/ earth shifts throughout the year pending upon outside temperature and rain/ moisture. This can cause the wall area to shift creating unsightly cracks throughout the wall exterior.
How Superior Masonry will fix the issue: We grind, chisel out around the cracking areas. Many times cutting out and replacing damaged stone. Once all joints are cleaned out we perform the pointing process of applying new mortar to the affected areas with a strong mortar mix. Mixing the sand and mortar in the correct ratios is imperative to prolonged adhesion. If the wall has settled and cracked severely, we recommend breaking down and rebuilding the damaged section of wall and rebuilding from the ground up. This will help the wall withstand normal changing conditions to Dallas properties.
History of Retaining Walls
Some of the earliest forms of retaining walls date back to times of the ancient Egyptians where constant flooding of the Nile River forced them to construct rock and stone walls. Historically, retaining walls have been in existence worldwide for over 6,000 years and still remain one of the most common masonry applications today. Rock and stone retaining walls upgrade the look around your home or commercial building creating a beautiful hardscape while providing structural reinforcement holding back the dirt and soil around them. There are many types and designs of retaining walls that offer unique characteristics in relation to work site conditions, building materials, and engineered plans.
Gravity Retaining Walls
To start, we will look into the functionality of the gravity style retaining wall which is commonly seen throughout residential homes, apartment complexes, and neighborhood communities. Gravity walls retain and hold the soil behind them using their sheer mass and abundance of bond strength created from large quantities of rock and mortar. Traditionally, the wall base is established after digging out a larger than normal trench relative to the overall height throughout the stone wall area. The trench size will always increase relative to increasing the wall height and will decrease upon lowering or building the wall at a smaller level.
Cantilevered Retaining Walls
Next up, we will look at the cantilevered retaining wall which is primarily known for having steel rebar reinforcement that internally anchors the wall into the ground. This type of retaining wall sits on a concrete footing consisting of a heel and toe. The installation of steel inside vertically ties the wall and footing together allowing for increased strength and stability from the steel rebar connections. Occasionally, a custom designed set of wing walls may be installed at right angles throughout the main line in order to provide additional strength and rigidity. Both of the walls listed above may be constructed from a variety of materials including concrete, CMU block, brick, and stone. Wood could be potentially used in some retaining wall applications but simply does not offer the longevity that masonry materials can withstand overtime. Retaining walls are aesthetically pleasing when constructed from an arrangement of beautiful split face block or milsap builders stone.
Here at Superior Masonry, we have worked around retaining walls of many different shapes, sizes, and designs. We serve the Dallas, TX, area and we can assist you with residential wall repair at your house or build a new retaining wall from the ground up at your commercial facility. Everyone has a unique retaining wall setup based upon their location, site conditions, and building materials. We are here for your support no matter how big or small your retaining wall project seems to be. Please give us a call or leave us your info to schedule an on site assessment addressing your retaining wall needs or concerns.
Do you need masonry work in the DFW area?
Superior Masonry strives to help our customers with quality masonry work and excellent service.
If you need masonry work in the DFW area, please call, email, or use our online form to schedule your free estimate and consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!
972-433-9372 – info@superiormasonrydallas.com
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