Retaining walls add structure and beauty to your yard. They also serve practical purposes like protecting your property from landslides, flooding, or other damage. Your retaining wall can fail over time due to a host of reasons. Maybe you have foundation problems, problems with the wall design, saturated backfill, or your current reinforcement isn’t in the correct position. Whatever the reason, a leaning retaining wall can be a large concern, and we’re going to tell you how to fix it.
Why Retaining Walls Lean and How to Fix Them
If your retaining wall wasn’t built correctly, it can lean, bow, or sag. This can cause problems with your landscaping or foundation because it won’t protect it as well. If you don’t address it right away, it can quickly turn into a very expensive problem. Luckily, there are a few ways you can go about fixing it, and using a professional company is a great choice to ensure you get a straight and sturdy retaining wall that will last for years.
Solution One – Installing Helical Tiebacks
If you find that your retaining wall is overly stressed, you can install helical tiebacks. These tiebacks provide additional support beyond the area that is currently failing and causing your wall to lean. You’ll have to drill holes through the wall to install these tiebacks. It’s better known as soil nailing.
The tiebacks go into these pre-drilled holes to help stabilize the area behind your retaining wall by connecting to another solid surface. In turn, this removes some of the stress from the wall itself, and this can easily help get your wall straight and keep it from leaning over again. They’re immediately load-tested to ensure that they can take the strain and weight of the earth, and they can last for years after the initial installation.
Solution Two – Wall Anchors
You can reinforce your concrete retaining wall using wall anchors. This is a long-lasting solution that will help to strengthen your retaining wall. Additionally, the anchors will pull the wall back into place and get it as close to the original position as it possibly can. You can use them to shore up leaning or bowed basement walls, but you can also easily incorporate them into your retaining walls. You should have a professional inspection to ensure that this is the correct choice for your situation.
How to Prevent Leaning Retaining Walls
To start, it’s a good idea to consider waterproofing features to ensure that the retaining wall and the surrounding area don’t end up saturated with water. Again, you should have a professional come to inspect your property to ensure you have adequate drainage and water management features in place.
You also want to ensure that you have a solid surface in place to install your retaining wall, and you should make a point to perform routine checks to make sure there isn’t any lean to it. Doing so can help save you a lot of hassle down the road.
Contact Evergreen Landscaping Today
If you noticed a problem with your retaining walls leaning, contact us. Our expert staff are ready to take a look and suggest the best method for getting your retaining wall back in top shape.
Repairing a leaning retaining wall is critical for preserving the structural integrity of your landscaping. What are some successful approaches for repairing a leaning retaining wall?