Stone retaining wall construction in Colorado: Retaining wall drainage is an incredibly important part of building a stone wall. Once a few rows have been stacked, backfill the wall with rock so it matches the grade height in front of the wall, and then lay down perforated drain tile on top of the rock. Install drain tee fittings and a drain grate every 25 feet to 50 feet, depending on how much rainwater is expected to run down to the wall. Cut one block down to accommodate the drain grate. Screw the drain tile parts together so they won’t come apart when they get covered with more rock. Also, drain the tile to daylight at the ends of the walls whenever possible.
NFC can either be mixed on-site for smaller areas or purchased from a reputable concrete supplier and trucked in for larger commercial applications. NFC is mixed at a 6:1 ratio by volume of 20mm max size clean aggregate and cement. Water content should be such that the cement slurry evenly coats the aggregate and retains a wet/glossy appearance without excess slurry running off, this is typically around 40 litres per 100kg of cement. With the use of NFC, we are able to build Block Retaining Walls in areas and situations where normal construction methods would not work. Some of these situations are: In areas where excavation behind the wall is limited either due to being on a boundary or close to other structures or footings.
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. Find even more info at Best Retaining Walls Colorado.
Some of the simplest walls are “gravity” walls built of loose block. These walls depend on the mass and weight of the blocks to retain the earth. Landscape blocks are simply stacked one course on top of the other, with the joints staggered and each course slightly stepped back from the course beneath it. These small walls are used to retain small areas of earth, as seen with flower beds surrounding tree trunks. These simple designs usually work fine in a low-traffic area for a wall that doesn’t exceed about 2 feet high. Walls built with a combination of concrete block, mortar and rebar are also popular for small yard projects. The mortar and steel rods lock the blocks together for additional strength.
Reducing soil erosion, turning steep slopes into terraced backdrops, creating focal points in the landscape—retaining walls serve many purposes. Indeed, they are some of the most common ways to correct problems caused by hilly areas! Well-built retaining walls transform unworkable inclines into usable outdoor space for the garden. Despite their simple appearance, though, these walls require a good deal of planning—sometimes professional engineering—to keep their shape. Soil is heavy, especially when soaking wet from a recent rainstorm, so a basic retaining wall (four feet tall and 15 feet long) potentially has to support up to 20 tons of soil pressure. With every additional foot of height, the pressure of the soil increases substantially. Miscalculate your construction plans, and you could end up with a weak wall that risks bulging or, worse, collapsing altogether. For just this reason, retaining walls taller than four feet should be designed and constructed by the pros.