About an 8ft wide strip above retaining wall where there used to be grass, runs the length of the house probably 60ish feet. I would like to level it with some dirt, put down a barrier, and then landscape with gravel.
I've never had issues with the retaining wall and it doesn't appear to be in any sort of distress (to my untrained eyes anyway) but I wanted to get opinions from professionals on if the added weight of the gravel might cause problems with the wall?
If additional pictures or info would help I'm happy to provide them!
by bytesniper
20 Comments
That wall is failing.
Tear that homeowner junk down and build new. Look at those stairs. ☠️
Those blocks are not designed to go over 3’ tall and retain large amounts of grade. You can see that the wall is bowing and there are numerous gaps and cracks already forming.
I would play it safe with whatever you do in the area in the top side of that wall.
Gravel on the top will not impact that wall in any way. You’d be better off putting in some plants with fast and wide spreading roots. It’ll cut down on erosion if any does happen.
Doesn’t matter because a heavy rain is going to wash that hillside down.
That’s not much of a retainer wall. That is just a dry stack big box store crap product that has no structural integrity and you already stacked it too high
You can add a interlocking system in front of these if property line permits
Did you import that staircase from the ancient Roman ruins?
Issue with this is that tree up top in photos 2/5. If you fill in around that tree you will be covering a lot of the tree trunk base and cause rot death of the tree. So be careful about that
I am not an expert, but deal with retaining walls in projects I work on. The key to make sure you don’t affect the wall is to know how it was installed and what structure is behind the wall. Levelling behind is fine… as long the material isn’t too heavy or change how the water drains. How the water drains will be your biggest question and potential problem, that will be the cause of how the wall moves .. if any. My two cents
That looks like it is Keystone Retaining wall stone or something similar. It can go as high as necessary. I have seen it 25 feet tall in some applications. I don’t know why people are saying it is junk and shouldn’t be used for anything but a bed border. These walls are held by gravity from the weight of the stones themselves. Those are 6″ x 18″ blocks. Not the little cheap ones from Home Depot. They have a pin system to keep them lined up during construction but the pins do not really add anything to structural strength. Geo grid and compacted rock with good drainage is what makes a good solid wall. I would dig down up in the top bed with a post hole digger and see if they used geo grid or at least clean gravel and silt cloth behind the wall. I will bet they didn’t judging by how they installed the steps. There should not be little chunks of blocks as filler. I still think you will be fine to add some topsoil and gravel on top. That wall isn’t going to fail and if it does it will only be in one spot. I would landscape my backyard the way you want to and if it fails down the road deal with it. If it ever does fail, it will fail whether you landscape it or not. Another thing you can do is look in between the blocks in front of the wall and see if you can see some black grid looking material. Sometimes on a wall it will be visible. Especially on the curved face stones like the ones being used on this wall.
Whoever installed these didnt step them back with each row
You can place plants that absorb water around the wall just make sure the roots are not going to affect the wall as well. Most walls have a perforated pipe (French drain) at top and bottom to help push water to the end and away from the wall. This would be a good idea to have of not installed.
So that retaining wall is a problem
In looking at the pics, I don’t see the wall failing but I do see how it might appear that way to others. Here’s the issue, imho: these blocks appear to have just been set on the ground and stacked. I don’t see: any underlying block; gravel; tie-ins; or drains for drainage.
What I wonder, and this is what I have no idea about- is- can this wall be used to support another one built directly in front of it (with exception of the steps area)? It might be more affordable to somehow dig out/trench the area in front of the wall and just have another better one properly built than to have the old one tore down and replace? Just my thoughts to consider.
The dryer vent rain gutter system should be extended beyond the wall. That concentration of run off will deteriorate the soil behind the wall and make it collapse. Think of it as a flooded river pushing on the wall like a dam.
If u glued the blocks….i dont foresee any problems!!!
Would have been better if the wall wasnt erected at 90 degrees. But its your land and you know better than me.
That type of wall is typically installed with a Geo grid fiber behind it every couple courses by professionals. If you can see any black fiber mesh between the blocks running sides to side with the courses,you are likely fine. If not? 🤷
Yes. I would not plant a tree but yes