Need to replace old retaining wall.

April 28, 2007 6:41 AM

I have a short retaining wall in front of my house. It is concrete, about three feet high. On top of that is a row of bushes. The concrete is cracking and falling apart every year, and the bushes are old and scraggly. I would like to fix this, but I don't know who does this kind of work. Should I call a landscaping place? Should I call a regular contractor? How do I fix this problem. I don't want to do it myself.
posted by chocolatetiara to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Make some phone calls. All landscapers will remove the bushes, some will fix the wall (some won't). Also try masonry contractors (who are unlikely to help with the bushes).
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:06 AM on April 28, 2007

This morning I walked by my neighbor's retaining wall which has fallen into the driveway for the second time, having been repaired about a month ago. It wasn't a surprise because, although it looked nice, they hadn't angled the thing property into the hillside -- so my advice is, whoever you call -- get references so that you know they can build/properly fix a retaining wall and, make sure they'll either give you your money back or come back and do it right if it falls in within a reasonable amount of time. Good luck!
posted by nnk at 7:18 AM on April 28, 2007

If there's room, find someone to build a new wall using interlocking concrete blocks just a little in front of and containing the old wall. Fill the space with gravel. More reliable result than attempting to fix the existing wall. Cheaper than removing the existing wall first.
posted by scheptech at 9:53 AM on April 28, 2007

If you can find it, Holmes on Homes had a great retaining wall episode:

http://www.holmesonhomes.com/episode_show.php?sid=10&eid=32
posted by iamabot at 1:42 PM on April 28, 2007

In our area, retaining walls over a certain height require local government approval.
posted by b33j at 2:13 PM on April 28, 2007

Where are you located?

Where I live, many landscapers do hardscape as well as softscape. If it's truly a "retaining wall", as in has a specific purpose to retain some portion of your landscape, then you will need to hire a professional who is knowledgable about retaining walls. True retaining walls have drainage issues, etc. If you fix the wall improperly and the drainage changes either on your property or someone else's, there could be trouble.

As nnk said above, get references.
posted by Flakypastry at 3:46 PM on April 28, 2007

More to a point so far unaddressed by previous posters, this retaining wall is perhaps critical to the stability of your house foundation, if it is as close to your house as it seems it might be from your description (else why would it have a row of screening bushes on its top?). So, you definitely want to engage a contractor who is qualified to do retaining wall repair, and who is bonded and insured for any damages that might result, during efforts to do so.

Retaining walls are built with reinforcement systems that are engineered to prevent the kinds of collapse nnk describes above, and to channel drainage from rains and seepage from groundwater away harmlessly. For walls of the type you seem to describe, even the integrity of your roof gutter system has to be considered, as excess water from gutter leaks can set up erosion which can defeat retaining wall structure, and contribute to masonry decay.

So you need professionals on the job to assess the situation, and they may need to take some soil cores to test the condition of the soil behind your current wall, and build some support structure to reinforce your house's foundation will repairs/replacement of the current structure is effected. Do get competing bids, do check references, and licensing/bonding/proof of liability insurance, before signing any contracts.

But don't dither.
posted by paulsc at 5:11 PM on April 28, 2007

IIRC, retaining walls over 4 feet (including the footing) require the approval of a structural engineer here in California, so you need to check with your municipality on local regulations/permits before hiring a contractor. This isn't something you can fix yourself.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:55 PM on April 28, 2007

You need a mason. In replacing the wall, he will probably pull out the bushes. Many also do enough landscaping that they'd plant replacements. Otherwise, if you don't want to do that part yourself either, it should be a small follow-up job for a landscaper.
posted by daisyace at 6:36 PM on April 28, 2007