Concrete Retaining Walls

What Are Concrete Retaining Walls

Concrete retaining walls are praised for their strength; however, they require precise construction methods to ensure durability. Alongside being a rigid barrier, they offer versatile design possibilities. Adequately structured concrete retaining walls leaves a lot of space for customization in various textures, colours, different accents, and more. 

In residential use, the primary purpose of a retaining wall is to control the natural slope of the grounds. They are great for levelling cascading gardening areas, bordering a patio, or defining specific zones. Any of those functions require sturdiness, endurance, and high resistance to elements. 

Building concrete retaining walls or upgrading existing ones can boost the property's value by elevating its curb appeal. The percentage, of course, depends on the quality of materials and installation. The type of wall is the matter of surrounding style, aesthetic qualities, and desired function/longevity of the structure. 

Advantages of Concrete Retaining Walls

Flexibility. Concrete allows creative freedom and various design concepts with a minimum of difficulty. Three basic types of concrete wall construction: poured-in-place, blocks, and precast panels provide an option for any condition or situation.

Strength and durability. Concrete is exceptionally sturdy and, when properly installed, able to withstand heavy loads for decades. Simultaneously, it's resistant to fire and never rots or rusts.

Ease of installation and low maintenance. Raising concrete retaining walls should be done with care and by numbers, but in general, it's a quick and straightforward task. Once completed, it will require only simple annual simple cleaning and occasional inspections for cracks. 

Eco-friendliness. Concrete retaining walls are mostly natural and free of toxins, allergens, and unhealthy chemicals. 

Affordability. Depending on the choice of material and design, as well as the labour, concrete retaining wall installation falls into low to a mid-range category with a good cost-benefit ratio.

Types of concrete retaining walls

Cantilever Retaining Walls

Cantilever concrete retaining walls consist of a moderately thin stem and a base slab divided into two parts. They require less material than monolithic gravity walls but also need more careful construction. Cantilever walls can be precast in a factory or raised on-site.

Counterfort Retaining Walls

Counterfort retaining walls differ from cantilever walls by thin vertical concrete webs that earned them the name. Counterforts stretch along the backside of the wall, connecting the slab and base. The result is reducing the shear forces and bending moments imposed on the wall by the soil. At the same time, added concrete increases the weight of the wall. Counterfort walls can also be precast or formed on-site, but present more economical solution than cantilever walls for heights over 7m. 

Gravity Poured Concrete Retaining Walls

Gravity retaining walls rely on their own weight to resist lateral forces, which means they are typically sufficiently massive to be unreinforced. For the same reason, this type of wall is best formed on-site. They are economical in heights of up to 3m. 

Semi-Gravity Retaining Walls

The semi-gravity concrete retaining wall is a special class of gravity walls. More precisely, they present a fusion of gravity and cantilever designs. This type features reinforcing steel, added in order to minimize the wall thickness.

Interlocking Concrete Block

Some concrete retaining wall blocks don't require mortar. For instance, interlocking concrete blocks can be cast with flanges on one side; one course clasped to the preceding. Other solutions involve pins engaged in holes or a system of the blocks' own concave/convex rims.

Concrete retaining blocks offer simplified ways to build curved walls, eliminating a part of the labour. Most interlocking blocks offer design versatility with different surface textures and colours.

Designing with Concrete Block

Some concrete blocks come pre-designed and rarely need additional facing material or finishing. The options include ribs, geometric patterns, fluted or scored surfaces. It's possible to find variations that look like stone or wood, and prefaced blocks in a spectrum of colours and tinted varnishes.

Standard concrete block retaining walls will typically have stucco, brick, or veneer finish.

Concrete Retaining Wall Maintenance

Annual inspections, ideally in spring, can save your wall from many problems. Water and earth can remain in the pockets behind the wall during construction. If those pockets are neglected, each new rain will add to the issue until it becomes severe. Regular inspections will reveal any such spots and areas that have settled., and simple drainage will solve them. 

The next step is the proper surface treatments: replacing bad sod, weed removal, re-seeding of bare areas, and fixing groundcovers and erosion problems.

If you need help to decide what kind of concrete retaining wall to build, ArchiPro provides a connection to the various Concrete and Paving

Specialists professionals, ready to assist with all requirements and questions. Simply click "Contact supplier" on the product's page, or visit the supplier's website directly from the product's page.