We’ll admit that this isn’t the most interesting topic to bring up at dinner parties, but retaining walls play a crucial role in both building structure and landscaping. If you’re not familiar with what a retaining wall is, simply put it’s a wall that’s designed to hold and support soil that would be in danger of eroding. In some applications, this is often done for aesthetics, while in other others its purpose is to keep a building or other structure from having its foundations slip due to soil erosion. Since you generally want the strongest possible material possible in this case, concrete is the go-to material for most retaining walls in modern design. Regardless of whether you want a retaining wall for structural or visual purposes, there are a wide variety of options to consider that all require careful planning from experienced contractors.
Type of Material This might seem like an obvious answer: for a concrete retaining wall, what else would you choose other than concrete? Even so, you still need to choose what form of concrete you need. For instance, if you choose to use large concrete blocks, you would need to be sure that you don’t design a wall with major curbs. Smaller blocks give you more freedom in your design, but you might still run into some limitations as far as the design of the wall. A final option is to have the retaining wall completely poured. While there’s no doubt that this is the most expensive option, you have the greatest freedom in design and it allows you to have more options for finishes, colors and textures. Plus, it is able to be reinforced, giving the wall even greater strength. With a poured form wall, you even have the option for the concrete to approximate materials such as brick or stone.
Construction Complications Before starting a retaining wall project, remember that here in BC all retaining walls higher than 4 feet require a permit. Besides the hassle and cost of that process, you need to get a professional engineer drawing that just makes the whole ordeal costlier and more complicated. Having the years of experience under our belt that we do in building retaining walls in the province, we can help you come up with alternative solutions if you would rather avoid applying for permits. For instance, we can build multiple walls under 4 feet each but spaced out, which not only speeds up the whole process, it adds to the beauty of the overall design.
Regardless of which sort of retaining wall you choose, you’re still going to need a contractor who knows what they’re doing, inside and out. If this is poorly designed or built, you could have a ticking time bomb. That’s why you should feel comfortable trusting our professional concrete contractors, since we have the best equipment, people and reputation in the business. When you need a concrete retaining wall, get it done right — get it done by Abbotsford Concrete Contractors.