ᐅ Constructing a Cost-Effective Retaining Wall / Slope Stabilization
Created on: 27 Feb 2019 13:50
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abc12345
Hello everyone,
The weather is steadily improving, so it’s time to start planning the outdoor area. Parts of the property will need to be filled in. The site has already been surveyed, and leveling at the lowest point would require approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet) of fill soil.
There are gardens adjacent to the property on all sides, so I will need to build a retaining wall accordingly.
I have already spoken with the local building materials supplier. He suggested simply making a foundation by excavating 1 meter (3.3 feet) deep, then adding a 20 cm (8 inches) layer of crushed stone, followed by 80 cm (31.5 inches) of reinforced concrete. On top, concrete blocks would be placed, reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete. He recommended using blocks sized 26 cm or 29 cm (10 or 11.5 inches), but said he could not provide structural calculations or any official advice. He quoted me a material cost of about 3,500 euros.
Nothing was mentioned about installing drainage. I’m also unsure where the water would be directed since all sides border neighboring properties. Or did I misunderstand the purpose of drainage—is it to carry water away from the retaining wall to somewhere else?
Now my question is whether there might be other, possibly more cost-effective ways to do this? Precast L-shaped concrete elements are available here, but they cost about three times as much and require a mini-excavator for installation.
Another option I considered is to reduce the wall height to 1 meter (3.3 feet) and create a steep slope up to the fill level. However, I’m not sure how steep the slope can be without causing sliding. The property will later be enclosed with a dense hedge for privacy. As far as I understand, the wall must be set back 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the property boundary to avoid problems with height restrictions, especially because the ground has already been raised by 2 meters (6.5 feet).
I want to minimize the amount of space lost to make the most of the property, but I also want to keep costs relatively low since there are many other projects planned.
Since I can’t see the wall from my side and the neighbor is a daycare center, appearance is not a major concern for me.
Maybe you have some ideas or tips on the best way to approach this.
Thank you in advance for your help.
The weather is steadily improving, so it’s time to start planning the outdoor area. Parts of the property will need to be filled in. The site has already been surveyed, and leveling at the lowest point would require approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet) of fill soil.
There are gardens adjacent to the property on all sides, so I will need to build a retaining wall accordingly.
I have already spoken with the local building materials supplier. He suggested simply making a foundation by excavating 1 meter (3.3 feet) deep, then adding a 20 cm (8 inches) layer of crushed stone, followed by 80 cm (31.5 inches) of reinforced concrete. On top, concrete blocks would be placed, reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete. He recommended using blocks sized 26 cm or 29 cm (10 or 11.5 inches), but said he could not provide structural calculations or any official advice. He quoted me a material cost of about 3,500 euros.
Nothing was mentioned about installing drainage. I’m also unsure where the water would be directed since all sides border neighboring properties. Or did I misunderstand the purpose of drainage—is it to carry water away from the retaining wall to somewhere else?
Now my question is whether there might be other, possibly more cost-effective ways to do this? Precast L-shaped concrete elements are available here, but they cost about three times as much and require a mini-excavator for installation.
Another option I considered is to reduce the wall height to 1 meter (3.3 feet) and create a steep slope up to the fill level. However, I’m not sure how steep the slope can be without causing sliding. The property will later be enclosed with a dense hedge for privacy. As far as I understand, the wall must be set back 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the property boundary to avoid problems with height restrictions, especially because the ground has already been raised by 2 meters (6.5 feet).
I want to minimize the amount of space lost to make the most of the property, but I also want to keep costs relatively low since there are many other projects planned.
Since I can’t see the wall from my side and the neighbor is a daycare center, appearance is not a major concern for me.
Maybe you have some ideas or tips on the best way to approach this.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Winniefred8 Mar 2019 13:33I have to admit, though, that I find it difficult to fully understand the situation just from the pictures.
Hello Webmaster-uk
You need to fill one square meter of wall with 211 liters (56 US gallons) of concrete. Use 0/16 gravel. Mix ratio max. 1:4. Now you can calculate how much you need.
Get yourself a concrete mixer. And not the cheapest one. Then get started. Follow the procedure I described above. This way, you make the most out of the site. And now you still have space left for digging.
Steven
You need to fill one square meter of wall with 211 liters (56 US gallons) of concrete. Use 0/16 gravel. Mix ratio max. 1:4. Now you can calculate how much you need.
Get yourself a concrete mixer. And not the cheapest one. Then get started. Follow the procedure I described above. This way, you make the most out of the site. And now you still have space left for digging.
Steven
Winniefred schrieb:
I have to admit, though, that it’s still hard for me to picture the situation clearly just from the pictures.Leaving the fir trees standing worries me a bit because I can still easily cut them down myself, and the property is already being restructured.
If the fir trees grow taller, I’ll have a completely blocked view, may need to have them cut down by professionals, and then face the problem that my garden, which I will have established by then, will be “destroyed.” I would also have to remove the ugly tree stumps, which could otherwise simply be covered with soil.
Therefore, I am considering cutting them down now to keep the distant view and planting shrubs on the filled area below.
Steven schrieb:
Hello Webmaster-uk
You need to fill 1 square meter of wall with 211 liters of concrete. Use 0/16 gravel. Mix at a maximum ratio of 1:4. Now you can calculate how much you need.
Buy a concrete mixer — but not the cheapest one. Then get started. Follow the method I described above. That way, you’ll make the most of your property. And you’ll still have space left for digging.
StevenThe question is whether to build walls up to 2 meters (6 feet 6 inches) and fill level with soil, or, for example, build walls only about 1.20 meters (4 feet) high and keep a slope that I would plant accordingly. That would roughly halve the amount of material needed.
There is enough soil for filling. On the other side of the property, a pond (possibly a natural swimming pond) is planned to be excavated. An 8,000-liter (2,113-gallon) concrete cistern will also be installed, and that soil is also intended for filling. There is also some construction debris (stones) available.
That’s why I suggested trimming the fir trees. The assumptions city dwellers have about the deadness of tree stumps need to be reconsidered; forester Peter Wohlleben provides clarification—just search the Woodwide Web.
I like Winniefred’s idea of interplanting.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I like Winniefred’s idea of interplanting.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
As someone used to city life, I wouldn’t really consider myself part of a community with just 10,000 residents.
Still, I want to avoid "unnecessary" effort later on by relocating the trees in a few years. The fir trees are more unattractive than attractive anyway. So, the decision to remove the fir trees is final.
Since, as mentioned above, there will also be open water on our property and the adjacent lower plot is used by a small daycare, I want to prevent the possibility of a small child ending up in the pond after climbing over the fence. We don’t need to discuss liability or supervision here, but you never know. Even though a wall won’t completely prevent this, at least with a wall the little ones won’t even know something like this exists on our property.
Given our terrain and the planned height adjustment currently in place, as shown in the pictures, the question is whether it makes more sense to build a tall wall or a smaller one, for example about 1.20 meters (4 feet), and then cover the last 80 cm (31 inches) with as steep a slope as possible, stabilized with appropriate planting.
The more I think about it, the more I tend to prefer a small wall, since the slope probably won’t take up much space on the property.
Still, I’m finding it quite difficult to decide for some reason :-/
Still, I want to avoid "unnecessary" effort later on by relocating the trees in a few years. The fir trees are more unattractive than attractive anyway. So, the decision to remove the fir trees is final.
Since, as mentioned above, there will also be open water on our property and the adjacent lower plot is used by a small daycare, I want to prevent the possibility of a small child ending up in the pond after climbing over the fence. We don’t need to discuss liability or supervision here, but you never know. Even though a wall won’t completely prevent this, at least with a wall the little ones won’t even know something like this exists on our property.
Given our terrain and the planned height adjustment currently in place, as shown in the pictures, the question is whether it makes more sense to build a tall wall or a smaller one, for example about 1.20 meters (4 feet), and then cover the last 80 cm (31 inches) with as steep a slope as possible, stabilized with appropriate planting.
The more I think about it, the more I tend to prefer a small wall, since the slope probably won’t take up much space on the property.
Still, I’m finding it quite difficult to decide for some reason :-/
Winniefred8 Mar 2019 17:57If you definitely want to remove the fir trees, here’s an idea or suggestion based on what my best friend did: They had a thuja hedge next to their neighbor’s property that looked completely misshapen and impossible to fix (it was also several meters high and would have looked even worse after pruning). They turned necessity into a virtue by completely stripping the thujas bare (removing all branches) and leaving only the desired height of the trunks. They used these as "fence posts" and, I believe, filled the gaps with willow branches. This way, they didn’t have to remove any stumps and also saved themselves the effort of installing new posts. They now store their wood in front of the fence. Maybe this could work for you as well. As far as I know, fir trees treated this way do not sprout new growth (though I would recommend consulting a professional about this). This would mean you continue to have root stability in the ground, and you could definitely make use of the remaining trunks—further using them as a fence and planting shrubs in front of or between them. After a few years, the trees would no longer be visible. Additionally, this would certainly be very cost-effective and easy to create.
Just throwing this idea out there.
Just throwing this idea out there.
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