ᐅ Constructing a Cost-Effective Retaining Wall / Slope Stabilization
Created on: 27 Feb 2019 13:50
A
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.
Webmaster-uk schrieb:
So I quickly made a sketch with Paint to show what needs to be managed. Only you can really see anything. The others lack the context of the overall situation, which is unknown to us. It would be best if you could also take photos of the property—one as it is now, and another showing your planned changes digitally added.
Webmaster-uk schrieb:
Currently, there is a wire mesh fence instead of the wall. So, does the fence hold back the slope—supported only by the 25 fir trees?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
I can’t imagine how you plan to create a cost-effective slope stabilization at that width and 2m (6.6 feet) height. Just the filling and grading alone will cost you a lot of money and/or time. Definitely not like shown in the drawing. You would need retaining wall blocks over 2m (6.6 feet) high, plus fall protection. If you stack them offset or on two levels using these concrete units, that still wouldn’t be considered “cost-effective.”
C
Caspar20206 Mar 2019 21:00Zaba12 schrieb:
I can’t imagine how you plan to create a cost-effective slope stabilization with just the width and 2 meters (6.5 feet) height. Just the backfilling and grading alone will cost you a lot of money and/or time. Definitely not like shown in the drawing. You would need L-shaped concrete blocks over 2 meters (6.5 feet) high plus fall protection.This topic has been discussed extensively in this thread: insulated concrete blocks
Yes, the fall protection would be an additional requirement.
schubert797 Mar 2019 06:29That definitely won’t work as intended!
Caspar2020 schrieb:
This topic has been discussed meter by meter here in the thread: Formwork blocks
Yes; the fall protection would still be added on top. Understood. But with a 90m² (970 ft²) wall, you can be healthy now. After that, you probably won’t be anymore after all the carrying. And as imagined in your mind, the land saving won’t actually happen. At least 2 meters (6.5 feet) of land will be lost. About 2 meters (6.5 feet) less than with a slope but only at the cost of your budget and health.
Also, I don’t see the 2 meters (6.5 feet) happening in one continuous stretch. More like implemented on two levels.
H
HilfeHilfe7 Mar 2019 07:28Guys, guys
do it yourself
Yes, it’s a lot of hauling! But the original poster says the highest point is 2 meters (6.5 feet), then it slopes down on two sides.
I handled about 35 meters (115 feet) in length with the deepest point at 2 meters (6.5 feet).
Concrete blocks, reinforcing steel, mixed concrete, and done!
With 2 people, 3 days
Costs around $2,500 compared to $15,000 from a landscaping contractor
Okay, excluding soil since the neighbor reshaped their property and I got the soil for free
For $13,500 you could take a 4-week vacation in Dubai and recover from all the heavy hauling
do it yourself
Yes, it’s a lot of hauling! But the original poster says the highest point is 2 meters (6.5 feet), then it slopes down on two sides.
I handled about 35 meters (115 feet) in length with the deepest point at 2 meters (6.5 feet).
Concrete blocks, reinforcing steel, mixed concrete, and done!
With 2 people, 3 days
Costs around $2,500 compared to $15,000 from a landscaping contractor
Okay, excluding soil since the neighbor reshaped their property and I got the soil for free
For $13,500 you could take a 4-week vacation in Dubai and recover from all the heavy hauling