Hello everyone,
For the house construction, we had to excavate quite a bit of the land to reach the required height. As a result, we are now about 80 cm (31 inches) higher than the neighboring plot. There is already a wall with a fence at the boundary with the neighbor. However, the wall was not founded deeply enough, so the excavation exposed the foundation. Over time, the wall will therefore not remain stable.
Accordingly, we either have to demolish and rebuild it or support it from our side. My first thought was to support it with L-shaped retaining blocks. However, our landscaping contractor advised against this because the “L” would face our house, meaning the unattractive side of the L-shaped block would be visible. He also said that on the side the “L” faces, there are usually reinforcements and similar elements, which would not look good.
Now my question: Are there L-shaped retaining blocks that look “nice” on both sides? Or would you agree with the opinion of our landscaping contractor?
Best regards
For the house construction, we had to excavate quite a bit of the land to reach the required height. As a result, we are now about 80 cm (31 inches) higher than the neighboring plot. There is already a wall with a fence at the boundary with the neighbor. However, the wall was not founded deeply enough, so the excavation exposed the foundation. Over time, the wall will therefore not remain stable.
Accordingly, we either have to demolish and rebuild it or support it from our side. My first thought was to support it with L-shaped retaining blocks. However, our landscaping contractor advised against this because the “L” would face our house, meaning the unattractive side of the L-shaped block would be visible. He also said that on the side the “L” faces, there are usually reinforcements and similar elements, which would not look good.
Now my question: Are there L-shaped retaining blocks that look “nice” on both sides? Or would you agree with the opinion of our landscaping contractor?
Best regards
Costruttrice schrieb:
That’s not true. Of course, there are L-shaped brackets where the shorter leg faces the other way, away from the load. We are also lower than the neighbor and had to support our structure, since he does not want anything extending onto his property. That’s why we needed the special L-brackets with the shorter leg facing us.
That’s not true, those exist with the short leg facing you and still have a clean appearance—no reinforcement visible. The key term is “visible side inside.” Just search for L-brackets or support brackets with visible side inside. We use the ones from Ehl. But what about the structural calculations and frost protection, etc.? Sure, you can do it that way, but it’s incorrect or only acceptable if the load is also on the visible side. And if the bricks project out.
But what are these bricks called?
Properly, a solid foundation and a wall built on top.
W
wiltshire12 May 2025 08:42What does your neighbor say? Maybe you can find a better solution together that suits both of you more.
W
wiltshire12 May 2025 09:21BoPaDi24 schrieb:
The neighbor allows us to demolish the old wall and replace it with L-shaped retaining blocks plus a fence. The L-shaped blocks can also face towards his property. But we have to cover the costs ourselves. He will not contribute.That sounds fair. I don’t like the look of L-shaped blocks, regardless of their orientation. A natural stone wall could be an alternative. On the other hand, L-shaped blocks are relatively inexpensive and quick to install. I would decide the direction based on technical practicality.
I also think that this is fair and fully agree with you that L-shaped concrete blocks are not the most attractive solution. However, the costs for the alternatives are unfortunately all significantly higher. We hope to conceal the L-shaped blocks with plants and similar measures.
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