RETAINING WALLS

 What is a retaining wall?

Retaining walls are to literally do just that, to either retain soil, land or structures so you can design your desired area in the way that you require. Retaining walls can be put in place for non-structural purposes I.e, garden, and veggie patches, or, structural purposes, I.e, driveways, sheds, houses, sloping land, fences, etc.

When considering to put a retaining wall in, some of these factors may apply.

• How much drainage is needed to reduce the weight of the soil behind the wall

• Degree of slope

• The strength of the retaining wall, compared to the mass of weight it needs to hold

• What’s being built behind/on top of the retaining wall

• What earth is under the retaining wall (clay, sand, rock, black soil, etc)

• The material used…

Here are a few Examples –

• Sandstone Retaining Wall

Mark from West Brisbane got in contact with us to consult us on his idea to put in a sandstone retaining wall to retain the land out the back of his house to stop erosion that was occurring.  His also wanted to turn that retaining wall into a garden bed. The result was a 35m x 800mm sandstone retaining wall that ran along the back end of his house.

Concrete Sleeper Retaining Wall 

A house in Bundamba was in desperate need of a new retaining wall. This wall has some serious load behind it and needed exceptionally strong I-beams, concrete sleepers and 14 tons of drainage gravel to reduce the load that occurs when the soil behind the wall is wet.

Above is a concrete sleeper retaining wall we built for Fiteni Homes in Victoria Point. On uneven ground, retaining walls are used to level surfaces, drain water and stop erosion in and around sub-divisions. This is just one example if you are looking to build a house on uneven ground.

A Wood Lookalike Concrete Sleeper Retaining Wall

What was once an unlevel slope in Bryans front yard in Ipswich, is now a concrete sleeper wall with a set of stairs next to the driveway. Bryan called us and shared with us that with his old age he is finding it harder to access the front of his house. We suggested the above design and this was the result.

Pine Sleeper Retaining Wall 

Jess and her family from Springfield were concerned about the sandstone retaining wall out the back of their family home. After a phone call with us, we came out for a free quote for the wall. After a thorough inspection of the wall, we assured the family that the wall was structurally sound and they had nothing to worry about. However, they still wanted something to break up the sandstone look. We agreed that a pine sleeper retaining wall was the way to go.

Heron Block Retaining Wall

Another example of leveling a front yard for an Aesthetic and practical look.

Pine Sleeper Retaining Wall

Above is a before and after shot of a residential home in Springwood. An old hardwood retaining wall had deteriorated over the years. After a quick quote, we rebuilt the retaining walls with pine sleepers including a set of stairs for ease of access to the garden behind the retaining wall.

Versawall Block Retaining Wall 

A Fernvale couple had called us regarding their front yard, they weren’t happy with the look and feel of a slopping gradient out the front of their home.  They came to us with a full plan and design of what they wanted and after a few days of hard work we had their versawall block retaining wall built with all turf laid and ready to go.

Hand Pitched Bluestone Retaining Wall

The folks at Renaissance Retirement Village decided to go with bluestone retaining walls at their village in Victoria Point. Over 3 years we built over 150 retaining walls for their new homes to suit the designed levels required.

Limestone Heron Block Retaining Wall 

Here is a great example of a retaining wall used to utilize and maximize a once unusable area. Perfect for a space for a boat or caravan.

These are just a few examples of how retaining walls are used to make the land around you a functional space for whatever your needs may be.