If your retaining brick wall displays signs of tilting, sinking, cracking, or
Retaining walls are great for your landscape.
separating from adjoining walls, it’s likely the foundation. You want a reputable masonry company to look at and resolve the issue quickly as possible to prevent worsening the problem. If you discover your retaining brick wall sinking, it can be repaired instead of completely rebuilt.
Prevent Your Retaining Brick Wall from Extra Pressure
Freestanding walls are common in landscaping as they serve various purposes. For instance, they are involved in decorating, adding privacy, or securing the earth after an excavation like a patio or driveway. The latter is a retaining brick wall. In addition, retaining walls have a tougher job than ordinary retaining walls because they are responsible for retaining soil. Therefore, they are naturally up against lateral forces or additional pressure. This leads to wet soil.
To prevent your retaining brick wall from giving in to these pressures, numerous measures are taken during initial construction, such as:
- Installing tiebacks to the wall that dig into the soil well behind the structure
- Placing a batter or a pitch that forces the wall to lean slightly forward towards the soil, it’s retaining
- Adding a bed of some sort of footing or compact gravel to help aid the wall and prevent problems related to frozen or loose soil
- Installing well-designed drainage systems
Indicators Your Retaining Wall is Sinking
If your retaining brick wall is sinking, it’s probably due to improper construction. Yet, whether your wall was built correctly or not, it’s not uncommon to discover signs of settling or sinking over time. Signs to look out for include:
- Retaining wall separates from adjoining walls
- The wall is visibly tilting
- The entire retaining wall or wall sections are moving forward
- Also, the wall is cracking, buckling, or crumbling
Most retaining walls can be repaired despite their initial problems, so the first task is identifying the reason why your retaining brick wall is sinking. Call our office at 410-683-0650 today for your masonry needs!
CONTACT DEL PRETE MASONRY TODAY!
Whether you are ready to start your next masonry project or are still hesitant and have questions, Del Prete Masonry is here to help. We have the experience and expertise to get it right the first time. Questions? Want to visit some of our residential or commercial projects? Ready to set up a consultation? Feel free to give us a call at 410-683-0650 or visit us online. We are happy to serve Baltimore City and County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. To see examples of our work and to keep up with our new and exciting projects, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest