retaining wall: Water Pressure - If What's Below Moves, What's Above Usually Follows!
- 03/18/14 07:32 PM
It should be an old adage - water pressure - if what's below moves, what's above usually follows! That's why when something utilizes something else as a foundation, the foundation should be strong! Hence the word ... foundation. This is a 40 year old house, with a 15 year old addition. The addition is a large family room. It has a brick foundation, with a continuous-wall crawl space underneath. The basement door of the original house used to exit to a stairwell. They decided to enlarge that space with a retaining wall that extends to the foundation wall of the newer addition, … (34 comments)
retaining wall: "Darn Good Thing They Thought To Put That Tree There"
- 04/10/13 09:11 PM
As I pulled into the driveway I thought, "Darn good thing they thought to put that tree there." Certainly you have to think in advance when you put in a tree. But how people do it BEFORE they put in a retaining wall is beyond me! I'm thinking this isn't a retaining wall after all. Putting it properly, this is a retaining tree! The wall was the after thought! Personally I think the tree will survive and the wall will not. But that is just me. So, what's the over/under on the number of months this wall will survive? … (48 comments)
retaining wall: Even With Wood Stairs, Beauty Can Only Be Skin Deep
- 03/08/13 07:39 PM
Looking at the stairs they were pretty, I could give them that. Even with wood stairs, beauty can only be skin deep. Sure, there's no handrail, but that's just decoration, right? So I walked down the staircase. Spongy! Especially that lowest stair, well supported as it is and all. They deserved some further investigation. Going around to the side I had a peek. Prettiness is only skin deep! The new wood is merely veneering the old wood! And the old wood is pretty old! That might be why the new wood is so spongy! Gee, it seems ALL of the … (52 comments)
retaining wall: Window Well, Wishing Well
- 02/13/13 06:51 PM
I saw it from outside - a window well being pushed dramatically inward toward the house. The house is over 40 years of age. This movement appears to have been happening for some time and has been repaired many times over the years. There is cracking even since the most recent attempt at filling the opening gaps. Filling those gaps is NO FIX of course. Looking from inside the house, at both corners of the well, you have to imagine this as a flat wall. Pressure from outside is pushing it toward the basement window. Together they give an idea as … (27 comments)
retaining wall: Retaining Wall Installation - Best Practice
- 12/28/11 10:40 PM
It's time for a post about retaining wall installation - best practice. Retaining walls are something that home inspectors see frequently. And just as frequently those walls have problems. A recent post prompted many to think what is necessary to the proper installation of a retaining wall. This is a very good question, and one deserving a response. Retaining walls can be constructed of many things - metal, wood, brick and block, man-made blocks, and huge boulders and stone. The idea is to retain the weight of the soil behind the wall, and divert water, and its pressure, away from a … (63 comments)
retaining wall: Retaining Tree
- 12/27/11 10:09 PM
I often see retaining walls. If I had to guess a percentage I would say that about half have some movement. In this case, it's a darn good thing there is a retaining tree! This tree has been on the job a long time! I see fences all the time that are held up by vines and plants. I see sheds all the time that are held up by vines and plants. But I have seldom, if ever, seen a retaining wall held up by a tree! And this wall frames a working driveway and garden! This tree is important! Another … (29 comments)
retaining wall: Yep, It's Doing Its Job!
- 08/24/10 10:52 PM
That was my answer when a client asked me if a retaining wall was actually doing anything. Retain - verb 1 continue to have; keep possession of. 2 absorb and continue to hold (a substance). 3 keep in place; hold fixed. ORIGIN Latin retinere - 'hold back'. Retaining wall - noun a wall that holds back earth or water on one side of it. Those are my Oxford Dictionary definitions of the two words above. The retaining wall on the right is 10' high. It begins at the rear corner of the house, has two corners, and holds back earth to … (17 comments)
It should be an old adage - water pressure - if what's below moves, what's above usually follows!
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