So you have a wood retaining wall that has started to rot and falling apart. It’s time to remove the old wall and replace it, but do I want a new wall made out of wood again? That is a personal choice. Many things need to be considered before making that decision. Cost, installation, suitability, and function are all considerations before making this improvement.
Concrete block retaining walls are a viable choice for homeowners in Sacramento. The choices are numerous; sizes, styles, and colors can make your new retaining wall an integral part of your landscape design. If you need help making the final decision, you may want to contact a landscape or general contractor for their opinion on the wall.
We recently installed a concrete block retaining wall in Folsom, Ca. The old wooden retaining wall lasted about 15 years and no longer retained the soil. The owners had to weigh the cost of upgrading to a block wall, but the cost was not much greater than the traditional wood wall. Once the choice was made, we got to work.
One thing that we needed to do was remove several yards of roots, rocks, and dirt. We had to do this because the new wall was deeper than the wood wall. A 2x12 board is only 1.5 inches thick; the new wall was 7 inches thick. In addition, we added drainage rock and a drain pipe on the soil side of the new wall; this required removing over 12 inches of dirt across the length of the backyard.
Retaining walls have come a long way in the last few years. Contacting a contractor with experience in retaining walls, can help in understanding what is involved with the outdoor improvement. If you do choose the use concrete blocks to replace that old wooden retaining wall, there are a number of choices that will add value to your home.
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