How To Rightly Calculate The Depth Of Your Retaining Wall?

 Enhancements to your outdoor area not only increase the worth of your property, but also enhance the well-being of your surroundings and create a more pleasant living space. Professionals in the real estate industry across the nation are in agreement on this. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals, landscape redesigns rank highest among outdoor projects that have the potential to greatly increase home value when resold. On average, these redesigns resulted in a remarkable 105 percent value recovery upon selling.

Retaining walls provide a practical means to keep your soil from eroding while lending landscape interest. A well-placed retaining wall can create more usable space in your yard, especially if your yard is naturally sloped or hilly. They create raised garden beds that you can use for flower beds or vegetation.

Despite their simple appearance, though, these walls require a good deal of planning – and sometimes personal engineering – to keep their shape. Thoroughly planned and well-constructed  will help ensure the stability of the wall. One of the most crucial aspects of installing retaining walls Williamsville NY is preparing a solid foundation or footing. 

Miscalculate your construction, and you could end up with a weak wall that risks bulging or worse, collapsing together. To help calculate the depth of footing for your retaining wall, we have prepared this write-up for you in steps. 

Steps To Calculating The Depth Of Footing For Your Retaining Wall Installation

Step 1

The first step to retaining wall construction is checking with the local government ordinances. Often, specifications are regulated. Walls over 3 or 4 feet over the ground level are generally regulated by these ordinances, while walls that are smaller than this are exempted.

Step 2

The next step is to plan the height and width of the wall. The size of the wall will largely determine the size of the footing. For concrete, a poured concrete footing is the best. Block or brick walls should be a minimum of twice as wide as the planned wall. 

The footing of your retaining wall should be as thick as the wall’s planned width.

Step 3

Now, you need to take into account the frostline. The bottom of the footing of your retaining wall must extend below the frost line. This will prevent the walls from getting damaged by frost heave.

Step 4

For the fourth and final step, bury some portion of the first layer or two of bricks or blocks to ensure the stability of the retaining walls. 

A good rule of thumb is to bury the bottom row 1 inch for every 8 inches of wall height.

These steps of determining the footing depth of your retaining wall can be really useful if you follow them correctly. Anytime you feel stuck or confused, you always have professional retaining wall contractors to help you build your retaining walls with the right measurement, and without any hassle.