Another Wall Failure! #shorts #landscape #repair

This failed portion of retaining wall has many things wrong with it.

First: no stone backfill and no drain behind it at all. The soil was super wet all the way to the base. Should always backfill a retaining wall with angular stone (not round)

Second: the grass/topsoil had settled so far below the top courses that the wall acted as a water dam and funneled all the surface water to one low spot.

Third: the wall seams to have been built on fill material. Should never build a wall on disturbed material. There was a giant sink hole under the bottom course that was just a giant air pocket that needed to be filled. (See shovel in hole)

Fourth: the base material (footing area) was very thin in width. So once erosion started, the base material just washed away from under the blocks and the wall slid forward off the footing area.

Let’s try to repair this section of wall. I used a caterpillar 302.5 mini excavator, a tracked self loading stone buggy, laser transit, and basic hand tools.

[popperbits]

Retaining wall without a footing? Hmmm? I wonder what made that wall fail? Let's rebuild it again the same way and watch history repeat itself!

[AmazingChinaToday]

There's an 8 foot high retaining wall near my house, it's over 300 feet long and 150 years old. It's still straight as an arrow!

[Uberragen]

A strong foundation is key to EVERYTHING in life. Those who skimp, suffer later.

[BazColne]

That second wall didn't look as if it was off to a good start.

[alberteinstein]

I had to rebuild a huge wall that used those 2, 000 lb blocks. The ones that are made from left over concrete. The original one fell over holding back a hill. Their big mistake was you need to bury an entire row so the dirt secures it from moving and slightly leaning into the hill. It acted like a footing. I placed over 500 2k pound blocks. It's still there after 30 years.
Tom Dutkiewicz

[nukacola]

that was never a retaining wall. simply decorate bricks laid in line.

[carlstanton]

Do you not need to dig down and stick a half decent footing in for the new retaining wall? otherwise the same things going to happen again over the years surely?

[stevep]

We usually started i think 2 blocks below the lower grade on compacted crushed stone. Maybe that was over kill? It made diverting the drainage from behind the wall easier as it was already below grade.

[sladeoriginal]

Thats what happens when you don't have correct drainage, base, and backfill.

[DicePunk]

I've forgotten how amazing this song was. Thank you for reminding me.

[robertthrem]

Every couple layers you need to put netting and compact the ground to hold it down attached to the blocks and make sure you don’t forget the drain holes this time

[azoldguy]

This is back breaking work! One guy doing this 👍to this guy. Someone isn’t afraid of busting his ass! Hats 🧢 off to you sir!

[michaelwulff]

One of my instructors in college told me there's never time to do it right but there's always time to do it again.

[gemcitywestwezt]

Thank God for DIY people because it gives me a lot of work having to come back through and fix it like this guy good job by the way repairing

[jimsdad]

That was never a retaining wall. It has zero ability to deal with lateral forces

[See-through-The-Veil]

Great build.. Forget the footings, level.
I love how great hes done the top 2 courses.
Purps line up nicely 😂😂

[jeremycanterohioprospecting]

I've noticed that the underlining problem is always behind the wall because everyone back feels with clay or whatever material is on hand when it should be sand and gravel up against the wall and topped with topsoil damn it I know too much

[kneckbrort]

Nice job! No foam crazy! Original handwork skills. 👍👍👍👍

[michaelsimko]

It’s all in the base and backfill and addressing the water issues with a hill like that👍

[stevenashby]

I've done retaining wall in the UK and here we put in a footing in concrete and then L shaped slabes with a heel and drainage holes to base.
To finish graded backfill to allow drainage and then topsoil to finish.
Expensive but proper job and done once right