Underhill's Retaining Walls

Solid Footing Base Installation - If your wall does not have a strong foot to stand on, it will fall over. This footing base will depend on the native sub-soil, the type of wall product used, the height of the wall, the weight on top that the wall will have to support, and the slope of the ground below the wall.
Drainage Behind the Wall - Water build up behind the wall is a major enemy to retaining wall construction that so many people overlook. If water gets trapped behind the wall, the freeze and thaw cycle will move your wall like it was a child's toy.
Backfill Techniques - Improper backfilling, either using the wrong type of aggregate material, insufficient backfill depth, inadequate compaction, or without concern for drainage capabilities, will contribute to premature wall failure.
Wall Product Limitations - Each type of retaining wall product has its own inherent bearing strength, and as such, each will have a maximum height that it can be safely used as a free-standing gravity wall. Too many wall failures are a direct result of building a wall higher than it should be. Most pre-cast retaining wall products have a maximum free-standing height of less than 4 feet! That doesn't mean that you are out of luck if your wall is higher than 4 feet, because many of these walls can be installed up to 20 feet or more using Geo-Grid Retention Systems.

Geo-Grid Retention Systems provide additional retention and load bearing capabilities beyond the free-standing gravity wall limitations for many wall products. Geo-grid is a woven polymer mesh that in appearance resembles plastic snow fence. This grid is designed for specific lateral tension strength capabilities, and is installed between appropriate layers of block, stretched taut behind the wall, and then backfilled with the proper aggregate material and compaction. In effect, the face of the wall is now "locked" to the weight of the backfill bank behind it. These types of wall must be Engineered to determine all the installation variables so the wall will support the weight load on top of the wall, at this specific wall height for these specific site conditions.

We have successfully completed many retaining wall installations in some rather difficult and complex site conditions with and without Geo-Grid Retention Systems. We work directly with the wall product manufacturer as well as engineers and inspectors during the installation process to ensure that your wall will "stand "the test of time. If you are considering a new retaining wall, or replacement of an older one, don't leave your wall installation to chance - Hire an experienced professional…..Hire Underhill's!