Ever look at a project and think to yourself “this is overwhelming!”? Here at A+ Home Improvements, our goal is to provide a level of confidence to our clients when they decide to tackle a project. In this scenario, our client wanted to replace their retaining walls. No biggie, right? Well these were not the typical retaining walls that typically come to mind. Our client lived down river road and had a narrow driveway that meandered down the side of a hill. One each side stood a large retaining wall. The original timbers used to build the wall were starting to fail, and something had to be done. Our client chose to install block instead of lumber. After selecting materials and staging the job site, we started in head first!
For a project like this, we brought in equipment and plenty of elbow grease. We excavated the old retaining wall and started the process of prepping for the new block. A lot of planning and logistics went into the process of laying out this project. To properly install a long lasting retaining wall, you can not just simply start laying block. You must install a compacted base for your new wall to stand on. Also, a drainage tile must be installed to remove the pressure of standing water trapped behind the wall. In addition to using adhesive, you must install products that help stabilize the wall as well. For this project, we installed Geogrid per manufacturer’s instructions. Time to start laying block!
The Big Reveal!
The left side of the driveway contained upper and lower tiers to the wall, while the right side contained only one. To break in up a bit, our client chose to change the block style on either side. The project turned out beautifully, and our client loved their large retaining wall! We enjoyed tackling this project, and working with the client proved to be extremely easy.
Have a project that is a little out of the “DIY” scope? Give A+ Home Improvements a call and start your project today!
