This retaining wall looks like it should be replaced, but it can be repaired. It’s not that expensive to repair it. (Tim Carter) The retaining wall at my older home is in sad shape. A contractor told me that if I don’t tear it down immediately and replace it, my house foundation that’s six feet away will collapse along with the retaining wall.
I don’t know what to do. The repair cost I was quoted is many thousands of dollars. Can my retaining wall be repaired, and how much do you think the cost might be? How would you repair it if you feel it can be saved? — Lynn C., Lexington, Ky. I’m glad you sent me multiple photos of the retaining wall.
Based on your photos, I’m happy to tell you that there’s no danger to your home. It’s my feeling the contractor was trying to take advantage of you. While the wall looks to be in fairly bad shape, it’s still doing a great job of holding back the soil behind it. The first thing I noticed in your photos is the wall is not leaning at all toward your neighbor’s driveway. This is a good thing, keeping in mind the wall is as old as your home — close to 100 years old. Before we talk about how you’re going to repair the wall, let’s spend a moment discussing the contractor’s unethical conduct. By painting a picture in your mind of how you’ll have to repair your house foundation as well as the retaining wall, he was making you feel your savings account money would soon be scarce.
I loathe contractors who try to scare homeowners. To verify if a contractor is telling the truth about retaining walls, foundation walls, bearing walls or other structural things in your home that terrify you, consult with a residential structural engineer. An engineer doesn’t have a dog in the fight. This professional will visit your home and render an opinion as to the structural soundness of whatever you ask him to look. If a repair is needed, most engineers will develop a plan you can use to get competitive bids from contractors. What’s more, most engineers have a list of honest contractors they recommend.
Here’s how I’d go about adding another 30 or 40 years of useful life to your retaining wall for about $100 worth of material. It’s a pretty simple two-day job for two people. Since I’m not familiar with labor rates in your city, I can’t quote you what it might cost, but it’s not going to be much at all. If you have moderate DIY skills, you can do this job yourself. All you need to make the repair is a bag or two of Portland cement, a bag of hydrated mason’s lime, some medium sand and rounded pea gravel. You’ll also need a few six- and nine-inch pieces of 1/2-inch steel rebar, a hammer drill with a 1/2-inch bit and a four-pound hammer. The first thing to do is clean the wall.
Based on your photos, the wall is covered with algae and black mildew. You can pressure wash it or you can use a solution of oxygen bleach.
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The wall needs to be clean because the last step of the repair will be a thin coat of stucco that will really dress up the wall. Once the wall is clean, remove any loose material in the deep holes. Just scrape away and try to get anything out that will move with hand pressure.
The next step is to install the short pieces of steel in the deep holes to help bond the repair concrete to the old. Using the hammer drill, you’ll drill down at an angle into the old concrete. Drill the holes at least four inches deep. Hammer in the short pieces of steel rebar so the end of each piece is at least 3/4 inch inside the outer face of the wall. The large holes are filled with a stiff mix of pea gravel concrete. I’d mix 3 measures of pea gravel, 2 measures of medium sand, 1 ½ measure of Portland cement and ½ measure of the hydrated lime.
The lime helps to make the mix very sticky and is a magic material that continues to grow crystals for years after it’s installed. Add just enough water so the mix resembles mashed potatoes. Before you add the concrete mix to the deep holes, you need to mix up a batch of cement paint. Blend 3 measures of Portland cement to 1 measure of the lime. Add enough water until it resembles paint. Spritz the holes that need to be repaired with some water and immediately brush on the cement/lime paint mixture. Immediately cover this paint with the pea gravel concrete so it’s flush with the existing face of the wall.
The last step is to put a thin 3/8-inch coat of stucco over the wall. Mix up a fresh batch of cement/lime paint. The stucco mix will be 5 measures of sand, 2 measures of Portland cement and ½ measure of the lime. Add just enough water so the mixed stucco resembles a moist applesauce. Slightly dampen the wall, paint on the cement/lime paint and cover it with the stucco. Don’t let the cement/lime paint dry. You must cover it with the stucco within minutes of brushing it on.
Use a wood float to give the stucco a nice swirl finish and sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labors, or that of the contractor you hire! Need an answer? All of Tim’s past columns are archived for free access. You can also watch hundreds of videos, download Quick Start Guides and more.
Concrete consists primarily of cement, sand, gravel and water. As the water in the slurry evaporates, the remaining ingredients cure into a hard, monolithic slab. Unfortunately, the curing process causes the concrete to shrink slightly, often resulting in hairline cracks. Larger stress cracks occur when a house settles or the ground beneath it shifts. These types of cracks typically don't threaten the structural integrity of the house, but they do create an entry point for groundwater, insects and radon gas. Here, we'll show you a simple, effective way to patch cracks in poured- concrete walls.
If you notice large, recurring cracks or bulging walls at your house, don't try to fix these conditions yourself. The cracks might indicate a more serious structural problem; call in a structural engineer for an in-depth evaluation. Repairing the crack Several masonry patching products, such as hydraulic cement, do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls. However, these products can fail after a few years if your foundation or retaining wall continues to move slightly, leaving you with little choice but to chip them out and start all over again.
We repaired a foundation wall, which had an 8-ft.-long crack that leaked water into the basement during periods of heavy rainfall. To permanently patch the crack we used an epoxy-injection system from Polygem, called the Liquid Concrete Repair Kit ($60). Each kit contains a two-part epoxy crack sealer, two 10-oz. Tubes of Liquid Concrete Repair (LCR), a viscous epoxy that comes in a caulk-type cartridge, and seven plastic injection ports that deliver the LCR deep into the crack. There's enough material in each kit to repair a 1/16-in.-wide x 8-in.-deep x 8-ft.-long crack. Before you start, check to make sure the crack is dry.
If the crack is slightly damp, dry it with a blow-dryer, then wait 15 minutes. If it remains dry, proceed with the repair. However, if the dampness returns, water is still seeping into the crack and you'll have to wait for it to dry out on its own. First, scrub the crack clean of any loose concrete, paint or old filler using a wire brush (step 1). Remove all dust and debris with a shop vacuum.
(10d) finishing nails partway into the crack, spaced 12 in. Apart (step 2). You'll use them to align the injection ports with the crack. Open up the two containers of epoxy crack sealer and scoop out equal amounts of Part A and Part B; use two separate sticks to avoid contamination.
Mix the two parts on a scrap board using a clean putty knife; blend until you achieve a uniform gray color (step 3). Spread some sealer onto the base of one of the plastic injection ports, being careful not to plug up its hole. Fast email extractor crack pes. Slide the port over one of the nails sticking out of the crack and press it to the wall (step 4). Install the remaining ports in a similar manner.
Next, mix up a slightly larger batch of epoxy sealer and apply it to the entire crack using a 1 1/2-in.-wide putty knife or margin trowel (step 5). Spread the sealer about 1/8 in. Thick and 1 in.
On either side of the crack. Also, cover the entire flange of each injection port with crack sealer, leaving only the extended neck portion showing. Smooth out the sealer and feather its edges with a paintbrush dipped in mineral spirits. If the other side of the wall is accessible, see if the crack goes clean through. If it does, seal it up with crack sealer, too.
Allow the sealer to cure for 6 to 10 hours before injecting the epoxy. Thoroughly mix the LCR epoxy using the plunger rod that comes with the kit. Place the LCR cartridge into a caulk gun. Starting at the lowest injection port, dispense the epoxy into the crack (step 6).
Continue squeezing the trigger until epoxy begins to ooze out of the port directly above. Remove the gun and plug up the port you just filled (step 7). Now insert the cartridge tip into the port that's oozing and squeeze the trigger to dispense the epoxy. Repeat this procedure for the remaining ports; plug up each one before moving on to the next.
Allow the LCR to cure for five days, then cut off the necks of the ports with a hacksaw (step 8). If desired, you can patch the severed ports with a little crack sealer.
Quick Column Summary:. Cracked concrete retaining wall on home.
Was steel installed, or installed incorrectly. Fix with steel plates or helical wall anchors. Get the right installer to do the job DEAR TIM: Thirteen years ago, a long poured concrete retaining wall was installed when our home was built. We didn’t hire the builder and have come to discover he built the home and wall using poor construction methods. Believe it or not, there are no building code inspections in this part of my state. Do we have to tear down the retaining wall and start over?
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The soil here is a deep clay and I wonder if the wall is substandard and can’t hold the weight of the soil. What would have prevented the horrible cracks or minimized them? What are my repair options at this point? John O., Jefferson City, MO. These are severe cracks in a poured concrete retaining wall.
There are ways to stabilize the wall without tearing it down and starting over. Photo Credit: John Oliveras There are towns very close to where I live in New Hampshire that have the same situation you have with respect to the building code. In the towns near me, the person applying for the permit signs a document saying he’ll build the house to code, but there are no inspections. There’s no doubt in my mind many many houses built under these conditions have significant code violations. I see them all the time here when I stop by construction sites. When you couple that reality with the fact that the building code is a set of minimum standards, you have the perfect storm for future repair problems.
Most people don’t realize that building a home to code is like getting a 70 percent on a test. It means you barely pass. Believe me, you can incorporate building practices and standards that far surpass the building code. For example, the cracks in your retaining wall tell me the builder didn’t install vertical steel rods, or if he did he placed them in the wrong position, he didn’t use enough steel, or the steel used was the wrong size. The clay soil pushing against the back of the wall does two things.
It tries to tip the wall over and it can cause the wall to bend or bow in the center. This bending of the wall can also happen if the wall is being tipped over by the soil. Placing 5/8-inch diameter vertical steel bars 16 inches on center and that are about 2 inches away from the side of the concrete wall that’s in contact with the clay soil would have really helped to prevent the cracks.
A structural engineer is the best person to design where the steel bars should be placed. To repair your wall, you’re going to get in contact with several companies that specialize in repairing foundation walls. I’ve worked with these companies for years, and many have great methods that will stabilized the concrete wall. One of the solutions may incorporate large galvanized steel plates that are placed on the exposed part of the retaining wall.
A hole is drilled through the concrete wall and a long threaded rod is driven through the wall and into the soil behind the wall. The contractor digs a hole and places another large plate in the soil at the other end of the threaded rod.
The threaded rod is connected to both plates with large nuts. The plate in the soil provides resistance as the retaining wall tries to fall away or tip over.
Using a large wrench, you can tighten the nuts on the threaded rod and pull the wall back into position over a period of months. I happen to prefer the use of helical wall anchors. These are giant screws that bore into the soil behind the retaining wall. When connected to the galvanized plates on the exposed side of the retaining wall, they not only will stabilize the wall, but the anchors can also pull the wall back into it’s original position.
Your contractor may want to dig behind the retaining wall in order to make some of the repairs. While it’s not always necessary to do this, it can help prevent future problems. If there’s not great drainage behind the wall, now would be the time to install it.
Block Retaining Wall Repair
Once the wall is stabilized you can inject the cracks with concrete repair epoxy. If the concrete crack surfaces are clean or can be cleaned, the epoxy will bond with a ferocious grip. If you take your time installing this product you may be able to tool it and sprinkle on some fresh Portland cement powder to disguise the cracks.
When you interview contractors for this job, be sure to ask for references from three to five years ago. You want to talk to past customers who can attest the repair methods are working. A recent customer won’t be able to give you this valuable information. Be sure you understand what the galvanized steel plates will look like. I have to admit they don’t look attractive.
If you can get the contractor to space them out in such a way that the spacing is somewhat equal, you may be able to disguise them with some sort of decorative iron work that covers the plates. You may even be able to have a shelf built that holds plants that can hide the plates. Put your creative hat on!
A retaining wall’s purpose is to prevent a higher elevation of soil from spilling over or washing away. Brick alone is not adequate for constructing a retaining wall higher than about 12 inches because as the height of the wall increases, so does the one-sided pressure from the soil it holds back.
In a correctly built retaining wall, the brick is only a facing; beneath the brick lies poured concrete or reinforced block. Small cracks in the wall are relatively simple to fix. Large cracks or bulging indicates an underlying structural problem. Causes of Cracking Moisture is one of the biggest culprits in retaining wall problems. As the retained soil becomes saturated, it expands, pressing on the inside of the wall. If the support system behind the bricks cracks and shifts, the brick facing will crack as well. If there is no supporting wall behind the bricks or no footer beneath the wall, cracking can be extensive, with individual bricks shifting, breaking and eventually falling out.
Hairline cracks don’t necessarily indicate a structural problem in the wall. Surface cracks in the brick can be the result of faulty installation, the wrong mortar consistency or porous bricks. Bigger Problems A structural engineer should examine any retaining wall higher than 2 feet before you make repairs if the wall appears to be shifting, bulging or if damage to the brick facing is extensive. If there is a problem with the wall’s structure, patching the bricks won’t fix the issue.
Fixing A Retaining Wall
The wall may require excavation, the installation of a footer, reinforcement of the back wall, drainage provisions or other professional fixes. Tall retaining walls bear incredible lateral pressure from the soil they retain, and due to the risk of soil collapse, only a professional should excavate and reinforce any retaining wall higher than 3 feet.
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