Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 Jan 20, 2015 10:54 pm Had a concreter over to give me a quote for putting down a concrete path around the sides of the house and he mentioned that I should get a retaining wall on one side of the house due to the way the house was cut into the land and how low the weep holes are in the brickwork (can only go up to the 2nd row of bricks). Here are some pictures of the land (click the image to make em bigger): Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If I didn't get a retaining wall here, what would be the consequences? I'm guessing the retaining wall would be like so? (40cm width retaining wall from fence & 90cm wide concrete footpath) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Do I Need a Retaining Wall? 2Jan 21, 2015 6:05 am Yes you will need a retaining wall next to the fence and some drainage. The paving needs to slope away from the house (see http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2014/02/hei ... ve-ground/) The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Do I Need a Retaining Wall? 3Jan 21, 2015 7:49 am Hi decryption, Congratulations on finding a concreter who actually seems to know what he is doing! We are in the same position as you though we have a bit more space to play with in terms of putting in a retaining wall. One difficulty I can see is the neighbour's garage, if that wall is the garage. You might need to find out how far from the foundations your retaining wall has to be. Re: Do I Need a Retaining Wall? 4Jan 21, 2015 9:51 am Thanks guys - will I need to organise the retaining wall before or after the concreter puts down the path? Re: Do I Need a Retaining Wall? 5Jan 21, 2015 12:41 pm It doesnt really seem that bad to me hope I am not missing anything. Yes its nice to have concrete falling away from house but this is not always the best practice as you could have issues with your neighbour. While photos can be deceiving what I did at my house was create fall from both sides into the cente and place drains, while also making sure it also falls to the front of the house (or back at the same time. Retaining walls are not cheap and should be avoided where practical. One other issue. is it possible that the concretor was asking to place a retaining wall on the fence side so that he doesn't have the concrete touching the fence. This will mean he doesn't dig much, and makes his job easier. I find it strange that he would be asking for a retaining wall in order for him to dig out the ground more. Can you draw a cross section. Building Standards; Getting It Right! Hi everyone, a contractor build a "retaining wall" for me and after 3 months there was a crack. They "repaired" the crack by adding an expansion joint where the crack… 0 3423 Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 8965 Yes, the builder is required to finish the wall. What else have you missed? 1 4373 ![]() |