We Build Retaining Walls

A house on a hill almost sounds like an excerpt from a story book. It is beautiful, but having a house in a sloped area can prove to be challenging when it comes to retaining walls. We at Schneider’s Landscape have got you covered, with our carefully constructed and beautifully designed Retaining walls. We are located in Eden Prairie and service Edina, Bloomington, Minnetonka, Plymouth and surrounding cities.

Why do people need Retaining Walls?

Retaining walls are constructed for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common are, to expand properties, create usable space, hold up structures such as driveways, parking lots, and buildings.

Retaining Soil

For example, if you have a large hill and would like to create a usable space. We will excavate a portion of the hill, construct a retaining wall with reinforcements to allow for the space to be used. The retaining wall will not only retain the soil, it will also provide a long-term solution to enjoy a larger space.

Aesthetics

In sloped areas, retaining walls make up a significant part of the landscape. We provide a variety of retaining wall designs to fit the landscape. Boulder retaining walls are a great way to provide natural surroundings. Masonry block or redi rock is another great way to provide a modern look.

Build with Rocks

Rock retaining walls is an authentic design from England. It’s hard to construct as the rocks are laid in a way that ensures the foundation remains dry at all times. The design avoids water getting into the interior parts to stop it from compromising the strength of the soil under. It is expensive as compared to all other retaining walls design due to the complexity of placing the rocks. The rocks can be mortared in some cases to increase stability in case moisture penetrates.

Design with Boulders

These retaining walls are made up of various sized boulders. Boulder retaining walls start with the largest boulders as a base course, the largest square footage of each boulder is placed into the hill. This technique prevents the boulders from shifting and being pushed from the pressure of the soil as the earth moves. As the boulder retaining wall is constructed, slightly smaller boulders will be used in each lift. Slightly smaller boulders are used as the wall is constructed due to the pressure of the soil becoming less as the retaining wall becomes taller.

Terrace Walls

Terraced retaining walls are efficient for sloped areas. They create space on slopes that can be used as gardens. They also give a beautiful view of Terraces. When building a Terrace, it is always important to consider the material to be used in-between the terraces. Some of the materials used are decorative rocks and sod. Terraced retaining walls can complement any architectural design if well-constructed. When building a Terrace wall, the soil should be well compacted and allow for a 12 – 18” of drain aggregate behind the retaining wall to increase the stability of the wall.

Types of Retaining Walls

Our engineers primarily design retaining walls. The Retaining Wall designs can be simple or complicated, depending on the layout of the property and what function the retaining wall needs to serve. The most important part of a retaining wall is not only compaction or technique, it is the material it is made up of. Retaining walls are functional; therefore, they should be constructed using durable materials to allow the soil, drain aggregate, reinforcements, and retaining wall block or boulder to become one unit.

Gravity Retaining Walls

A gravity wall is built when there are heavy materials. It is constructed with a Footing Setback to resist pressure from the soil. Short retaining walls are made using natural stones and concrete. They are flexible and do not need a footing in snow areas. It is important to have a good drainage behind a gravity wall to reduce pressure on the wall. Some gravity walls are designed to retain water. Proper drainage materials get rid of the hydrostatic pressure to improve stability of the wall.

Reinforced Retaining Walls

Reinforced retaining walls implement geo grid reinforcements, drain aggregate and the retaining wall block or boulder. These types of retaining walls are constructed when the retaining wall is over 4’ in height or when a surcharge is placed on the retaining wall. Examples of a surcharge are, slopes behind the retaining wall, driveways, parking lots, and structures such as buildings or roads.

Typical materials used to make retaining walls

The above types of retaining walls are made up of reliable and efficient techniques learned over many years of construction and working with the latest in technology advances.

Block

Blocks have become popular due to their versatility. They come in different colors, sizes and shapes to suit any landscape. They are able to be constructed for small retaining walls and large retaining wall.

Retaining wall block come in different variations such as hollow core, hollow bottom, and solid concrete blocks.
The block material is easy to sculpt and curve in design compared to concrete.
Cost for retaining wall block varies depending on the chosen material.
They are convenient since they are stacked on each other for support.
Block retaining walls do not require a mortar.
Due to the different colors and shapes offered in blocks, they are able to be incorporated into a variety of landscapes.

Interlocking

Retaining walls made from interlocking concrete blocks can be quickly put up. They are made from Concrete stones interlocked with pins. Interlocks are not fitted with mortar. They fit into each other for stability.

Interlocks are robust and stable to make tall retaining walls.
Interlocking concrete blocks are cost efficient.
They are available in concrete with many textures and colors.
The pin system used for interlocking retaining walls provides an automatic support for the wall.