Retaining walls offer a major improvement to your property’s curb appeal. Aside from that, they also provide practical improvements to your landscaping.
Retaining walls should typically last for a lot of years. This is particularly true if you work with a reliable and experienced masonry contractor.
However, what if you purchased a property that has retaining walls already installed? What if the previous owner did not hire a high-quality contractor? What if the contractor did a poor job at installing the retaining wall?
If that is the case, you might have to fix the walls to ensure durability and stability. Today, we’re going to share with you a couple of signs that indicate you need to repair your retaining walls with the help of a retaining wall repair Mesa company.
Why Do Some Retaining Walls Fail?
Aside from age, there are a couple of other reasons why a retaining wall can fail. There are also several additional factors that can cause damage. This includes wrong materials used in the installation, drainage problems, stress factors, bad design, poor installation, and much more.
Disconnected Bricks
One indication that indicates you need to fix your walls right away is if the bricks in your retaining walls begin falling out or separating from the structure. A high-quality retaining wall will be built to stay in place.
However, the foundation is often not tightly packed or the bench/brick components are not properly sealed. Minor earthquakes or shaking ground from huge scale construction might also cause wall damage.
As soon as possible, you need to fix this damage to save money. Doing so will also help you preserve the life of your retaining wall.
Water Leaks
If a contractor properly installs the retaining wall, he should include proper drainage. The exact placement and amount of the drainage will vary on your location. However, you probably have to fix things if you notice water trickling down at random areas.
If you ignore the poor drainage of your retaining wall, you might end up with crumbling, cracking, and bowing walls.
Major Wall Slippage
Safety is your number one priority. Thus, the most crucial thing to inspect is if a huge part of your wall is experiencing overturning, toppling, or slippage. You should consider this form of damage in terms of the percent of the wall affected instead of the overall square feet.
You can be at risk for a wall collapse if your wall is suffering flaws in a huge area. If this is the case, you need to hire a professional contractor right away to visit and assess the damage.
Luckily, this major-scale damage isn’t common. It’s rarely part of regular wear and tears. Once you establish the safety of your property, you can look at tackling minor repairs to get your retaining wall back to its original function and look.
Keep in mind that these issues typically happen in DIY projects. That is why it is always recommended that you hire a professional when it comes to installing retaining walls for your home.
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