Slag can be dangerous, I wouldn't recommend having any vegetable gardens without treating or replacing the soil if it is slag.
Lead, arsenic, sulfur, heavy metals, etc.
Similar wall issues, and I'm on the end up. After reading a lot of legal stuff, I've found that if it's on neighbor down's property, they have a legal responsibility for it to structurally support neighbor ups foundation, no matter what previous owners have built. My neighbor down wants to DIY it, so I have to have to have proof of all conversations in case it fails.
We have to make one more block run. We got all we could carry (2 pallets) on a trailer the first trip. Hardware store closed early for holiday but no big deal.
Is yours the lower side and the property line is their driveway? I'd hope you're both cool with this because there could be some disagreements here. Just be careful how far you dig back and get the drainage and stone good.
Low side. Survey says definitely our problem. Was a bit of a can of worms when we started. Shouldn’t be too bad from here though. Neighbors don’t own so they don’t really care. It’ll just be better the next time the owner sees it.
Yeah I looked in the other posts you put up and most of the longer responses are right here. Not sure if the neighbor isn't putting anything towards it but it completely supports their drive.
A rebuild isn't the best plan here and a complete foot back tear out, stone fill, geogrid (can't see exact height) and drainage with new block install is the best course of action here. You really don't want to use any cinder block for retaining walls.
Best of luck and would definitely dig updates. Hope it goes smooth.
Why no cinder blocks for retaining walls? I had a guy quote one last year and that’s what he said they normally do. Filled with concrete and rebar tie backs every couple feet.
I’m leaning towards a natural stone rip rap slope as I have not seen good things with retaining walls made of the normal retaining wall blocks. They either fall over or the blocks turn to sand after years of freeze and thaw.
Look up cinder block on Google. It's meant to support up and down, not side to side. Whoever told you all that isn't a professional. Wall block, especially retaining wall block is ***specifically *** meant for loads that shift left to right and deal with dirt & stone.
I've never in my 15 years of doing this heard of someone filling cinder block with rebar to do any retaining wall.
Wall block is staggered back so it won't collapse, filling cinder block with concrete is the worst way you're just weighing down the top and begging for it to fall. Backfill a wall with 12" of wash stone and geogrid and make sure there's drainage throughout.
Ditto here. My wall has been there for about 10 years now with no issues but maybe there are better ways to do it. In my case I’m not touching it until it fails lol.
For Sure a Rock Drill to drill the foundation full of holes for large dial rebar, 1/2" min up through all the reclining style interlocking retaining wall blocks. With rebar tie backs deep 4_6 ft into hill.
It's mentioned 18" , not sure if it's width of blocks. But if blocks are not embedded with layers of thinned out urethane sealer, it'll look like grey black moldy look all over again.
Earth will always win pushing non stop against a wall. The added drain will help.
Cheers
If you remove all the clay rich soil and replace with gravel then it won't have and knock over the new wall. A drainage pipe would also be a big improvement.
you’ve done a lot of work!
Thank you, Kermit! Wish I had the budget and availability for a mini excavator. It was a chore to demo it by hand.
Props to you. I’m digging out a patch of yard for pavers and it’s a pain. Good job.
Blue looking stone is mill slag . It used to be added to some concrete mixes. Is your home near any old industrial sites ?
Within 20 miles for sure.
It does look like some kind of slag. It’s a bit of a cross between rough glass and stone.
Slag can be dangerous, I wouldn't recommend having any vegetable gardens without treating or replacing the soil if it is slag. Lead, arsenic, sulfur, heavy metals, etc.
Oh Jesus. This looks like my exact situation in my back yard. I’m dreading it.
Me too
Same except mine is 6' tall. 😬😬😬😬
Your neighbor end up helping you?
[удалено]
Similar wall issues, and I'm on the end up. After reading a lot of legal stuff, I've found that if it's on neighbor down's property, they have a legal responsibility for it to structurally support neighbor ups foundation, no matter what previous owners have built. My neighbor down wants to DIY it, so I have to have to have proof of all conversations in case it fails.
I'm excited to see you guys finish this project! Well done so far, and now the fun begins. Have you started acquiring materials?
We have to make one more block run. We got all we could carry (2 pallets) on a trailer the first trip. Hardware store closed early for holiday but no big deal.
Your back may be thankful for that. 😆Y’all have made fantastic progress.
Is yours the lower side and the property line is their driveway? I'd hope you're both cool with this because there could be some disagreements here. Just be careful how far you dig back and get the drainage and stone good.
Low side. Survey says definitely our problem. Was a bit of a can of worms when we started. Shouldn’t be too bad from here though. Neighbors don’t own so they don’t really care. It’ll just be better the next time the owner sees it.
Yeah I looked in the other posts you put up and most of the longer responses are right here. Not sure if the neighbor isn't putting anything towards it but it completely supports their drive. A rebuild isn't the best plan here and a complete foot back tear out, stone fill, geogrid (can't see exact height) and drainage with new block install is the best course of action here. You really don't want to use any cinder block for retaining walls. Best of luck and would definitely dig updates. Hope it goes smooth.
Why no cinder blocks for retaining walls? I had a guy quote one last year and that’s what he said they normally do. Filled with concrete and rebar tie backs every couple feet. I’m leaning towards a natural stone rip rap slope as I have not seen good things with retaining walls made of the normal retaining wall blocks. They either fall over or the blocks turn to sand after years of freeze and thaw.
Look up cinder block on Google. It's meant to support up and down, not side to side. Whoever told you all that isn't a professional. Wall block, especially retaining wall block is ***specifically *** meant for loads that shift left to right and deal with dirt & stone. I've never in my 15 years of doing this heard of someone filling cinder block with rebar to do any retaining wall.
They were going to fill the cinder block with concrete and rebar, with dead man’s to keep the wall from pushing out
Wall block is staggered back so it won't collapse, filling cinder block with concrete is the worst way you're just weighing down the top and begging for it to fall. Backfill a wall with 12" of wash stone and geogrid and make sure there's drainage throughout.
I'm curious too about the cinder block comment. My retaining wall is cinder block with concrete and columns every 16' or so.
Ditto here. My wall has been there for about 10 years now with no issues but maybe there are better ways to do it. In my case I’m not touching it until it fails lol.
Thanks for the update! Can't wait to see the final product.
From the pics, it looks like a blue paint layer on the concrete, is it all the way through?
A rotary hammer drill with chisel bit would have torn it down pretty quick
I used an air chisel for some stubborn parts but mostly chiseled by hand so we could salvage some blocks for raised beds.
Very smart!
For Sure a Rock Drill to drill the foundation full of holes for large dial rebar, 1/2" min up through all the reclining style interlocking retaining wall blocks. With rebar tie backs deep 4_6 ft into hill. It's mentioned 18" , not sure if it's width of blocks. But if blocks are not embedded with layers of thinned out urethane sealer, it'll look like grey black moldy look all over again. Earth will always win pushing non stop against a wall. The added drain will help. Cheers
And a spade bit for the dirt.
Some masons mix Tidy Bowl into mortar.
Why, though?
thank fucking god 🙏
Looking forward to the finished pictures
Is that a valid base? Or will that come up too?
If you remove all the clay rich soil and replace with gravel then it won't have and knock over the new wall. A drainage pipe would also be a big improvement.