What Affects Wall Design?

Vegetation and the Environment

Existing trees and other vegetation can be designed into the wall layout as needed. New plantings can be added to enhance the total landscape. Any plantings directly behind the wall need to be done carefully as not to disturb any reinforcement that may have been added when the wall was built.

The Base or Foundation

You must build on solid ground. If your site has soft, wet soils, or if the area was previously excavated, the foundation’s soil may need to be replaced with good base materials and firmly compacted.

Determining Wall Height

A detailed understanding of the site elevations and grade changes are needed to determine wall heights. Starting at the lowest point, mark your grade changes in 1 ft. (0.3 m) increments on the plan. Sketch in the drainage patterns.

Cut and Fill

If building on a hill or a slope, the placement of your wall will determine how much soil will need to be removed or brought onto the site.

A cut fill is where you cut into the hillside and remove the soil. You will need to decide ahead of time what will be done with the excess soil.

A fill site is where you will need extra soils to fill in behind the entire wall. You will need to plan ahead to have good backfill materials brought onto the site.