Four Reasons You Should Consider Constructing Concrete Retaining Walls
Posted on: 5 May 2021
Concrete retaining walls are structures made of concrete used to correct land's natural slope to maintain a level landscape. For instance, a concrete retaining wall can get used for holding back a sloping patch of ground to make it immune to the adverse effects caused by weather such as soil erosion, mudslides, and flash flooding. Hence, a concrete retaining wall is mainly utilized to hold soil in place.
There are three types of concrete retaining walls distinguished by the kind of concrete used. Thus you get a retaining wall made of precast concrete, poured concrete, or concrete blocks. If you reside on sloping land, here are four benefits of installing concrete retaining walls on your property.
Prevent Soil Erosion
Soil erosion can occur as a result of rainwater or excessive winds. When loose soil comes into contact with strong winds or running water, it gets carried away, which is what we refer to as soil erosion.
During the construction of a house, the soil has to get dug out to create room for the foundation. Thus, the compact nature of the ground gets disturbed, and the soil becomes loose, thus facilitating easy erosion of the earth. If the soil around the foundation of the house gets eroded, it can affect the stability of the foundation. In the worst-case scenario, the foundation could collapse due to minimal support from the surrounding soil.
Hence, it is advisable to construct concrete retaining walls around your house to protect the soil that supports the foundation from getting eroded.
Minimize Land Slides and Floods
If your house is constructed on a slope, you may be held liable if a landslide or floods cause damage to a neighbor's property further down the slope. Suppose a landslide occurs on your property, and the authorities realize that the landslide happened because your property lacks any preventative measures. In that case, you can get sued for negligence if the landslide started on your property and caused property damage or injury to another person.
Thus, if you live on a slope where there are other properties below you, it is highly recommended to construct concrete retaining walls to minimize the chances of a landslide or flash flood. Besides, you wouldn't want the guilt of knowing that you could have prevented a catastrophe from happening weighing on your conscience.
Create More Usable Space
If you live on sloping land, you should have realized by now that it is difficult to use the land in its natural state properly. Thus, if you want to build or use the land for agriculture, you need to construct terraces.
The best way to ensure the terraces have the proper support to last is by constructing concrete retain walls on the lower side of each deck. Thus, even if flash floods occur, the terraces will not get damaged but rather hold their ground and protect any buildings or vegetation on them from getting carried away.
Save Money
If a flash flood or a landslide occurs, you can expect a tremendous amount of property damage. After such an event, the cost of rebuilding the damaged structures or re-planting crops on your land will drill a hole in your bank account. Sometimes you might even get into extreme debt trying to rebuild your property.
However, by simply investing in concrete retaining walls, you can significantly minimize the occurrence of flash floods and landslides. Even if these catastrophes occur, the concrete retaining walls will substantially minimize the amount of damage they cause.
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