How Thick Are Concrete Retaining Walls
The footing should be at least as thick vertically as the wall s planned width.
How thick are concrete retaining walls. Poured concrete foundation walls that are less than 8 feet tall and have soil outside that is 6 or 7 feet deep against the wall can often be 8 inches thick and function quite well. A poured concrete footing for concrete block or brick walls should be at least twice as wide as the planned wall. The thickness or depth of concrete basement walls plays an integral role in their long term strength and durability. In most cases square footage is the most significant factor in determining your final cost to build a retaining wall.
Mass or thickness is your friend in almost all cases when designing and building a retaining wall. B short retaining walls vertical walls up to about 3m in height are usually built as shown in figure 1 b. The footing dimensions will largely be determined by the size of the wall. Many variables affect that cost including the design the wall s location on your property and how much concrete contractors in your area charge.
To create a solid foundation dig a trench for the first course of your interlocking retaining wall blocks to sit in and make sure the ground remains even throughout. Concrete foundation walls support the home standing above so any weakness can undermine the stability of the house. The thicker the wall is at its base the better. For a basic wall you can expect to pay between 30 and 60 per square foot.
The total cost to have a concrete retaining wall installed will be a combination of material and labor prices. If you add a decorative finish curves steps lighting or other upgrades the cost will rise. The success of your retaining wall depends on a level base. The wall can get thinner as the wall gains height.
Determine the planned wall s height and width. These consists of a concrete or masonry wall of uniform thickness vertical wall reinforcing and transverse footing reinforcing are all designed for the lateral shear and cantilever bending movement plus the vertical weights of the wall footing and earth fills. For cantilever and counterfort walls the stem thickness at the base is often about 10 of the total wall height as is the base slab thickness. Nationally the cost to install a concrete retaining wall ranges from 2 000 to 15 000 but the average cost is 3 500.
The spacing between the stakes will depend on how thick your retaining wall will be and the thickness of the wooden planks used as the forms. The appropriate depth of the wall depends on several factors and there is no single standard for every home. Counterfort retaining walls have counterforts spaced at center to center distances of about 30 to 70 of the total wall height.