Have you ever seen a retaining wall? Maybe a short structure of concrete or concrete blocks that track a property boundary line and keep the hill of earth behind it at bay. Retaining walls come in all shapes and sizes, but they all serve a similar purpose: they are stabilizing structures that hold back the earth. Simple. And there are many reasons why a person would need a retaining wall. There’s the suburban-type wall built to separate a slope of earth from cascading into a home’s foundation or from ruining a home’s lawn, and the more complicated (although similar built) concrete or shotcrete wall that keeps back erosion, hills of shale, stabilizes huge slopes above highways and roads, etc. A retaining wall can even be as simple as a design element within a landscape used to separate the earth into different grades for aesthetic appeal.
Erosion is a problem in some landscapes, and a retaining wall can be built to prevent soil from being washed away. Retaining walls are even effective on large properties where rain and snow and even irrigation can wash soil away from the property. Stabilization is important because the slope, under the pressure of gravity, has a lateral pressure which may lead to the soil’s movement downwards. The wall will redistribute the weight load of the soil, equalizing and accommodating the lateral pressures, and preventing the soil from sliding.
And if you choose to build a retaining wall for aesthetic appeal, the wall can be built to suit from a variety of different materials; it can even be dyed a color of your choosing. Walls built for the purposes of visual appeal are stunning in the right landscape—imagine a garden wall separating two layers of garden space, and the beauty of seasonal vines draped over the face.
Shotcrete Montana can help with even the biggest of retaining wall projects. If you have any questions about how the shotcrete experts at Shotcrete Montana can help you in your next project, then call today.
