Replace Wood Ties or Add Retaining Wall? by Michigan Brick Paver
Replace Wood Ties or New Retaining Wall? by Michigan Brick Paver
Hi, Steve Dhondt here from PMS. I’m answering a question that I received online from a home owner.” I purchased a new home. The home owner has old wood ties and he wanted to know if he could replace those or is there another option? ”
On the wood tie, absolutely you can have that redone. That would be done by a carpenter. I don’t suggest doing that. They fail because obviously wood does rot and the ones that you’re going to find that are rotten are going to be the ones towards the bottom. So you’re going to be taking the whole thing down for the most part. What we recommend is a modular retaining wall system, which PMS does.
What we do is we excavate the base, 18 inches. We do a plate compactor with a 21 double base. You want to make sure you choose a wall, I would say at least a 40 pound wall with a setback. You’re going to build that wall to its height, stacking it back, so that way, you actually have weight pushing back on those soils. From there, you’re going to want to drop your geotextile fabric down to make sure you don’t have any erosion running through the wall. Then you’re going to tie that wall back with a geotextile tie-back, and that is going to go underneath the soil down the wall and across. The weight of the soil is going to hold that wall and pull it in.
The other thing you want to make sure you do if you’re going to build this type of wall is you want to make sure you have a perforated sock pipe that’s going to go in front of that wall or I should say behind that wall and draw out any excess water so it can pull that out from freezing and contracting.
Replace Wood Ties or New Retaining Wall? by Michigan Brick Paver
PMS Diversified offers retaining walls. If you’re looking for a new retaining wall for a patio, to hold back soils what have you, we’re the guys. Call 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS or go to weretheguys.com today. Thank you.