Retaining Wall Base Width Formula

Building codes and retaining walls 5.

Retaining wall base width formula.

25 mm for each 1 ft 300 mm of wall height for the amount or buried block that is needed. Wood retaining walls 14. Thoroughly planned and ably performed wall construction will help to ensure the retaining wall s stability. The footing is usually made of poured concrete but in some situations homeowners may instead opt to simply use tamped earth or a gravel base.

Gabion walls 16. Earthquake seismic design 7. Forces on retaining walls 6. Counterfort retaining walls 12.

Before we proceed with the design it is important for the designer to know the geometric variable and parameters of the retaining wall. Height of the retaining wall. Stem thickness at the. See our retaining wall cost guide to find the average price of a retaining wall.

Retaining wall base trench. Cantilevered tilt up walls 13. Insufficient stem width resulting in failure or excessive rotation of the stem. Retaining wall failures are almost always attributable to poor design or poor construction.

Follow the block manufacturer s instructions for wall height limits. More information on retaining walls where the base trench steps up a slope. Pier and pile foundations 11. If the wall is l feet long h feet high and t inches thick then the trench needs to be l feet long 0 12h feet deep and 2t inches wide.

Avoid having downspouts pointed at the retaining wall and if it s against the house keep soil and mulch well below the siding. Width of the base. We recommend making the base twice as wide as the block depth to account for settling. Divide the base depth of 5 to 7 inches depending on the height of the wall by 1 944 to determine the square yardage of the depth of the gravel base beneath the wall.

One key aspect of retaining wall construction is preparing a solid footing or foundation. Thickness of the base. Refer to figure a 2 below. For level top surface the base width of wall is determined in the same way as the cantilever type retaining wall.

Soil bearing and stability 8. 600 mm wide the length of the wall the depth of the trench will be 6 in. Preparing the retaining wall base. Insufficient footing width resulting in rotation or settlement of the wall.

Designing the cantilever wall stem 9. Figure a 2 retaining wall geometric variables. Estimate the amount of gravel needed to pack the trench at the base of the retaining wall. Width of the toe.

The retaining wall should be set embedded below grade on a level base of 6 gravel or stone. Dig a base trench 24 in.