How to Repair a Bowing Retaining Wall?

Your retaining walls are designed to stand vertically, withstand heavy pressure from soil, and enhance your home’s aesthetics. But if your retaining walls are built poorly, they will bow over time. Moreover, if your home does not have an adequate drainage system, saturated soil increases pressure and creates bowing in your retaining walls.

Read this article to learn more about bowing walls, how to repair a bulging retaining wall, and the costs of repairing a leaning retaining wall.

What Is a Bowing or Leaning Retaining Wall?

Bulging, cracking, and visible leaning are among the common signs of a bowing retaining wall. Retaining walls are built to hold soil back and prevent soil erosion. But when the soil around the walls is saturated, it puts pressure on your walls and causes bowing. Some other factors that weaken your retaining walls are root intrusion, damaged gutters or downspouts, and poorly graded landscapes. It’s important to regularly check your retaining walls to detect any signs of damage and avoid costly repairs in the future.

Signs and Symptoms of Bowing Retaining Wall

To take proactive measures to prevent damage, keep an eye out for the following signs of deterioration in retaining walls:

• Wood rotting
• Crumbling foundation
• Cracked walls
• Efflorescence
• Leaning walls

Any delay in repairing your leaning retaining walls means that they are constantly bearing excessive pressure, which can lead to further damage.

Causes of Bowing Retaining Wall

Your retaining wall is meant to protect your property by reducing the chances of soil erosion. If your retaining walls are leaning, here are a few possible causes.

• Improper drainage system: If the soil around your retaining wall absorbs excess moisture, it will create pressure pushing against the structure. Consequently, the walls bow when the soil around them is saturated due to an ineffective drainage system.
• Incorrect materials: If your contractor used low-quality materials, the walls will crumble over time.
• Faulty construction techniques: If the construction process of the walls involved any unreliable methods or incorrect calculations, they will fail quickly.
• Aged walls: As retaining walls age, the materials weaken and may crack. Even quality materials may wear out over time once they are past their lifespan.
• Unexpected load: If you construct a new building near your retaining walls without increasing the support, they may collapse due to increased load.
• Expansion of tree roots: If large trees grow near your retaining walls, their roots may intrude on the wall’s foundation and compromise its structural integrity. As a result, cracks form, leading to structural failure.

How To Repair a Leaning Retaining Wall?

Repair experts take leaning retaining walls seriously because they may indicate deeper foundation problems. Ignoring buckling walls can lead to potential collapse in the long run.

At American Eagle Professional Services Inc., we are foundation experts. We have helped multiple homeowners repair retaining walls and regain their property value. This step-by-step process is how we fix retaining walls to restore their structural stability.

Step 1: Wall Assessment

First, we inspect your retaining walls and assess the damage. Based on the underlying issue, we recommend the appropriate solutions and provide a detailed quote.

Step 2: Install Reinforcements

Next, we install helical tiebacks, wall anchors, or carbon fiber straps to strengthen your retaining walls.

Step 3: Add drainage system

If the soil around your retaining walls is highly saturated, we regrade the land and add necessary drainage systems to evacuate water consistently and reduce pressure.

Step 4: Regular monitoring

After we finish stabilizing your retaining walls, we ensure that they have regained their functionality. If we observe any damage during our periodic visits, we mend it as soon as we notice it.

Best Methods To Repair Bowing Retaining Wall

What works best for your bowing retaining walls depends on the underlying issue and the severity of the damage.

Here is a walkthrough of some of the best methods for repairing bowing retaining walls:

• Helical Tiebacks

Helical tiebacks, also known as screw anchors, are used to provide lateral support to your retaining walls. The helical tiebacks are screw-shaped rods used to stabilize your walls without excavation. We install these bars by anchoring one end of the tieback onto the retaining wall and screwing the other end at an angle into the soil. Tiebacks create the necessary tension to stabilize thew all.

• Wall Anchors

Wall anchors are the perfect solution for retaining walls that are bowing more than 2 inches. Our experts from American Eagle Professional Services Inc. dig narrow holes and place SafeBasements ™ wall anchors in stable soil. These anchors are attached to your walls with rods and tightened over time to straighten and stabilize them.

• Carbon Fiber Wall Straps

Carbon fiber straps are the best solution if your walls are bowing less than 2 inches or have cracks of any type. Our experts install these thin yet strong, flexible, and waterproof straps to prevent cracking and bowing and restore stability to your wall.

We do not recommend attempting a repair yourself because some methods are labor-intensive and require special skills and experience for proper installation. Contact American Eagle Professional Services Inc. for cost-effective and long-lasting solutions.

Bowing or Leaning Retaining Wall Repair Cost

The average cost of repairing a retaining wall ranges from $10 – $150 per square foot. Your cost of repairing leaning retaining walls greatly differs according to the repair methods used, as stated below:

• Helical tiebacks: $6,000 – $7,200
• Carbon fiber straps: $1,700 – $5,000
• Wall anchors: $1,600 – $2,800
• Wall straightening: $340 – $550 per square foot

Conclusion

Before repairing your bowing retaining wall, it’s important to detect the source of bulging or bowing walls. Trust our expert team to inspect your walls thoroughly and implement effective solutions.

For more queries related to bowing retaining walls and their repair, reach out to American Eagle Professional Services Inc. Let us resolve your concerns and fix your leaning walls to restore their functionality.

Contact us at 1 (410) 263-9682 or visit 605 Main Street, Suite 204, Stevensville, MD 21666, for a free estimate today.