How Goodmanson Construction Installs a Retaining Wall

Hello Everyone!!!!

I got back just in time for the excitement of the Roseville “Living Smarter” Home and Garden Fair!!! Yeaaaa

This week I’m going to talk a bit about Retaining Wall installation.

There are a lot of kinds of Retaining Walls out there, built of everything you can think of. A lot of them are wood retaining walls, some are natural stone retaining walls.

Some you build yourself over a summertime by assembling logs and stones, others you need to call a professional (guess which ones we do?).

First, as with relationships, you need to start out with a good foundation.

Here at Goodmanson Construction (Developing Concrete Relationships Since 1971) we start our Retaining Wall systems with 6 inches of power tamped, recycled concrete that is 6 inches deeper then the depth of your chosen block.

Also, our footings extend a minimum of 6 inches in front of and behind your wall.

We don’t “eyeball” our walls to check for level. We use a laser level to ensure a straight and level wall.

Next comes the block

There are many designs and sizes to choose from. For concrete retaining walls, logically, you’ll need concrete retaining wall blocks. Give us a call at 651-636-4996 and have one of our expert designer/estimators show you what’s out there.

Our first course of block will be installed with at least 3/4 of the block below grade. This will ensure your wall remains straight all the way to the top. Now comes the fun part to watch (It’s all fun to watch, but the precision and efficiency of our expert craftsmen building your wall is a real joy). We construct your wall in accordance to the manufactures requirements and design.

Now we need a drainage system

This is something that a lot of folks don’t consider when they are building their own homespun retaining walls. You have to take pressure off the wall and to give the water somewhere to go, which will help to control erosion.

For concrete walls, this is even more important. Poured concrete doesn’t give water a lot of places to go, but all that pressure builds up and you could potentially have a blowout (that’s very bad) so we need to give some careful consideration to drainage.

The soil behind the wall will be excavated to allow for geo-synthetic reinforcement, river rock and drain tile.

This allows Goodmanson Construction to guarantee your wall for 5 years (Bet you don’t find another retaining wall contractor in Saint Paul or Minneapolis MN that offers that!). Ask your Goodmanson Project Designer for specifics.

When your wall is complete, we will brush the wall clean, pick up all debris and haul it away, so you can sit back and enjoy you beautiful new wall.

See you all next time….and don’t forget to come visit us TOMORROW at the Roseville “Living Smarter” Home & Garden Fair