Retaining Walls
Retaining Wall Fairness
In Western Australia subdivisions are usually completed with retaining walls in place on the boundary so that all blocks are level. For the rest of us if we are faced with a sloping site a retaining wall may be needed…
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Understanding Retaining Walls
Its quite usual when you have a sloping site to need a retaining wall to make the land you build on level. You might need a retaining wall just to have a flat garden. Retaining walls are not simple structures….
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Geotextile around Drainage Pipes
Many articles about installing agricultural drains recommend that you place a geotextile in the trench before the initial gravel surround and then wrap the geotextile over the gravel afterwards. You can also buy agi pipe with a geotextile “sock’ around…
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Front Fence Failure
Generally you don’t have to go far to find a front brick fence falling over like this one. Normally they fall over in the direction of the street. So why is this failure so common? Reasons For Failure People think…
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Fall Regulations
When you take the keys for your new home the house should comply with all regulations relating to falls. . . . . but after you move are you planning to do some improvements. If you are planning a deck…
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Alternatives to Retaining Walls
When it comes to a change of gradient in your land most people just thing ‘Retaining wall’. Perhaps you should think about some alternatives using a slope. What you need to consider is how to make sure at that erosion…
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Sleeper Wall – Appearance
Have you thought about about concrete for your sleeper wall? As well as plain concrete it’s possible to have a wide variety of other finishes, and colours. Here is an interesting ‘Stacked Stone’ appearance wall I saw the other week. Some of the…
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Silt Pits
Any drainage system should have silt pits at regular intervals. This includes both stormwater systems and agricultural drains. In the case of the above photo this is a combination drain and grate silt pit. (As the water can become stagnant…
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Placing Fill
Of so you want to place some fill. . . .perhaps behind a retaining wall to level a garden . . . So what do you need to understand? Here are some things to consider. Final Volume – Loose Volume Most people…
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Retaining Walls – Besser Blocks
If you want a rendered surface on your retaining wall one of the best ways of achieving this is by using ‘Besser Blocks’. These are hollow concrete blocks which are designed to incorporate steel reinforcement within the block. A few issues…
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