retaining wall alternative

[HaydnG]

I am looking to build about 30 lin metres of retaining wall on sloping ground from 0 to 1300 at it highest point.

I have had a look at various systems, eg blocks, concrete/timber sleepers, crib walls and it's all pretty expensive even without foundations depending on the system.

Just wondering if any one has done a sleeper type wall with I-beam posts and poured concrete inside formwork placed in between?

Basiscally it would be a concrete sleeper wall, and instead of buying separate concrete sleepers and hauling them up and in between the posts, I would make up some formwork, pop in some reo and pour them in situ.

I can get the posts pretty cheaply and I am looking to mix the concrete in a GMC cement mixer they have on special at the moment at Bunnies.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[SilentButDeadly]

If you want to try something a bit different, possibly within budget and easy enough to set up (not much required for foundations) then go here
http://www.maccaferri.com.au/wa.asp?...&idDetails=103

I priced the 2000 x 500 x 500 wire gabion and found them surprisingly affordable given they are an architectural product.

[Bleedin Thumb]

I would be surprised if you could build a retaining wall to 1.3m without Council approval. To gain that approval you will probably require an engineer's certificate - I may be wrong but either way you should design it in a manner that would gain an engineers approval if needed.

The cheapest way I know of building a retraining wall is with tyres filled with earth. It helps if you can get the same thickness tyres, diameter doesn't matter.
You may find the idea a bit ugly. If the looks dont worry you PM and I can post instructions.

[Spelunx]

I did 38 metres of retaining at my old place, using reconstituted limestone blocks. Hell of a lot of hard work, with lots of favours called in and lots of favours still owing.

I needed it to look good, so it was pretty much the only option.

I live in an area that is very hilly, close to the beach, so retaining is everywhere.

The thing with retaining is that it needs to stand the test of time. You can retain a fair bit of sand with the old fibro super-six fencing, but it will only last a year or two before leaning or cracking, and then you have made the job twice as hard.

Plenty of people around here try to get creative and try to save bucks on a cheap retaining wall for their holiday home, which is fine if they know what they are doing, but too many end in tears.

I have had a few mates go the way of post and rail concrete, the stuff that is pre-set to size, and you put it up like a fence. This stuff will certainly do the retaining, but in my opinion, looks bloody aweful! But hey, if its a holiday house or you are planning to put a shed up in front of it, looks don't matter.

My advice to you is to look into the cost of getting the limestone from a supplier, rather than from a shop. Also look into seconds, as you can save a fortune on this. I saved a heap of money by using coffee-rock behind the wall, and tying it in with 10mm s/s bars, shaped into U shapes. I can explain in more detail if you are interested.

My wall was 1300 at it's highest point, and I needed to get Shire approval for this. This was important to me as I wanted to sell the house in a few years time, and not having approval can halt a sale.


Anyway, goodluck and happy seeking, hopefully someone will come along and give you some advice that will be exactly what you are after!

[colleend]

Shop around, we found that some of the big name retaining wall products are very expensive, eg starting with a B ending with an L. However we found this company was half the price and they look fantastic, they can also take the height easily, better in fact than some of the big brands.

http://www.gbmasonry.com.au/walls.asp

Significant other did the work, and can post piccies if you are interested. In sydney prices varied by nearly $3 a block by ringing around.

Colleen

[HaydnG]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words of wisdom and experinces. It has certainly given me cause to think about alternatives. I'll update with some pictures when I work out what to do!

Haydn

[silentC]

The cheapest way I know of building a retraining wall is with tyres filled with earth.

Yep that's what I have done down the back where no-one can see. Not great for a feature wall, but then at the moment you can barely see the tyres in mine because of all the... umm, let's call it vegetation...