# Forum Home Renovation Retaining Walls  230mm brick retaining wall leaning over, repair or replace?

## achjimmy

Just buying a place with a 900mm high double brick retaining wall at the rear. It's approx 20m long and is bowing a tad in the middle and has cracked in the return and leaning just a bit. It's on a concrete footing by the looks of the original construction photos and has suffered no sinking. It's back filled with sandy soil. 
I am looking at renting this place for a few years before a Reno and using it ourself so my dilemma is do I go the hard yards now and hand excavate the soil behind, possibly look at anchoring or pulling the wall back and using geofabric and gravel or is a 230mm wall really inadequate for  900mm high ? And should I look at excavating and removing it with a machine and replacing with a step block retaining wall, using the original footing? 
be interested in thoughts? 
sorry can't seem to post photos ATM

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## Bros

I didn't think it would be possible to build a retaining wall that high out of bricks. I did a block laying course many years ago and you had to have decent foundations and some core filled blocks topped off with a bond beam and the only materiel that could do that was besser blocks.
I built mine out of 150 mm blocks.
The step blocks are they the diamond type that just rely on dead weight and keys to stay there? 
Waiting for the photo's.

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## joynz

Whatever you do, consider drainage.  
Also,  while you are renting it out, you can claim part of  the costs of repair on tax.  So if it was me, I would do any repairs that cost much money before moving in ( and in May or June!)

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## Marc

By double brick I assume you mean ordinary clay bricks ... I demolished a wall like that, 1.2 high and about 40m long on concrete footings that was leaning away from the dirt.  
When it is possible to build a good retaining wall with clay bricks, no one bothers doing it properly, then when it goes over, they blame the bricks ... funny. 
Push the wall back in one piece? I suppose you can try but I don't like your chances. I tried to push back a wall only 3m long that was leaning about 15 degrees and couldn't do it. But it can be done. Check how they fixed the tower of Pisa. If you are really determined, you probably need to cut it in sections, a task in itself. I wouldn't bother trying.  
The retaining wall I demolished, was replaced with Keystone. Whenever the original footings was deep enough I kept it, leveled it with roadbase. If the footing was too high I ripped that section out and packed the trench with crushed sandstone topped with road base. 10 years later the wall is just like when I built it. But I am Keystone fanatic. 
The usual considerations for drainage apply. Geotex, 20-50 aggregate, ag pipe, the usual thing. By the way, keystone does not need to be stepped back if you don't want to.

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## pharmaboy2

Just had parents house fixed with tying back - I think the threaded rod is every 600 and offset. It was on a big lean, so dug out, an anchoring concrete mass laid, then slowly tightened up the rod untill it was straight again. I think engineering was about $2k

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## achjimmy

Thanks guys. using an iPad it allows me to select the photos but when I push upload it just does nothing! 
its not much of a lean, I am just trying to get before it gets worse. But it's been there 28yrs so far. My thinking was few anchor points and threaded rod through the wall with plates and pull it back. Then anchor it and probably render it later? I'll try later to get photos up from a PC or iPhone.

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## achjimmy

Try again

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## Bros

That doesn't look to bad. Just fill up the mortal joint and no one would know.

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## Marc

> That doesn't look to bad. Just fill up the mortal joint and no one would know.

  +1 
if you really want to stop it from going further you can tie with tie rods and dig a trench back, but that may stay like that for another 20 years.

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## PlatypusGardens

> using an iPad it allows me to select the photos but when I push upload it just does nothing!

  A few things... 
...Use the "go advanced" reply option instead of "quick reply" 
...File size. I find that even a screenshot on my iPad can be too big.
Crop a few mm off one of the sides of the pic and it somehow drops from over 2Mb to 200Mb  :Unsure:   
Same applies for iPhone   :Smilie:

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## Bros

What you can do is top dress the yard and bring the ground level above the bricks so any surface water flows over the bricks and doesn't pool behind and soak in.

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## achjimmy

> A few things... 
> ...Use the "go advanced" reply option instead of "quick reply" 
> ...File size. I find that even a screenshot on my iPad can be too big.
> Crop a few mm off one of the sides of the pic and it somehow drops from over 2Mb to 200Mb   
> Same applies for iPhone

  thanks mate. it was the file size, just it gave no warning! All good now.

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## PlatypusGardens

> it was the file size, just it gave no warning.

  Yeh been caught out by that in the past   :Wink:

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## achjimmy

> What you can do is top dress the yard and bring the ground level above the bricks so any surface water flows over the bricks and doesn't pool behind and soak in.

  yeah thanks. Actually if I keep the wall I was thinking I would know the top course off and then render it. I don't like its height TBH.

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## PlatypusGardens

> yeah thanks. Actually if I keep the wall I was thinking I would know the top course off and then render it. I don't like its height TBH.

  
You think that'll work?
looks to me like there's cracks running all the way down the wall....?   :Unsure:   
movement = cracked render

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## Marc

I am confused ...
Can you actually fix the wall by using the go advanced instead of quick set and cropping a few mm off the side ...  :Confused:

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## PlatypusGardens

> I am confused ...
> Can you actually fix the wall by using the go advanced instead of quick set and cropping a few mm off the side ...

  Maybe down your way.
It's cheaper at Bunnings and contains more Propane than in QLD    :Wink:

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## achjimmy

> You think that'll work?
> looks to me like there's cracks running all the way down the wall....?    
> movement = cracked render

  Yeah I relive render would be useless ATM. thats why I would want to redo behind it with geo fabric and, gravel and tie it.

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## Marc

> Maybe down your way.
> It's cheaper at Bunnings and contains more Propane than in QLD

  Mm, now I am even more confused, but relieved that Op will cropp the render ...  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Mm, now I am even more confused

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## Bros

> Yeah I relive render would be useless ATM. thats why I would want to redo behind it with geo fabric and, gravel and tie it.

   Why bother as it has been there for 28 yrs and you will be renting the place just leave it until you move in. It's not going to catastrophically fall down.

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## Marc

Of course agree ... a bit of cosmetic mortar pointing will make it look as good as new ... for the next 10 years. 
Cropping the edge however sounds like a much easier way to do it !  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Hmmmmm 
Maybe just fill the cracks and paint it rather than render....?
Or not paint at all

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## Oldsaltoz

You should establish what is actually happening to the retaining wall.
Has the footing failed?
Is it just the weight of the earth on the brickwork?
Has got any drainage behind and below the wall?
Is the wall on the boundary, or can you still build in front of it. 
Looking at the information above I would be inclined to just do a bit of pointing to tidy it up and if you want it rebuilt. Do it just before the tenants move so you can claim it as maintenance. 
Then install a solid footing, a proper drainage system using concrete filled blocks with reinforcing steel bars and use tiles or decorative stone facing for a professional good looking wall. The advantage of facing the wall is that it can be easily maintained and updated if required when ready to sell. 
If the existing bricks match the house, you can slice the face off and tile the blocks with them. 
Good luck and fair winds.   :Smilie:

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