Only through a descriptive analysis of each type of wall can we hope to measure the differences of each.
Flagstone Retaining Walls: Flagstone 's been around since the dawn of time and used for everything. They were found to be plentiful in the mountain regions and carried all over since they were so flat and easy to stack. Quickly stacked by homeowners to keep any garden clear of livestock, they truly became permanent elements of any farm or ranch near enough to use them.
Mining operations found the larger stones and soon, especially in Europe and Great Britain, they were being used to construct buildings and even castles. Made of sandstone, a sedimentary stone, these were easily shaped however necessary. Where the larger stones were shaped and used for retaining walls, the structures could possibly be quite sturdy and virtually indestructible.
Segmental Retaining Walls: These retaining wall systems are created by using solid, high density concrete blocks in a variety of manners. Whether using interlocking pins, bars, or lips formed on the back edge of the block, all of them are designed to withstand the stresses required of a retaining wall. This can be a only thing these were designed to do.
Demanding specifications have been formulated by each manufacturer through rigorous testing to produce systems that will not fail if installed properly. Such conditions as soil density, wall height, load types, back fill, drainage, etc are calculated when designing the very best application for every location. This can be the only true case of engineering as pertains to residential retaining walls.
Concrete Block Retaining Walls: Concrete blocks have been used by housing contractors to create retaining walls since they first came out. It had been easy to hire the same subcontractor who they useful for the walls of the home to create the retaining wall. Some contractors take it one step farther by pouring the block cavities filled with concrete. This creates a far stronger wall especially when they put re-bar in to the block aswell. Doing more than building the wall and pushing dirt in behind it is rare.
The walls created this way are good to check out and may be bricked, stuccoed or painted to match the house as needed. Unfortunately, the finished product normally has no drainage behind it nor packed back-fill. Most of them fail within the initial five years while most of the ones that don't collapse form cracks which are non-repairable to state nothing of ugly.
Field Stone Retaining Walls: Field stones were first used for retaining walls for much the same reason as any stone. These were plentiful and free. Farmers and ranchers had a need to move them up from the fields so they became natural walls. Ireland has hundreds of miles of these type walls to contain the livestock. They simply unstack and re-stack sections to generate openings when needed.
Much has been finished with field stone in the us because they create a very natural structure even though the structural integrity cannot be measured. No testing has ever been done to provide installers with any kind of construction guidelines.
Railroad Tie Retaining Walls: Because of their regular shape, low priced, and easy accessibility, they have been used by almost every installer at once or another. They are referred to as the poor mans retaining wall. Some very elaborate walls have been constructed by using this material, some even in the commercial construction arena to aid buildings.
As with all wood that contacts the bottom, it rots from the bottom contact side outward. The evidence of the rot isn't even visible before timbers cave in. Another issue may be the center of any large timber as the treatment isn't absorbed that far inside.
If there was ever Check over here of availability dictating use, railroad ties will be the perfect example. The availability was only made possible because they were utilized by the railroad and removed when damaged or old. They flooded the market as an inexpensive material and the best use was for outdoor construction. Retaining wall construction was an all natural fit. Only recently has the EPA considered the creosote treatment as dangerous for the surroundings.
Landscape Timber Retaining Walls: They are the round edged timbers sold by many of the large landscape and hardware companies for used in homeowner landscaping. The level of treatment found in these timbers is far below what's necessary for ground contact. However they are cheap and the homeowner is nearly always swayed by cost over-all other considerations.
Landscape timbers can make an extremely pretty wall, have become easy to assemble, and can last for up to five years if they are not under any sort of pressure, such as the earth behind them trying to move. Be sure you put in a lot of drainage.
If a retaining wall is in your own future, think about the options carefully accounting for durability, dependability, and overall effectiveness. Much has been done within the last 5 years to generate an old style look to the brand new style retaining wall materials. You may be surprised at everything you find.