How To Build A Concrete Sleeper Sunshine Coast Retaining Wall.
When it comes to building a retaining wall, well as your probably aware you have a number of options available. Depending on what you’re after and the area where you will be building your retaining wall. Today I want to cover concrete sleepers Sunshine Coast retaining walls. They are a great fit for the Queensland way of living.
Concrete sleeper retaining walls are a convenient and attractive lasting type of retaining wall. Gone are the days where you have to use a timber second hand sleeper. Like most walls all the work is done in the preparation. With the concrete retaining wall, once you have all the structure in place it’s a matter of placing in the sleepers and your good to go. Having said that let’s take a closer look at concrete sleepers.
All About Concrete Sleeper Retaining Walls.
Yep, It’s pretty obvious that the concrete retaining walls are made out of concrete. And they are very strong. They are constructed with reinforced steel for extra strength and durability. These types of retaining walls are a good option if you want to build a retaining wall over 2 metres. You can go bigger if you need but other factors will come into play like your local council and engineering guidelines. But for the average residential property within the sunshine coast area they are an ideal material to use if that’s the look you want.
When it comes to look you again have a number of options, hence the popularity of them. You can go for different colours and textures to help blend in to your garden or area of choice. The colour you choose is actually mixed into the concrete, so there’s no chance of any fading.
This is something we can chat about if you choose to get in touch with us about a concrete retaining wall for your sunshine garden. We can look at all the options.
The Benefits Of Concrete Sleeper Retaining Walls.
Like all types of retaining walls they all have their individual benefits. So that’s what we will check out today. They Include the following benefits.
- They are resistant to termites and other pain in the ass insects.
- They are very strong
- They won’t split or rot like a timber sleeper will.
- They are very low if any maintenance, unless you want to give they a wash.
- They are pretty straightforward to construct. (Meaning less on labour costs)
- They will last for many years.
- They are a great option for boundaries.
- They are great for subdividing sloping land.
One of the great things about building concrete sleeper retaining walls is they can be done relative easy if you know what your doing. Higher walls may need special equipment but for a small wall, on the condition you get the earth prepared correctly you could have a crack yourself. So what I’d like to do is go through the process of building a beautiful sunshine coast concrete sleeper retaining wall. Remember we are always here to help if need be. And If your not one to be bothered with this, like most of my friends are, We’d be happy to build it for you. We have all the equipment and the skills to get the job done right the first time.
How To Build A Concrete Sleeper Retaining Wall.
As I’ve said already this first part is the most important. If you get the measurements and the planning of the base wrong you’re in for a bit of fun, and sweating and maybe the odd foul word.
When your planning your area for the retaining wall it’s important to note the base has to be one level. This is what I’d recommend. Start by creating a line using string to line the surface. And connect the string to a series of pegs that will be inserted into the ground to hold things together.
Now depending on the length of the concrete sleepers, mark out the areas for the holes. Now some sleepers can come in different sizes so please keep that in mind.
Prepare The Base
This where you’ll need a mini loader if your going for a larger or longer wall. Otherwise the trusty old hand tools might have to come into play. If your only building a small wall. You should be all good. When excavating you’ll want to go around 600mm deep and around the 450mm round mark, you’ll want this for attaching the brackets. Make sure you leave enough room for backfilling the wall, around 200mm.
Dig And Secure The Posts.
Ok once you have the holes dug in the right place and the depth is sufficient, place the post into the whole making sure it’s nice and straight. Once all the posts are in and level fill with concrete.
Install The Concrete Sleepers.
Once the concrete is dry and the posts are set in place, you will need to leave for a day or so for everything to be set in place. Then you can add the sleepers by simple slotting them in place.
Once you have the sleepers all in place you will need to leave the retaining wall for at least 4-6 days before you add the backfill. Remember you will need to add drainage in place for excess water. The last thing you want is for any water to put pressure on the wall. Drainage is vital for your wall to last the test of time.
Depending on what the area is for you can add the required backfill. And remember to add a soil plug.
And there you have it, your own concrete sleeper sunshine coast retaining wall. Remember we are here to help if you feel this is out of your skill level. We offer very competitive and quality retaining walls for your sunshine coast property. Get in touch if you would like our help.
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