Serving Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties.
Retaining Wall Installation
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Block Retaining Wall or Timber Construction
Patioscape gives multiple options when it comes to building new retaining walls and replacing existing walls on your property: Versa-lok and treated timber walls are the two most popular options as you will see from our work
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Each style of wall has its own benefits, but both are attractive and long-lasting. We'd be happy to go over the options with you and lay out the possibilities.
Call now and get the discussion going with a free consultation!
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See examples of our past projects on the portfolio page!
Block Retaining Walls Pittsburgh
Do you have a retaining wall that is showing signs of failure? Does your property consist of uneven hills and slopes that could be turned into a flat useable space? If you’re from the Pittsburgh area, chances are you have answered yes to one of the previous questions. We, at Patioscape, have the education, experience, and expertise to provide you with a retaining wall that you can admire for many years to come.
We are an NCMA SRW-certified company with over 30 years of combined experience in the hardscaping industry. Over those years, we have completed over 200 retaining walls of various sizes without a single failure. We understand a retaining wall is a major investment and also a potential liability to a homeowner if built improperly. That’s why, at Patioscape, we build each wall completely to spec.
We use materials from top manufacturers such as Lampus, VERSA-LOK, and Techo-Bloc retaining walls. We do not cut corners and complete each project as if it were being installed at our own homes. We will work with local municipalities to obtain the proper permits when necessary. We also work when engineering firms when engineered walls are needed.
Timber Walls Offer a Cost-Effective Choice
A timber retaining wall, which is also known as a railroad tie wall, is an excellent, cost-effective alternative to the standard concrete block wall, and some homeowners prefer the look.
In most cases, you can expect a timber wall to last a good 20 years.
Using the process outlined below, Patioscape has built over 100 timber walls in all sizes, and we've never had a failure!
- We excavate to a depth that allows embedment of the base courses. We also excavate back a minimum of four feet to allow for the placement of tiebacks and the creation of the cribbing area.
- In cribbing, the tiebacks are all connected to lateral ties in what is basically a partial, buried wall behind the main wall. This arrangement helps prevent leaning.
- The cribbing area is filled with gravel or another clean fill material, and we install drainage pipes that ensure the proper movement of water from behind the wall.
We back up our work with a five-year craftsmanship warranty.
Versa-Lok Retaining Wall Process
The first part of the retaining wall process begins with excavation for the wall base and gravel French drain area behind the wall. The base area is dug down a minimum of 6 inches to accommodate crushed gravel to provide the wall with a solid foundation. The area is also dug back a minimum of 3 feet to provide a drainage area for gravel, a drainage pipe, and fresh soil to prevent hydrostatic pressure from pushing against the wall.
After the excavation process, the wall base is filled with crushed gravel that is machine-compacted to provide a solid foundation. Next, the base courses of the blocks are installed with each block being leveled side-to-side with the adjacent blocks. After the base blocks are installed, the rest of the wall is stacked out to the proper height with each course being stacked half-bond to provide structural stability.
During this process, geogrid may be added to the wall depending on the structural requirements. The final part of the process is back-filling the wall with crushed gravel, and fresh topsoil, and also adding topsoil to any areas damaged by excavation equipment.
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Serving the Allegheny County and Westmoreland County, PA area. Patioscape specializes in paver patios, outdoor living spaces, retaining walls, fire pits, and pergolas. Fully licensed and insured hardscape specialists. Competitively priced work with a 5-year warranty. 30+ years of combined experience. Call for our design-build services.
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