Sloping land is involved in many new construction cases, and if this is true for you, you will need to ensure that the soil is appropriately levelled out and stabilised before you begin the process of building.  The best way to do this is by installing structural retaining walls as necessary. Here’s what you need to know.

Why is it Necessary to Build a Retaining Wall before You Build?

In many cases, you will need to have a structural retaining wall erected before you can begin building your home.  This is because many home sites today are sloping and, to create the flat land that is required for stable building, you will need to perform a cut and fill, which is where you excavate soil from certain areas and fill others.  This cut and fill needs to be supported in order to ensure that it does not collapse into the levelled area, and this is the purpose of the retaining wall.  One or more retaining walls may be necessary depending on the slope of the land and how much excavation is required.

In the majority of cases, retaining walls are required for your own building but in some cases, retaining walls are required on property boundaries in order to support soil on two properties at the same time. This may mean that even if you’re not ready to build for a while, you may have to erect the retaining wall so that your neighbour can build.  The retaining wall can be a shared expense and you are able to build your boundary fence on top of the retaining wall in order to maximise space as much as possible.

Choices in Retaining Walls

Even though retaining walls can be made from materials including timber, concrete, concrete blocks, brick, and masonry, you will want to consider using a material that is very low in maintenance and also incredibly strong, such as concrete sleepers or similar.  Concrete or masonry retaining walls will not rot, warp, decay, or be susceptible to termites and other borers and they are also able to hold back significant weight, which is vital if you are holding back soil from a building.  If you are unsure about what materials you can use for your retaining wall, ask your builder or retaining wall professional what they recommend.  You should also make sure that you have all the building permits that are required of a structural retaining wall.