I've got a retaining wall in my backyard that's bowing out, and a friend suggested I should consider adding drainage to address the issue. I'm wondering what the best approach would be. Should I dig down and install a French drain near the base of the wall and maybe drill some holes in it? Or are there better methods I should look into?
3 Answers
If that wall is bowing, you should know it’s likely failed and will need to be reconstructed correctly to fix it. Ideally, a retaining wall of that height shouldn't have much deflection at all. Just adding drainage might not cut it. You may want to consider a more comprehensive solution.
It's crucial to review proper retaining wall construction methods. It seems like your wall might not have the right drainage tile at the bottom, and you might be missing adequate stone behind the wall along with geotechnical fabric to anchor the wall properly. I had to rebuild a couple of retaining walls before, and trust me, they haven’t budged in 20 years since I did it right. It might be worth looking into that before trying any quick fixes.
You can try adding drainage, but honestly, I think that wall has already failed. The proximity of a large tree nearby probably contributes to the issue. At this point, I'd just leave it as is—it's not like a mudslide is going to come crashing through your living room!