by Roger Dorwart
LOW
W ALLS
How to
overcome
nature's
desire to
topple your
wall
The probI em is a familiar one to most
builders and designers. The ground surface
at one location has to he higher (or
lower) than at some nearby point.
There isn't enough horizontal distance
between those two points to drop the
grade with a conventional 1:2 slope-or
flatter if it's to be a mowable lawn-so
the solution is some type of a retaining
structure.
Numerous choices are available.
They range in complexity from simple
gravity structures that rely on their own
dead weight to prestressed tie-back syst
e m s a n d r e i n f o r c e d e a r t h
embankments.
Generally