Recommendations for retaining wall work on Gold Coast

Can anyone recommend a reliable retaining wall person/ business that would do work on the Gold Coast?

Also, does anyone know if there are temporary measures that can be put in place to ensure it doesn't collapse before it is replaced? The only tradie I spoke to so far said they don't do that.

Have a retaining wall on the boundary of my IP, and recent rains have just about pushed it to collapse. There is is significant land slip on my side with my property on the high side, so it is pressing to get something done before major damage happens.

 

I don’t have any recommendations for a GC builder, but can give some tips on a make safe and rebuilding..

Install a large impervious tarp over the higher ground to prevent any surface water getting behind the wall (preventing hydrostatic load and loss of cohesion).

Get a Chippy/handyman to install some temp propping to the lower side. Nothing overly complicated, just timber studs driven into the ground and strutting back the top of the wall at a 45 degree angle. Chippy will Provide no warranty which is understandable.

Building a new wall - steer clear of landscapers who recommend rebuilding with timber sleepers - most likely with inadequate post embedment depth, no drainage etc. I’d recommend talking to a structural engineer first (required anyway for walls over 1m). They’ll talk you through the rebuild options, cost for different options (more expensive will give you longer design life), and put you in touch with a local builder.

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation @vbplease.
The supporting structure you describe should be doable.
Across approx 8 - 10 metres of wall how many studs do you reckon it would need?

Not sure I understand the positioning on the tarp. Does it just cover the top of the wall and say a metre back, with the remainder lapping over the retaining wall? And would it just be staked into the ground?

There may be other drainage issues too which need to be investigated.

Even if I get a structural engineer to advise, I'd still like to get some idea of what we are up against in terms of cost, so if any others have recommendations of retaining wall builders, it would be helpful. I expect that Brisbane tradies would cover the Gold Coast too.

 

Hi Whiz
I engaged Grant from Grant Proctor Stonemasonry (0411 533 311) about 18 months ago. I wanted to replace a really worn out wooden retention wall (central Gold Coast) by a much higher concrete retention wall to flatten my front yard (sloping down towards road).
Grant had very good advice for the design, managed to deliver on time (including arranging tree removals, heaps or soil etc) all way under quoted budget, and result is great. I can't recommend him enough. Retention wall is roughly 12m long by 1.2m high, plus a small return, and seeing how it was built, it should survive me!
Yann

 

That's great Yann. I'll get in touch with him. What kind of wall did he install?
What was the cost of your wall?

 

You need to brace each existing post. Id install 2 x studs per post. You may be able to use an existing sleeper as a flat plate to get some bearing at the base, and studs converted to spikes to stop it sliding out. I’ll see if I can post a pic

extend the tarp as far back as possible behind the wall to prevent this earth getting wet in future rainfalls, then it only needs to overhang the face of the wall slightly. Tie down with stakes.

 

Raking Shore Details

There’s a good pic here.. you prob don’t need the bottom strut.

 

Very useful pic. Much easier to pass on a photo to my chippy/handyman, along with a copy of your advice, so that they know what is required.
Thanks again.