New build house retaining wall problem

Unicorn_cottage

Wildsurf said:

Unicorn_cottage said:

Wildsurf said:

Unicorn_cottage said:

Wildsurf said:

Not the best photos but shows that the "wall" is just a series of vertical posts with no horizontal support at all. Even we had treated the visible side surely the rot would have started on the other side which is just up against the soil. It is the lack of a horizontal support that seems a fundamental flaw. Even the better look poles are wobbly from.lack of support and weight of the soil.they are supporting.
I wasn't optimistic we'd be able to claim on anything but it is definitely sub-standard design in the first place that seems to be the issue here.

Yes that really is shockingly poor design. Is the path yours or communal or something else?

It doesn't belong to us, it leads to the gardens of the houses that back onto ours. No idea who legally owns it, just that it isn't us.

Yes but your garden is going to collapse onto that path. I know you probably know already but you need to devise a suitable solution to retain the soil. Concrete posts and gravel boards? Ultimately is gonna cost you a few quid.

Already had someone out to give us a quote.

Shocking that developers can get away with this!

Jeepers_Creepers

Wildsurf said:

Not the best photos but shows that the "wall" is just a series of vertical posts with no horizontal support at all. Even we had treated the visible side surely the rot would have started on the other side which is just up against the soil. It is the lack of a horizontal support that seems a fundamental flaw. Even the better look poles are wobbly from.lack of support and weight of the soil.they are supporting.
I wasn't optimistic we'd be able to claim on anything but it is definitely sub-standard design in the first place that seems to be the issue here.

Pretty much identical to my sis's house -  a row of 3" round posts sunk in a concrete trench. Completely rotten at ground level. For my sis, this held back the neighb's garden to stop it from falling in to my sis's land. 

She had a reasonable quote to sort it - I think around £600 - but I offered to do it using sleepers as posts so it would be more substantial and also look decent in her garden. Man, did I regret that...

I totally agree - it's rubbish quality. But - like any fence - it's a thing that will need replacing at intervals, so almost certainly won't be covered by any warranty. 

bucksbloke

Wood should not be used as a retaining structure. Where they need to do this they would normally use either brick or concrete. 

martindow

Is there another house above this wall?  If so they may be motivated to contribute to a repair before part of their garden disappears.  Is their anything in your paperwork or theirs tht specifies whose responsibility it is to maintain or repair the wall?

eddddy

Liability for repairs depends on what the land was originally like, and who did what.

Essentially, it's the responsibility of whichever party changed the level of the land.

If one land owner lowered the level of their land by digging out some earth, they have a duty to maintain the retaining walls around the land. i.e. to stop their neighbour's land falling away.

Or if the other land owner raised the level of their land by adding some earth, they have a duty to maintain the retaining walls around the land. i.e. to stop their earth falling onto the neighbour's land.

pinkteapot

bucksbloke said:

Wood should not be used as a retaining structure. Where they need to do this they would normally use either brick or concrete. 

Exactly what I was about to say.  We're in a new house. Our next door neighbour's garden is slightly higher than ours, and ours is about 5' higher than the field behind (it was a sloping site and it's been levelled). All the boundaries are walled (brick wall then rendered over). 

A wooden retaining 'wall' seems bonkers given that wood always rots in the end. 

AdrianC

I don't think those posts are the structural retaining element. I think they're probably just cosmetic, and the actual retaining element is behind them.

I hope so, anyway...

eddddy

Looking at the photos - are you sure the wooden posts are actually retaining anything?

I think it's more likely that there is some kind of concrete structure or similar behind the posts -  and the wooden posts have just been put in front of the concrete to make it look nice.

Jeepers_Creepers

Again, going by my sister's property - built just over 10 years ago - the identical round timber posts she had were the retaining wall. When removed, the neighbour's retained garden was visible, and the fence posts of the neighb's garden fence was planted very close to the edge - needless to say the fence was starting to lean alarmingly. And it was built like this by the builder from new. Having said that, the earth/soil was very compacted and wasn't about to collapse any time soon. 

She decided to go with timber for aesthetics, and by using treated 8x4 sleepers, it should last a fair time. I also soaked the sleeper ends in further preservative, and finally coated them in 'Black Jack' paint before setting them in the concrete trench that was there, although jack-hammering the new holes for these was an absolute pain. Behind these vertical sleepers I slid 8x2s, flat on edge, and with a plastic membrane between them and the garden, and finally pea shingle poured down between the sheet and the earth to allow drainage. It all looks like a solid 'sleeper' wall. 

But, I agree - the sensible thing would be to set concrete posts there - spaced, say, 6' as with a garden fence - and then use concrete 'gravel boards' or similar to actually retain the wall. This can all be painted, or climbing plants grown up it. 

 

Wildsurf

eddddy said:

Looking at the photos - are you sure the wooden posts are actually retaining anything?

I think it's more likely that there is some kind of concrete structure or similar behind the posts -  and the wooden posts have just been put in front of the concrete to make it look nice.

Absolutely sure there is nothing other than the wooden posts there. Only exposed mud/earth behind where the post has fallen out. Worse still the fence above is effectively built on top of the same posts. The neighbors have same problem, but a bigger drop and longer section of retaining wall.