The Pastoria Project Sunnyvale Apartments in Sunnyvale, California, is an apartment building that was looking to add a wall to their property. They needed a retaining wall that could double as a privacy wall. We helped them select the perfect precast concrete style that met all of their needs – form, and function.
Why Precast Concrete?
This client wanted to choose a product that gave the buildings a modern look. They also wanted something that would contrast the smooth stucco on the outside of the building. Modern, but not too slick.
The texture was needed to balance the smooth stucco, so they went with our CHISELSTONE™ style. CHISELSTONE™ mimics the look of chiseled slate masonry. Chiseled slate masonry usually is a very time and money-intensive method of building a wall. Precast concrete has all the benefits and none of the drawbacks.
Precast concrete could give them the look they wanted at a much lower cost and a lot less effort than actual chiseled slate masonry walls. Precast concrete would also have the strength to serve as a retaining wall and last for many years.
Project Details
This project was a little tricky to get the permits approved, but our engineers were able to work through it with the city. The city wanted the engineering a certain way, and we made sure we got it that way. Making the city happy is necessary to make the project happen.
The precast wall served two purposes. One, to provide privacy for residents. Two, to serve as a retaining wall between the apartments and the neighboring property. Because the wall is also a retaining wall, the footings required cages to keep the wall standing strong.
Everything was built and cast indoors in our fabrication facility before being transported to the project location. Once onsite, the wall was quickly assembled in just 14 days! In the end, three truckloads of material were delivered to the project location.
We engineered the job to meet the requirements set by the city of Sunnyvale. The precast concrete wall was designed to be an 8-foot high wall with 1 foot of retaining wall. The client needed the wall to also serve as a retaining wall. The neighboring property is one foot higher than our clients. A retaining wall helps to make sure none of the neighbor’s property ends up in our client’s property!
All in all, we installed 420 feet of CHISELSTONE™ wall with integral color. We honestly think it looks fantastic! We reinforced the concrete with wire mesh and rebar because extra strength was needed.
What Made This Project Special?
We had to work extra to make sure we were making the city was happy. We don’t leave our clients to deal with problems like these alone. We needed to be part of the conversation to make sure the project happened the right way.
We offered a Turnkey solution for this client. We installed this beautiful and functional wall in 14 days – with inspections!
Contact American Precast Concrete Today!
If you have any questions about precast concrete, contact us. We are here to help you with all your precast fencing questions and needs.