Retaining wall needed for this home to protect it from the rain

Depending on where you live, dealing with heavy rain and the threat of landslides or floods might be major factors when planning your home or business. According to FEMA, just one inch of flooding in your home or business can cost you $27,000 in repairs. Landslides have the potential to bury your building completely. Most use some kind of concrete retaining wall for protection from landslides and flooding. Here are the top benefits of precast concrete retaining walls.

Quick and Timely Construction

american precast concrete retaining wall installation in progress

Precast concrete is not poured on-site like cast-in-place concrete. It is manufactured in a temperature-controlled facility by skilled technicians. Once all the concrete components are complete, they are shipped to your project site to be assembled.

Assembly is relatively easy for precast concrete retaining walls and doesn’t need skilled workers – although you might need a crane or forklift. The mapped area is prepped and leveled, the support posts installed into the ground, and the wall panels are lifted over the support posts to slide into place. Concrete caps are placed over the support posts to cover the opening, and the precast concrete retaining wall is finished.

With cast-in-place concrete, each step has to happen one at a time. With precast concrete, you can cast multiple parts at once and do other steps, like prepping the ground, while the concrete is casting. Since everything is made indoors, there are no weather delays. Most times, your precast concrete retaining wall will be ready much quicker than other methods of construction.

A Precast Concrete Retaining Wall  is Long-Lasting and Durable

top benefits of a precast concrete retaining wall by American precast concrete inc.Another considerable benefit of pouring the precast concrete retaining walls in a temperature-controlled facility is it is much easier to control the quality. Bad temperatures and weather can lower the strength of concrete during the curing process. In fact, concrete has an optimal curing temperature.

The concrete is typically also cast with steel reinforcement and strengthening mesh. Both of these options are relatively typical of all concrete walls – including cast-in-place – but sometimes mistakes during cast-in-place concrete pouring can leave voids or gaps that damage the effectiveness of the reinforcement.

Every part is thoroughly inspected before leaving the facility. If a wall panel is a cast that is less than optimal, that part is removed and replaced with a better one. This is another layer of protection to ensuring the precast concrete retaining wall is durable and will last. You don’t want to be worried about the strength of your retaining wall when a storm comes through.

Retaining Walls are Cost-Effective

One of the biggest budget killers when doing a cast-in-place concrete retaining wall is paying for the construction and removal of all concrete forms. Precast concrete molds can be reused over and over again – often up to 40 or 50 times. This helps cut the cost to make the wall, and that savings should be passed on to you.

Because the walls are so long-lasting and durable, thanks to the way they are made, maintenance costs are minimal when compared to other retaining walls. Usually, the wall will just need the occasional wash and inspection.

Recent Precast Retaining Wall Projects by American Precast

Precast concrete retaining wall put up by American Precast in Sunnyvale, CA.

Our latest retaining wall project for the Pastoria Project Sunnyvale Apartments in California used our CHISELSTONE™ fencing. This client wanted to choose a product that gave the buildings a modern look, but also have contrast to the smooth stucco on the outside while being able to protect their apartments from any water damage. Knowing this, they chose our CHISELSTONE™. CHISELSTONE™ was the perfect product for this retaining wall since it can be built on a hill/slope.

We engineered the job to meet the requirements for the city of Sunny Vale. This project was an 8ft high wall with 1 foot of concrete retaining and the neighbor’s side is one foot higher than our clients. The permit approval process was a little tricky but our engineers were able to work through it with the city.

They wanted the engineering a certain way and we made sure we got it the way the city required. The footings required cages due to the retaining aspect of the job. The wall has been reinforced with wire mesh and rebar. We offered a Turn Key solution for this client. Installed in 14 days with inspections.

They now have 420 feet of our chiseled slate masonry-like CHISELSTONE™ wall with integral color. And we might be biased…. but it looks amazing!

To learn more about our weatherproof, fireproof, and pest-resistant CHISELSTONE™ and other precast products, contact us today!

Contact American Precast for a Concrete Retaining Wall Consultation

Contact American Precast Concrete Inc. today to get started on your precast concrete project. American Precast will give you a free consultation before starting your project.