As our weather gets more unpredictable and extreme, many of us are dealing with periods of intense dry followed by intense rain. Having such strong weather patterns opens up the possibility of floods and landslides. With the increased risk of landslides, many businesses and homeowners are turning to retention walls. Here’s why you should choose precast concrete for your retaining wall.
Don’t Sacrifice Form for Wall Function
Even though your retaining wall has a job, you still have to look at it day in and day out. You want something that looks good and matches the aesthetic of your home or business.
At American Precast, we have different aggregates or colors that can be added to the concrete before pouring for long-lasting color or texture. We can even include designs in the forms if you are looking for a really unique retaining wall.
Durable and Long-Lasting Walls
Precast concrete is made in a climate-controlled indoor warehouse. This allows us to be more precise when pouring the concrete. The ideal climate for curing makes for the best and strongest product possible.
We also are able to be stricter with our quality control. Any part of your retaining wall that doesn’t meet our standards is recycled into aggregate. This is a lot harder to do when you pour concrete at the project site.
When compared to traditional cast-in-place concrete, precast concrete just creates a better product.
Less Work
With a better product comes less maintenance.
Other retaining walls typically require extensive maintenance. Stacked blocks often need to be restacked. Wood walls are constantly breaking. Cast-in-place concrete will need patches or for whole sections to be replaced.
With precast concrete retaining walls, most years will only require an inspection and quick wash.
If any part of the retaining wall is damaged, it is much easier to pop out the damaged section and pop in a new one.
Unlike regular precast concrete walls, a retaining wall will require the extra effort of retaining the soil before replacing the damaged section. This typically is just a matter of digging down and putting in a temporary retaining structure.
Cost-Effective
Thanks to how precast concrete is made, a precast concrete retaining wall is significantly less expensive than traditional concrete retaining walls.
We are able to maximize the quality of the product produced (meaning fewer repairs in the future). We are also able to reuse the forms used to create the concrete product – passing the savings to the customer.
Eco-Friendly
Another great advantage to precast concrete is how sustainable it is.
During manufacturing of the wall products, if a concrete product doesn’t meet our standards, it can easily be converted into recycled aggregate. With cast-in-place concrete or other retaining walls, it isn’t nearly as easy to recycle waste materials.
Because it is so durable and long-lasting, in the long run, less waste is produced. Say you need to replace another retaining wall twice during the life of the precast concrete retaining wall. That is double the raw material used and double the waste produced. Precast concrete is the clear winner!
American Precast Fences as Retaining Walls
American Precast Concrete Inc. has created custom retaining walls for various commercial, residential, and architectural projects. Contact us today to get a custom quote for your next precast retaining wall!