What Are Concrete Block Retainer Walls?

There are two major types of concrete retaining walls. One type has no openings or empty space; and the other has a significant amount of empty space, but is cheaper and can be just as function in many instances. The first type of concrete retaining wall is often referred to as a “poured concrete” wall or a solid concrete wall.

The second type of concrete retaining walls, which we will focus on in this article, are called “concrete block retainer walls.” These concrete block retainer walls generally consist of block pieces—or cinder blocks—that are either held together by gravity (hence the term “gravity wall”) or are held together by mortar of some kind.

If the concrete block retainer walls you want to build must hold back a significant load, such as the case in walls that prevent avalanches, then you will definitely want to use a thick mortar and you will want to create a wall that is roughly 50% as thick as it is tall.

Additionally, if the soil is soft near your concrete block retainer walls, you will want to dig a deep hole and begin laying the blocks in the ground. This will allow your concrete block retainer walls to handle a significantly larger amount of pressure before they give way to push from either the earth against the wall or water.

You may also want to consider getting an engineer involved if your wall is holding back something dangerous. Engineers will be able to assess a number of potential hidden problems that could cause your concrete block retainer walls to collapse.

Additionally, you may want the engineer to determine whether or not it would be more cost-effective and safer to use a poured concrete retaining wall, rather than the concrete block retainer wall.