Greenvale Retaining Wall
Location
- Greenvale
Completed
- 2025-07-24
Job Summary
- Drainage issues fixed, rock retaining wall with stairs installed.
- This project had a couple of areas of complexity: The first was the lack of drainage in the lower area due to the height of the pool and surrounding land and the second was the sandy clay sub soil which was extremely reactive (this the soil will expand and contract a lot with water, it also becomes very hard to work with and impossible to compact) I extended the cut away from the house to give plenty of room for access to the rear area for wheel barrows etc and installed a sub surface aggi (slotted drain coil in scoria with geo textile wrap) drain to manage the ground water and a pit to manage the surface water. The pit will also provide a sediment stop before discharge to the main stormwater line and prevent long term issues for the homeowner by sediment building up in their stormwater system. To help solve the issue with the clay soil I used high quality geo textile material beneath the crushed rock layer to help support the honey granite toppings surface. Some zones were too soggy for the pathway so these were dug out prior to laying the geo textile layer. I installed pink mudstone boulder walls to create a beautiful and natural garden that will retain the surrounding ground while looking natural and without giving a “closed in” feel to the lower space. I like to place my stones so that they look like they have always been there and almost exposed by time rather than placed in a big pile. This also saves the client money because I am able to use less stone to achieve the result. This project was a little tricky because I had to make sure not to encroach on the line of influence of the pool wall which was approximately 45 degrees. I achieved this by measuring the base and angle of the cut before placing the boulders and using larger stones as a supporting base layer to reduce any shifting over time. I installed a second layer of drainage behind the above row of rocks to provide drainage for the upper area and again, to reduce the chance of any movement in the wall. I installed sawn basalt steps to the upper pool area. I always like to use basalt – even when the walls are a different stone because it retains it’s grip in the wet and is safer for my clients. Stone such as pink mudstone or granite steps can become very slippery when they are wet. I am really proud of how this project came out and I think I made the most of a tricky area. I can’t wait to see it when the homeowner has planted out the garden beds and installed some mulch !
