How To Repair A Cracked Retaining Wall

Hi guys! It’s Naomi Findlay here, back for another round of renovation tips.  Did you know I have a renovation course? You can check it out here!  I'm here with gardening and landscape expert, Aaron from Green Envy, to break down the key steps to fixing a cracked retaining wall.

Key Points:

A crack in a retaining wall can be caused by a whole range of things; movement in the ground, weight behind the wall, or if the wall was incorrectly built in the first place. It can be very difficult to identify the exact cause of damage without excavating or pulling down the entire wall. Image credit: Adbri Masonry

Identifying the type of damage

The first step in repairing a cracked retaining wall is to identify the type of damage that has occurred.

• Superficial damage: the crack runs through the grout or normal joint lines in the wall.
• Structural damage: the crack runs straight through a block in the wall and/or the crack is beginning to open up.

seeking professional help

Particularly with structural damage, it is important to call in the big guns - aka engineers! Moving or cracking walls are signs that there is a problem with the structure of your retaining wall. Structural engineers will ensure safety and carry out an inspection to advise on the next steps for repairing your retaining wall.      

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