segmental block retaining wall
Segmental block is what most residential walls in this area are built from, and Versa-Lok is the system people here name most often. The units are engineered and consistent, they step back as they rise, and they tolerate the small settlement that clay soils produce. What separates a block wall that lasts from one that leans has nothing to do with the block itself: it is the compacted base under it, the geogrid tying it back into the hill, and the clean stone and outlet behind it.
Segmental block is what most residential walls in this region are built from, and Versa-Lok is the system homeowners name most often. The units are manufactured to a consistent size, they step back slightly as they rise so the wall leans into the hill, and they tolerate the small movements clay soils produce without cracking the way a rigid wall would.
They are also forgiving to build in stages, which matters on the narrow hillside lots where material has to come in a barrow at a time.
What separates a block wall that lasts from one that leans has almost nothing to do with the block. It is the compacted aggregate base underneath, the geogrid tying the wall back into the soil behind it, and the clean stone column and outlet that give water somewhere to go.
A wall built without geogrid where the slope demanded it is the classic mid-height bulge, and it is one of the more common repair calls we take. Where the site rules block out entirely, the answer is usually reinforced concrete or, on wooded ground, boulder.
Block goes in everywhere, but most often on the suburban lots of Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair and Cranberry Township, plus Mt. Lebanon, Shaler and Pittsburgh.
How long does it take? A typical residential run takes several days including base preparation and backfill.
These usually come up on the same job, and we can handle them in the same visit:
Terracing a slope, levelling a yard, or holding a cut for a patio or driveway. Base and drainage quoted with the wall.
Learn More →Leaning, cracked, bulging or sliding walls. We find out why it moved before we price the fix.
Learn More →French drains, wall drains, downspout routing, swales and regrading. Often the actual fix when a wall is only the symptom.
Learn More →Free - No Obligation
Send a few details and we'll come look at it. Photos help - a picture of a lean or a crack tells us more than a paragraph.