Old Retaining Walls

[blincolnw]

I have two old retaining walls that need to be replaced. In front of my house is a small 3 1/2' retaining wall that is solid concrete. It is a long wall with only two weep holes (one of which does not work).

My question here is, if I were to replace it, would it be easier to replace it or to drill more weep holes? I'm afraid if I drill new weep holes I still won't be able to straighten the wall as it's already leaning over slightly.

Then in the back of the house is a large (about 6') retaining wall that is constructed of stone and concrete. It has one small weep hole that is not working. I think it would be very difficult to dig all the way down behind it and drill through the 2' thick wall to put new weep holes in.

The large wall is holding up well but it's not the most atrractive thing to look at. I'd like to terrace it so that there was some space that was level in the backyard and then remove the one large wall, but I just don't know where to start on a project like that.

Any ideas?

Brian

[kactuskid]

Retaining walls really require a drain tile installed behind them and also lots of gravel. This allows the water to drain off which prevents the hydrostatic pressure from toppling them over. You could try to anchor the ones you have but if they're really leaning forward then it may be best to rebuild them the right way. There are lots of interlocking cement blocks you can get nowadays that'll allow you to DIY but you'll need to make sure you install the appropriate drainage to prevent it from happening again. Below are a few links with lots of info on them, hopefully they'll help you out some. And let us know if you need anymore help.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/exteriors/article/0,16417,219681-8,00.html#

http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60276

http://www.askthebuilder.com/RetainingWalls.shtml