Vent: Dropped a whole corner of a garden wall in Bellevue yesterday

I was setting a curved retaining wall for a backyard project, and the base course shifted on me after I had already laid 4 courses on top. The whole corner slumped about 3 inches before I caught it, and I had to tear out 3 hours of work to reset the foundation. Has anyone else gotten burned by trusting a slippery clay base, or was that just my bad luck?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethr1110d ago

I read somewhere that clay bases are basically just waiting to betray you.

sandra9169d ago

That clay base sounds like it was way too smooth to hold anything. Did you check for any kind of drainage or moisture before you started laying the blocks? I've seen where even a little bit of wet clay underneath can turn into a slip-n-slide for the whole wall. Just wondering if the ground was bone dry when you set it, or if there was any sign of dampness in the clay.