Carrying on from the last post, we needed a small retaining wall to help tidy up the area along the south edge of the pool. After the old deck was demolished in 2016, we laid down a bit of drainage cloth to help keep the weeds at bay. Originally we thought we would contract with a company to drill down and put in pilings to stabilize that section, but after we got the results of the soil studies and updated topographical maps, it turns out we’ve only had about a half-inch of movement since the house was first built. Spending a small fortune on something that would essentially get us nothing was thus deemed not a useful expenditure.
The first pic below is what it looked like before we started the effort. When plotting out what to do with the garden areas surrounding the house, we hit on either a small retaining wall (short enough that no permit would be needed), or another deck-like structure. The retaining wall made more sense, as we could then plant that area and soften it, as there is a huge amount of concrete surrounding the pool.
So after several days, significant form work was in place. Agent Smith and his dad got it sorted with help from some of our regular side workers.
Then I got to arrange for a concrete truck to deliver a load to us, and a separate contractor to pump the goo into the waiting form work.
A short video of the truck and pumper in action, and then one of the boys handling the slurry.
Then after everything had settled and dried, the form work was removed and we have a mostly-straight little wall. The whole process was pretty straightforward, but we weren’t done yet…
