Retaining Wall Repair: What to Do When Your Rock Starts Caving
Retaining walls add so much dimension to an outdoor landscape. They are beautiful, add height, texture, and emotion to your outdoor aesthetic. All around, they are lovely additions to anyone’s yard.
If you’ve had a rock retaining wall installed in your backyard and are just beginning to notice signs of deterioration, it might be time for a wall repair.
Many homeowners don’t consider what kinds of repairs or maintenance their retaining wall might need in the future. Without anticipating repairs they are caught entirely off guard and they see their wall begin to crumble.
There are a number of factors that might contribute to the breakdown of your retaining wall. If you know the causes, you may be able to avoid or postpone the deterioration of your retaining wall.
In the next section, we’ll list three reasons why your retaining wall might be needing repairs.
Why Is Your Retaining Wall Deteriorating?
There are a number of reasons why your retaining wall might suddenly begin showing signs of deterioration. Don’t be too worried, as a landscaping professional should be able to repair your retaining wall if you contact them right away.
Some factors which might play a role in the deterioration of your rock retaining wall include age, poor drainage, and foundation issues. Let’s break down each one of these below.
1. Age
It is quite natural for your rock retaining wall to start needing repairs as it ages. Everything ages and wears down over time. If your retaining wall is over a few years old, it will likely show more signs of needing repairs.
The good news is this shouldn’t be too difficult to remedy. Landscape professionals are able to repair old retaining walls and make them as good as new so that they are adding to your outdoor aesthetic rather than taking away from its beauty.
2. Poor Drainage
If your yard suffers from drainage issues, that can be enough cause for detrimental damage to your retaining wall and should be dealt with immediately.
Water damage to the foundation of your retaining wall can require extensive repairs. If you have drainage issues in your yard, landscape professionals may be able to repair your retaining wall and install weep holes in the wall to allow for better drainage.
3. Bad Foundation
If your retaining wall was installed on a poor foundation that can cause it to crumble and break down rapidly. If the installation of your retaining wall was questionable and you are seeing it break down much sooner than you had expected, call in a team of landscapers to repair your retaining wall and remedy the foundation issue.
Each of these issues is enough to call in a professional landscaping team to take a look and repair your damaged retaining wall.
Don’t Attempt To Repair A Retaining Wall Yourself
Many homeowners think that repairing their retaining wall doesn’t require professional skills and that they should be able to DIY it themselves.
This, however, is often not the case as most retaining walls require professional installation services and so also require professional repairing. If you had a professional landscaping crew install the wall, you should call in professionals to repair it as well.
Calling landscape design contractors

Written by
Keith EneixCo-Owner, New Life Rockeries
Keith Eneix is a co-owner of New Life Rockeries alongside his brother Neil Eneix. He began helping with operations in 2007 and has been involved ever since. He writes from nearly two decades of hands-on experience with retaining walls, rockeries, and hardscaping across the greater Seattle area.
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