Should you use concrete sleepers to build a retaining wall?
If you need to construct a wall or a driveway, there are many materials from which you could choose. You might favour asphalt or brick for a driveway and perhaps, timber for a fence. However, one material that you may not have considered is concrete. Perhaps you associate concrete with pouring foundations or creating polished floors inside your home, but there is another way to use concrete. Buying concrete sleepers can enable you to build robust structures quickly and easily.
Where are concrete sleepers used? As their name suggests, concrete sleepers were first developed for the railway network as an alternative to traditional wooden sleepers. Today, prestressed concrete sleepers can still be found on many railway networks, but they have also found an alternative use as a building material. One of the most popular ways of using concrete sleepers is by building retaining walls.
Why use concrete sleepers for retaining walls? When you build a retaining wall on your property, there will be two main concerns. You will want to quickly build a strong, durable retaining wall. You will also want a retaining wall that blends seamlessly into your existing landscape without creating an unpleasant eyesore. Concrete sleepers can meet both of these considerations with ease. Concrete sleepers are available in different colours and heights. You can even find concrete sleepers with varying textures, so you can create precisely the look you want. However, the primary benefits of prestressed concrete sleepers are that they are strong and resilient and can be used to build retaining walls fast.
How can you build retaining walls with concrete sleepers? There are four main steps involved in building a retaining wall using concrete sleepers. Most obviously, you must start by ensuring that you are putting the wall in the right place, then you must level the ground, so you are erecting the wall on a flat surface. The second stage of the process is to prepare to install the fence posts. You must dig the post holes to the correct depth and ensure there is sufficient backfill to finish the wall. Once the holes are dug, move to stage three, inserting the posts and concreting them into position. Post insertion is the most critical step, and you must ensure that those posts are inserted into the correct place. Finally, the last step is to insert the concrete sleepers between the posts and to backfill as necessary.
For more information on concrete sleepers, contact a company near you.