All About Retaining Walls for Your Home’s Structural Integrity

Structural integrity is essential for any home because any issues regarding the strength of walls that keep everything in one piece can be detrimental to your safety. A house’s walls are crucial parts of the whole picture because they protect you from the elements and support the roof above your head. However, some older homes might not have been built with long-term strength in mind, which is a problem that originates from the soil underneath the property. 

Canada’s homes are typically designed with plenty of different materials with varying insulation properties. Whether your home is built from bricks, cement, wood, or plaster products, these can all be affected by changing weather conditions and soil erosion caused by time and water retention. While not all cases will require your home to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, you can invest in retaining your walls for maximum protection and safety. Here’s what you need to know about retaining walls for improved structural stability:

Retaining Walls on a Property

If you’re planning to retain your walls, you have to understand the basics of the whole process. Basically, a retaining wall is a support structure that is created and filled into your existing home’s walls to ensure that the soil underneath won’t shift the wall if it starts to erode. Since Canada’s climate can be quite extreme, the soil’s properties can change each season and start to soften, which can lead to collapsed walls. 

Toronto masonry services are typically ready to waterproof your home and even improve the structural integrity using bricklaying and other restoration services. Bricks and reinforced concrete are the most popular materials used for retaining walls, but they can also be made out of cheaper products like logs and other stones. In general, they have to be strong enough to maintain the structure behind them, and these are typically like a cast that strengthens the interior surfaces from shifting.

How Will You Know If You Need Retaining Walls?

If you see your walls developing cracks and some areas of your home sinking, it’s probably a good idea to have excavation done to check the status of your surrounding land. It’s good to consult with a masonry company in Toronto to see if your walls need maintenance or retaining surfaces to ensure safety. These companies will have the tools and expertise needed to protect your home from dangerous structural integrity weaknesses. As soon as you walk around your property and see changes in the visuals of some surfaces like distortions or large cracks, it’s time to invest in repair services. 

Using the Right Materials

Having brick or cement retaining walls might cost more because of the process of installation and the material price, while wooden frames might be cheaper because of wood’s accessibility. However, always consider the pros and cons of each. While you might spend more on cement or bricklaying from Toronto masonry services, you’ll need to have them inspected fewer times annually. Wood frames might require bi or tri-annual inspections to check for termites, wood rot, or other damages because of the natural properties of the material. Weighing your options is important, and various materials exist with your local companies, so research and look around. 

Conclusion

A wall that is structurally weak and requires replacing is a health and safety risk, as these surfaces are meant to protect you and your family from the outside world. If they collapse, they can cause severe injuries and even hundreds of thousands in repair costs. Catch the problem before it becomes serious by having a masonry professional check the status of your walls to ensure that you’re safe from harm and future challenges. 

Red Robin Masonry is a premium masonry company in Toronto that is a master in its class. Sporting the complete set of tools and equipment infrastructure, the quality you get out of a masonry company like us is top-tier. Contact us to know more about how we can help you prepare for the changing of seasons.