A real estate developer planned a large residential community on steeply sloping land in Woburn MA. Grading to create reasonable house pads required up to 28 feet of fill along the perimeter of the development. Even using an aggressive 2:1 slope, the slope consumed over 56 foot of land depth along the length of this hill.
The builders considered retaining walls in the planning process to maximize the development area, however, local regulations specified that retaining walls could be no more than six feet high. To meet this challenge, SFC engineers designed a series of tiered retaining walls, each wall being six feet high. A four-foot-wide level area separated each wall.
The location with the greatest grade difference required five tiers! This tiered wall section occupies a 20-foot-wide strip instead of the 56-foot-wide strip that would have been claimed by a conventional slope.
The benefits of the tiered wall concept offered a positive return on investment. First, the dramatic visual effect of the tiered walls provided opportunities for magnificent landscape which was a great benefit to the community and enhanced the value to the project. Secondly, the developer was able to construct sixteen more units on the property which could have otherwise been used only for slope construction.
Contact Jeff Benway or Nicole Provencher at SFC Engineering to discuss how retaining walls can help maximize your land investment.
Call (603) 647-8700 or jbenway@sfceng.com.