Huge stone retaining wall with enormous house on the lot being held by said wall. Contractor came in and repointed all the stone, and I mean nice and neat and 100% sealed. There is water weeping out of the joints in some places from the ground up to 5’ high. The wall is a DAM and is obviously holding back tons of water.
The buyer understands that there are no weep holes, but should be. The buyer also thinks that he can’t drill holes in the wall because “All that water will cotinually drain onto the city sidewalk and make ice in the winter and then I’ll get sued!”.
I am of the opinion that it has to go somewhere, but needs to be OUT from behind that wall, so it needs weepholes put in to let it out, right onto the sidewalk. But I hate to say that. What is the most accurate belief onto dishcharging water onto the sidewalk? This isn’t from a downspout, it’s ground water/springs/at the bottom of a hill with a huge retaining wall damming it up. Any thoughts?
What exactly did you put in your report for your client?
Nothing, haven’t done it yet. That’s why I’m asking you guys what you think. I’m going to make no mention of any laws or regs. The wall needs weep holes to drain the water, period… But I still wonder what the “right thing” is…
If the wall was built right, it would have been built with a built-in drainage system. If the contractor who sealed it was the same one who built the wall, he should find another line of work and probably get ready for a lawsuit.
I would probably be recommending a hydrologist for further evaluation. Also, being that the wall is higher than 5’, permits should have been pulled. In my area any retaining wall over 4’ in height requires a permit to be pulled. YMMV
Typically/usually/normally, high retaining walls, retaining soil and aggregate on one side over 4’ feet above grade, require a proper footing, to retain the structure from movement, and weep tile drainage at the footing to direct away soil water to an approved municipal ground water dispersal site or an onsite manufactured dry well.
I would report what I see and refer it out to a specialist like @kleonard suggested.
Pretty simple really.
You don’t have to say to drain it on the sidewalk. You just need to say drainage is recommended. Let the contractor and their client figure out the best way.
That said, if it were mine, I would go ahead and drain it on the sidewalk if that is the only reasonable choice. It might not be near as bad as you fear. And it can be changed later if it becomes a problem.
One, I think you are wrong, it needs an engineered drainage system which leads me to this: Unless you are an engineer, which is needed for retaining walls over 4 feet in height, then I would stay far away from the offering up any suggestions or cures (such as poking holes in a massive retaining wall)
This is what we all refer to as “staying in our lanes.”
Expanding on what Brian said just point out what you see. “Water seepage at recent mortar repairs and no visible drainage system, this can cause…, recommend…” would probably cover it, especially since the buyer already knows about the wall. Everyone here has to guess a bit without pictures.
Very good point.
So based on your description of the retaining wall, it sounds like it was not built properly. I would punt this quickly to a qualified retaining wall contractor for an in-depth inspection and details including cost for any needed improvements.