The Brew Cabin

Tony, remember the client that I was doing the steps for? Well, we have just been to court to get my money back for the hire of the diggers that they had. Thing is the judge has adjourned the trial as she wants more evidence from the client regarding the works that their landscaper has done.
What they are questioning is the retaining wall that I have constructed. Their only complaint is that it's not perfectly vertical. As the wall is 1,300 high I have put a slight fall on the wall leaning back towards the soil (50mm). I was informed that this is called 'Buttering'. Iwas going to drill weep holes after the wall was rendered. I had put hardcore material behind the wall so to act as drainage material.

Am I correct in the application of the above and is there a drawing/instructions on how to construct such a wall on your site?

All the very best to you and all.............Riggers
You can e-mail if things get too 'tetchy'!!

The retainer wall is described as "Battered", with an "a", not buttered, with an "u"! :)

Battering is reasonably common with retaining structures, but that's not to say it is done in every instance - some structures are battered, some aren't. There's no right or wrong - it's the strength of the wall (or other retaining structure) that's critical, not the angle of repose.

There is a very basic retainer wall drawing on the website, but it shows a vertical construction. However, many civil engineering text books, and technical info from retaining structure companies, feature drawings with battered retainers. Have a look at the Retainer Structures Links page for possible leads.