Unassessed Retaining Wall Performance
Unassessed Retaining Wall Performance is a moderate-severity soil & foundation defect SURE inspectors have documented across 1 inspection report.
Causes
- Limitations of a standard property inspection, which does not include engineering assessment of retaining walls.
Symptoms to look for
- Unknown structural integrity or functional adequacy of retaining walls, particularly regarding drainage and load bearing.
Remedies
- Obtain a further investigation by a qualified engineer to assess adequate drainage systems, load bearing, correct component sizing, and batter of retaining walls.
Worth asking our inspector about this specifically.
This is common across Perth stock and usually fixable without drama, but the scope of the fix varies. Every SURE inspection includes 12 months of free advice. Call out the defect by name and we check for it directly.
Curated entries in Soil & foundation
- Curated 1–4/5Trees in Close Proximity to Dwelling
Large trees within the foraging radius of the dwelling - typically any tree within 3 m for small species, or within 10 m for large eucalypts - introduce two distinct risks: root-driven soil moisture fluctuation that causes differential footing movement on reactive clay, and a direct termite foraging corridor between a timber food source in the crown or root system and the building structure. Neither defect is always present, but the proximity constitutes a conducive condition that warrants ongoing monitoring.
- Curated 2–5/5Reactive Clay Soil Movement Affecting Foundation
Seasonal expansion and contraction of reactive clay soils causing cyclical foundation movement, wall cracking, and floor level changes. Prevalent in Sydney Western Suburbs and some Perth clay zones. Severity depends on soil class (H, H1, H2, E) and footing design adequacy.