When Good Walls Go Bad

So I thought I had made progress with the landscape remodel? Not so fast; let's see what happens with the forty foot long wall doesn't perform.

Here is the new foundation for my perimeter wall. The structure is massive long. First the crew had to excavate to five feet by 18 to 24 inches and then build this rebar cage. The city inspector came today and noted the whole rebar cage which was constructed has to be three inches from soil on all sides. The entire rebar cage will have to be lifted and placed three inches off the soil on blocks called adobes. Additionally, not all of the sides have three inch clearance, so more excavation to be completed.

Here is just a glimpse of the disarray in the garden.

For those wondering why the first wall failed it is because the property below the wall is sloped. That means a condition called soil creep can compromise the integrity of the wall. Therefore, if someone tells you they can build a simple wall without footings on your property, but your neighbor's property is sloped, beware.