GREAT WALLS OF PULTE

No City Permits,
No City Inspections
 Foundation? What Foundation?
   
Let's Try a Little Rope
Look close, see rope tying blocks together

Wall #1 Excavation Saturday 3-3-12
NO FOUNDATION

Wall Movement Excavation #1
There are 31 cracked blocks within a 45 foot wide span of wall.

Wall #2 Excavation Sunday 3-4-12

Cracks


Wall #2

                                                                          Fairhaven Retaining Walls

According to a Technical Bulletin from the city of Arlington, any wall with a developed height above four feet requires a city permit.  Schertz City ManagerJohn  Kessel worked in Arlington before he went to McKinney as city engineer.    On Chris D.Hilton's website, www.chrisdhilton.com,  ( he is a certified home inspector),  "almost any crack in a free standing retaining wall should cause alarm."  In house #1 the  back yard there are 31 cracked blocks within a 45 foot wide span of wall.  Gaps in the wall are up to .33" between blocks and "V"-shaped vertical gaps.

When Chris Hilton is talking about blocks and foundations, he says, " Cracks from 1/8" to 1/4" are of more concern, but if they are not dynamic, they may not need repair.  Cracks of 1/4 inch or over should be inspected by a structural engineer, if the  cracks are dynamic or not. If a crack has opened up to 1/4" or more, this is indicative of possible major failure at the footing.  A crack with inconsistent width (one end open wider than the other ) is cause for concern.  If a vertical crack is opening up in a V shape, being wider at either the top or the bottom, this is a sign of a major settlement problem".   Lastly, under the heading "Dynamics", he says," If the blocks are moving in any direction, you need help.  If the movement is differential, moving out instead of apart, be alarmed.  If both are occurring, be more alarmed."

Also, on National Concrete Masonry Association Technical paper, TEK 15-5B (Structural) of 2010, "Although wall heights up to 8 feet for conventional (gravity) walls ad 14 feet for soil-reinforced walls are presented, properly engineered walls can exceed those heights. " In Fairhaven we have many retaining walls which exceed those heights, reaching up to 36 courses of eight inches per course.   

Lastly, the retaining walls in Fairhaven attain heights up to 24 feet 4 inches, with no foundation under them, and to our knowledge, no drainage inherent in the structure. If proper drainage were present, water would not be soaking and running through neighbors yard after a rain.  Additionally, the homeowner who took pictures in November 2008 said he saw no evidence of a drain system in the construction of the wall on Storm King and he documented the entire construction process.