Leaning Retaining Walls

Repair Your Leaning Retaining Walls

Retaining walls play an important role—they protect your property from erosion, flooding, soil movement, and landscape damage. When a retaining wall begins to lean, bow, or sag, it’s often a sign that the wall is under stress or was not constructed with the proper reinforcement. If left unaddressed, a failing retaining wall can lead to soil washout, property damage, and even compromise nearby structures. Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing Services provides professional inspections and repair solutions to restore the stability and function of retaining walls for homes and businesses in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Understanding the Causes of Leaning Retaining Walls

Retaining walls can fail for several reasons. Common causes include:

Incorrect reinforcement placement — When reinforcement isn’t installed properly or positioned at the correct depth, the wall cannot resist lateral soil pressure.
Saturated backfill — Excess moisture behind the wall increases soil weight and hydrostatic pressure, pushing the wall outward.
Blocked or inadequate weep holes — Without proper drainage, water builds up behind the wall and forces it to lean or bow.
Retaining wall design flaws — Walls not engineered for the load they’re holding will eventually fail under pressure.
Foundation problems beneath or behind the wall — Soil settlement, erosion, or structural movement can affect the stability of the retaining wall.

When these issues go uncorrected, retaining walls may lean, crack, separate, or collapse—leading to costly repair if not caught early.

Retaining Wall Repair Solutions

Wall Anchors for Leaning or Bowing Concrete Retaining Walls

For retaining walls that have shifted due to soil expansion or structural stress, wall anchors offer a proven, long-lasting repair. Installed from the interior side of the wall into stable soil, wall anchors can even help pull the wall back toward its original position. Wall anchors help:

Drainage & Waterproofing Improvements

Retaining wall failures are often caused or worsened by water buildup behind the wall. If drainage is inadequate, saturated backfill increases soil pressure and accelerates leaning or bowing. We can provide drainage and waterproofing improvements to help protect your retaining wall long-term. Drainage solutions may include:

Related Services

Foundation Repair

Moisture problems in a crawl space can signal deeper foundation issues such as settlement, sagging floors, or wall movement. Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing Services provides professional foundation stabilization using helical piers, push piers, wall anchors, and structural supports to protect your home from long-term damage.

Crawl Space Repair

From sagging floors and rotted joists to failing support posts and moisture-damaged structures, our crawl space repair solutions address the underlying problems that contribute to mold growth. We reinforce, stabilize, and restore your crawl space to ensure structural integrity and a healthier environment throughout your home.

Waterproofing Solutions

Excess moisture is the root cause of most crawl space mold and mildew. Our interior and exterior waterproofing systems, sump pumps, drainage solutions, and vapor barriers work together to redirect water away from your home, reduce humidity, and create a dry, healthy environment under your house.

Hydroblox Residential Drainage Systems

Hydroblox panels provide high-efficiency drainage without the clogging issues of traditional pipe systems. Installed around crawl spaces or problem moisture areas, Hydroblox moves water quickly and consistently—helping keep your crawl space dry and preventing mold and mildew from returning.