29/09/2026
A challenging one completed in Newton Poppleford 👊
The existing retaining wall at this property had rotted and failed, leaving the client’s garden slowly slipping towards the river behind it.
We removed the old wall and came up with a permanent solution - constructing approximately 25m of king-post retaining wall, up to 2.4m high, using RSJs and oak sleepers.
With the wall sitting directly alongside the watercourse, the RSJs were installed extra deep for support, along with a steel-reinforced concrete strip footing beneath the sleepers, taken below river-bed level to help protect the structure against future washout and erosion.
There were also a couple of established trees sitting extremely close to the line of the new wall which the client was keen to retain. We carefully worked around and protected the root systems throughout the excavation, with the trees temporarily strapped and supported while the works were carried out. Both made it through the job exactly as planned. 🌳
Access was another challenge, with everything having to be completed using a mini excavator and mini dumper. Working directly alongside the river also meant taking extra environmental precautions throughout the excavation and construction to protect the watercourse.
The end result has not only given the client a much more substantial long-term solution against erosion, but also allowed us to reshape and level the garden, giving them considerably more usable space than they had before.
A fair bit involved in this one, but a cracking finished result. Fair play to the lads. 👊
📍 Newton Poppleford, Devon
The last couple of photos show what we started with — swipe through to see the before shots.
For retaining walls, groundworks, drainage or civils projects across Devon:
📧 [email protected]
📞 01392 982968
🌐 www.jmjgroundworks.co.uk
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