Erosion Control - Steep Terrain

[Geek]

Greetings,

I just bought a house and workshop that is literally carved into the side of a mountain. The hillside above drops rocks on occasion that hit the buildings and I'm looking for ideas/thoughts on how to stabilize the hillside more.

The house/shop have been there for 40 years and survived the "1000 year floods" we had in Colorado last year (the neighbors below were not so lucky), so I'm not worried about overall stability. I'm more so worried about the odd rock coming down and doing vehicle damage or the like.

Here are a couple of photos to give an idea of what I'm working with.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

cheers,
Edward

 

[theoldwizard1]

Probably the best and ugliest solution is a 10-12' high chain link fence uphill from your buildings. 3-4" poles, 15' tall set into holes drilled in the rock and set with concrete. 3 or 4 steel cables need to by woven into the chain link and then set into anchors past the last pole on each end.

You don't have to pin the bottom because you want the large rocks to be slowed down and then let out the bottom.

 

[A747]

I'm also looking at retaining walls for my slope next to my garage, although I have to admit, not as severe as yours. Have you thought of using very large precast concrete blocks, say 5'x3'x3'. another option is terrace style retaining walls used here in So Cal.

 

[Carves]

Geez ... I wish my, gabions, had been "self filling" ... like yours could be ..

Road dept. used steel posts and heavy cable to hold back rocks, off the highway. at a spot up the road from me.

They also meshed and poured concrete all over the embankment, with poly pipe lengths sticking through it ... to relieve back pressure.


You going to have enough room to get a machine in there - and clean out any "caught" rocks .. ??

 

[nicksnothereman]

Concrete bag retaining wall dug three bags buried at least and 3 bags above ground should work. Or just a general retaining wall (similar depth but not bare gotta have some mortar, cement or crete in there) would work but would be more expensive. Then plant some deep rooted trees of some sort. I don't know about the main house, I don't build houses but assume those supports are embedded pretty deep and reinforced.

Otherwise known as: "hire a dude that knows what he's doing" because nick don't insure his drunken information.

 

[rsanter]

You could easily dig back a foot or so from where the bottom of the slope is. Then install a 3 to 4 foot tall stacking stone retaining wall. Back fill behind the wall with some of the stuff you removed from the digging and then you can do a little regrading of the slope so fill in the ramaining area behind the wall
Install a 3 foot or so cyclone fence behind the wall you install and have the posts 4 ft or so in the ground.
Then you may want to install another short cyclone fence about half way up the slope

Grow ivy on the fence and ground cover on the slope

Bob

 

[CT2012]

duct tape.

 

[sublimate]

The house/shop have been there for 40 years and survived the "1000 year floods" we had in Colorado last year (the neighbors below were not so lucky)

Congrats! I was not so lucky either.

 

[RVDan]

Vegetation

 

[7th Kahuna]

Are the rocks coming from above the cut, or from within the cut itself? If they are coming from above the cut, then is there a common source?

 

[C96]

Unless the pictures make the situation look much worse, I don’t think much of anything can be done without breaking the bank.
That looks like a never ending problem without any reasonable solution.
Seems to be a beautiful area, but I could never get a good night sleep there.

Good Luck

 

[theoldwizard1]

Vegetation

I would say kudzu, but I don't think it would grow in your climate. The again, you are trading one problem for another.

Yes, that is a house covered in vines !

 

[buddyboy]

i'd say your cheapest and easiest way is to purchase an insurance policy to help cover the cost of rebuilding and replacing whatever gets crushed when the mountain decides it wants to move.

 

[48RON54]

I would spend several saturdays removing what rocks I could and call it a day.

 

[58Yeoman]

In my travels around the country, I've noticed that in some places with rock problems along the highways, they've mounted chain-link fence right on the ground, fastened to the rock surface. It would act like a huge net, holding back any rocks that would come loose. But, of course, any rocks from above that would just roll right over the chain-link fence. I don't have any pix.

 

[sands35]

Gabion wall (as stated above).

Cheapest way to do it (aside insurance). Gabion is basically heavy mesh fencing and the cost per ton of rip-rap.

 

[Professur]

Build a ramp so they'll shoot right over the top?

 

[1969]

Move......

 

[pop pop]

I would say kudzu, but I don't think it would grow in your climate. The again, you are trading one problem for another.

Yes, that is a house covered in vines !

Ha! My first thought as well! It's a southern thing, I guess.