Redi-Rock Cliffside Retaining Walls Survive a Tornado, Securing an Indiana Dream Home

The Challenge: Building Cliffside Retaining Walls.

Where can retaining walls built on a cliff that withstood a direct hit from a tornado be found? Utica, Indiana, is the spot, and Redi-Rock is the solution that the Coyle family selected to secure their new build at the edge of a 250 ft (76.2 m) cliff. With views overlooking the Ohio River, the Coyle’s needed a retaining wall solution that wouldn’t obstruct their view, provide a safe barrier from the drop-off for their family and friends, and protect their property from future erosion.

Kentucky-based Redi-Rock producer and installer Redi-Rock K.I.T. had to work around deep and dangerous crevices, as well as respect the existing cliffs to install the project’s 4318 sq ft (401.1 sq m) of retaining walls on this site, which was previously home to a limestone quarry. K.I.T. also had to install the walls before a swimming pool was added. The timeline and the landscape were unforgiving, and K.I.T.’s Redi-Rock walls needed to be, too.

Why Redi-Rock? Built Tornado Tough.

That gritty spirit paid off with the entire retaining wall project completed in less than two weeks. With Redi-Rock’s machine-set installation process, Redi-Rock K.I.T. worked efficiently within disturbance limits and carefully navigated steep drop-offs with minimal machinery.

Completed in 2021, the project features:

• Two-thirds of the property protected by Redi-Rock walls
• Gravity and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall systems
• 14 ft (4.3 m) tall walls
• Custom block color palette selected by the homeowners
• Natural stone aesthetics with the Ledgestone texture to complement the home’s architecture
• Fencing on top of the walls, protecting people and pets from the surrounding cliffs

"Overall, the homeowners wanted a retaining wall that would last forever, since this would be their forever home. Redi-Rock just fit the project needs."

-Irvin Vittitow, Director of Sales & Installations, Redi-Rock K.I.T.

Just two years after construction, a tornado hit Utica and pulled the steel roof off the home. The roof landed on a section of the Redi-Rock retaining walls, damaging the fencing and caps, but the retaining wall remained unaffected.

The Coyle residence sits along the edge of a cliff, where the steep terrain presented significant challenges for retaining wall construction. Redi-Rock K.I.T. worked with the site’s constraints to build walls designed to protect the property for years to come, a solution that has remained intact even after severe weather put it to the test.

Redi-Rock K.I.T. provides retaining wall solutions for the Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee markets, and this wasn’t their first run-in with tough site conditions. Check out more of their projects:

• Redi-Rock and Novum Wall Support KY School Sports Expansion
• Diverging Diamond Interchange Projects Includes 16 Retaining Walls
• XL Hollow-Core Retaining Blocks Optimize Gravity Wall at Airport

When you’re ready for serious retention power for your project, view Redi-Rock residential builds, or get pricing.