Ormund Beach Riverfront Home Fixes Rip Rap Failure with Redi-Rock

THE CHALLENGE

Located in a picturesque neighborhood near Tomoka Oaks Golf & Country Club, this residence enjoys ready access to the Tomoka River via a private boardwalk and dock. However, the beauty of its waterfront setting came with the hidden costs of severe erosion resulting from a failing rock revetment, which was subject to tidal fluctuations, flooding, and poor drainage design. These issues ultimately led the homeowners to seek a lasting solution with a Redi-Rock retaining wall system from Truemont Materials.

Site design and materials shortcomings combined to threaten the home’s structural integrity and its access to the river. Years of exposure to Florida’s intense weather and issues with the original rip rap wall had left the yard vulnerable to erosion and poor drainage, and offered minimal functionality.

Specifically, the issues included:

• Poor Wall Design. A coquina rip rap wall supporting the yard was constructed just 4 ft (1.2 m) from the home, placing excessive load pressure on the wall. Additionally, it was built with a 1-to-1 batter, far steeper than the 1-to-3 slope typically required for stable rip rap construction in such conditions.
• Drainage Failure. The roof’s drain spouts, normally routed through underground piping and discharged beyond the retaining wall, had become clogged, forcing water to overflow across the yard. This uncontrolled runoff collected behind the original wall and caused significant erosion, undermining the rip rap wall’s integrity.
• Limited Accessibility and Usable Space. The steep yard grade sloping toward the boardwalk made it difficult to haul items to and from the family’s watercraft, compromising safety and limiting the boat's usage. The homeowners wanted a level, functional surface to expand their outdoor area and provide smoother, more reliable access to the water – the primary reason they purchased the home.

Addressing these challenges required a thoughtful approach that balanced structural integrity with aesthetic appeal. The goal was to correct the site’s existing problems and transform the back yard into a stable, functional, and visually inviting extension of the home’s riverfront setting.

THE SOLUTION

The homeowners sought a natural-looking measure to support their residence, ensure reliable river access, and expand usable lawn space. However, they also desired a short installation timetable. These priorities led to the selection of Redi-Rock retaining wall solutions, produced and provided by local manufacturer Truemont Materials.

Redi-Rock is a precast modular block (PMB) retaining wall system featuring massive wet cast concrete blocks with a patented knob-and-groove feature. This locks the blocks in place and can eliminate the need for the installation of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) or “reinforced” walls in specific installations.

To handle the significant load from the nearby home, Redi-Rock XL Hollow Core blocks were selected for the base of the wall. XL Hollow Core blocks offer several advantages, including:

• Taller Walls. Available in 52, 72, and 96 in block depths, XL Hollow Core blocks' larger size allows for the construction of taller gravity walls. This project utilized 52 in XL Hollow Core blocks for its base course, allowing for a wall that reaches 9 feet in some areas.
• Integrated Water Management. Redi-Rock walls are designed with a wedge of #57 stone behind to allow water to drain through the wall rapidly. Some blocks, including the 41 in Hollow Core and the XL series used in this project, feature hollow cavities that can be filled with stone to allow for more drainage through the actual wall section.
• Storm Surge Safeguards. Redi-Rock is a dry-stack product, meaning mortar is not necessary between the joints, and every seam between the modular blocks acts as a relief joint. In this way, the wall design can significantly reduce hydrostatic pressure and help mitigate the effects of the rapid-drawdown factor in storm surge scenarios.
• Quicker Installation. With twice the face coverage (11.5 sq ft!) of regular Redi-Rock blocks, XL Hollow Core effectively sets two courses of block simultaneously, speeding installation.
• Complete Compatibility. XL Hollow Core blocks are fully compatible with all the other components of the Redi-Rock system, allowing the design to be optimized for strength and value.
• Simplified Transport. XL Hollow Core’s empty cavity lightens the load, making them easier to transport and install without sacrificing strength. XL Hollow Core blocks’ cavities are filled with aggregate to add even more strength to the wall.

System compatibility was vital in the design of this wall, as three additional Redi-Rock block types—41 in Hollow Core, 28 in Positive Connection (PC) Middle, and 28 in Top blocks—were used in its construction.

The homeowners selected a wall system to support their residence, reclaim their lawn, and ensure access to the river; however, they also appreciated not having to sacrifice style for strength. Redi-Rock’s wet cast concrete composition, combined with the high-quality forms and molds Truemont Materials uses to produce Redi-Rock, results in deeply grooved, natural stone-like face textures that blend beautifully with the First Coast landscape. The Ledgestone texture was chosen for this wall, creating the appearance of irregularly stacked stones of varying sizes.

THE PROJECT

Osborn Construction & Design handled the wall's installation. The Osborn crew initially disassembled a small section of the boardwalk to allow machine access to the site. This allowed them to remove the failing rip rap wall (later repurposed and used for scour prevention in front of the Redi-Rock wall), conduct strategic excavation to expose subgrade soils to ensure a solid base, and install a graded stone leveling pad to support the new Redi-Rock wall.

Upon compaction of the leveling pad, the 52 in XL Hollow Core blocks were machine-set to provide the wall’s base course (layer). Additional aggregate was placed in the cavities of the blocks to provide extra strength and facilitate drainage, particularly in areas prone to Florida’s notorious pop-up showers. As additional courses were installed, #57 stone was added and wrapped in non-woven fabric to allow water to pass through the membrane while keeping the solid materials retained behind the wall.

Additional courses, including 41 in Hollow Core, 28 in Positive Connection (PC) Middle, and 28 in Top blocks were installed, completing the wall. The 28 in Top blocks feature a scooped top, allowing grass to be planted directly on top of the block to create an attractive finished look and maximize yard space.

Even with Redi-Rock's large-format blocks, engineers and designers still possess the ability to create curved wall designs. In the case of this project, adding contours not only enhanced the wall system's aesthetic appeal but also maximized usable lawn space.

THE OUTCOME

Repurposing the failed rip rap wall, site preparation, and installation of the Redi-Rock wall took only four weeks. In less than a month, installers had used Truemont Materials’ Redi-Rock retaining wall system to:

• Provide vital structural stability for the residence. The failure of the original cochina rip rap wall threatened to compromise the home’s long-term viability.
• Reclaim the home’s eroded backyard. The wall expanded the backyard’s depth from just a few feet of uneven, unusable terrain to a level surface extending as far as 12 feet from the home.
• Ensure safe and easy access to the river. The wall allowed a graded yard to replace a steep decline adjacent to the boardwalk that leads to the family’s dock.
• Add a touch of grandeur to a high-visibility space. Redi-Rock’s Ledgestone texture beautifully framed the residence, blending crisp lines and classic ruggedness for a striking riverside view.

The result? A riverside backyard transformed into a stable, functional, accessible, and attractive outdoor living space. What began as a failing lawn on the brink of collapse has become a showcase of smart engineering and timeless design. The project team restored the property's stability and sense of place by replacing an ill-designed and unstable rip rap wall with a Redi-Rock retaining wall system from Truemont Materials. The new wall safeguards the home from stormwater pressure, preventing erosion and reclaiming valuable outdoor space that the family can enjoy safely and comfortably.

With the natural Ledgestone texture complementing the surrounding landscape and the structural strength of precast concrete ensuring long-term performance, this installation stands as a model for beautifully resilient waterside construction. The project delivered a solution that’s as enduring as it is elegant, transforming a once-vulnerable riverside yard into a lasting retreat built to weather the future.

Reclaim and protect your property with Redi-Rock from Truemont Materials. Estimate your wall cost, or contact the wall solutions experts at Truemont today.

Products Featured

28 in Positive Connection (PC) Middle Blocks 28 in Top Blocks 41 in Hollow Core Block 52 in XL Hollow Core Block