A soil nail wall is constructed from the top – down, excavating in lifts of about five feet. At each lift, a soil reinforcement element – a soil nail – is installed and shotcrete is applied to the exposed earth face. This process continues to the required depth. Once completed, a reinforced soil mass is in place to resist the lateral earth forces. This type of earth retention can follow nearly any alignment and can be constructed in any type of soil that can stand vertically for five feet for a work shift. Soil nailing employs relatively small installation equipment and is well suited for close quarters.