Building A Retaining Wall With Blocks

A wall that leans into the soil it retains is less likely to be pushed outward by soil pressure than a plain old vertical wall.

Building a retaining wall with blocks.

Retaining walls can be build of many different materials including wood timbers bricks or natural boulders. Drive long wooden stakes into the ground at each end. The blocks i was thinking of using are the 57 pound block size is 16 inch in length and 12 inches in depth and 6 inches in height. How to build a retaining wall.

The interlocking retaining wall block can be used to build walls up to 24 to 36 inches high depending on the size of the block. There are many things that need to go into building a retaining wall before the first shovel of dirt is ever moved. Using a tape measure decide the length and the width of your retaining wall then mark off the area with the garden stakes and string. But it takes skill and planning to construct an attractive wall that can also handle immense pressure shrug off the forces of gravity stand for decades and laugh in the face of mother nature.

To build a retaining wall begin by planning and marking out where you want your wall to be. Follow the block manufacturer s instructions for wall height limits. Heavy retaining wall blocks the blocks we used in our demonstration weigh 14 pounds each keep the soil at bay with their weight. Using a shovel mark the ground where the retaining wall will be built.

Dig a trench then tamp down the soil and lay a base layer of rock dust. Tie a string to a stake at the wall s desired height and stretch across to opposite stake or stakes. Anyone with a strong back can stack up a bunch of blocks and build a pretty retaining wall. The success of your retaining wall depends on a level base.

Design and build your retaining wall to slope at a minimum rate of. But for diyers retaining wall blocks made of concrete are the best solution. Use the plan design menu above to check out all of the information we have on how to build. I am going to build a retaining wall that is going to be 3 5 feet in height how far should the gravel go back and will 4 inch slotted tubing with cover for the drain be a good enough for the drain.

If the distance is greater than 8 drive additional stakes so that the gaps do not exceed 8. Lay the foundation on this base and use a rubber mallet to level the blocks.