Groundwater is the natural enemy of retaining walls. Everything that Ive read so far, recommends running a perforated pipe right behind the first layer of bricks. In this DIY tutorial, I demonstrate how to build a retaining wall using interlocking landscaping blocks, step by step. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Use a slope of about 1 inch for every 100 feet of run (length). We cut into our slope at the base of the wall, but ended up added almost 3 additional feet to our backyard at the top. How do I draw a perfectly straight line so the wall is squared perfectly. After you have the base trench completed, youll need to make that area compact and level. Trench width Dig your trench about twice as wide as the depth of the blocks you are using (info on selecting blocks is below). We also bought a 16 foot french drain pipe and ends and a cover for it. This is the foundation for your wall. The blocks Im using here are 10.5 deep, so a 20 wide trench is recommended. That first row has to be perfectly level if you want your wall to be level and secure, so he spent a long time on each one of those first bricks. No need to pack this layer, although you can if youd like. And we did, it just took a long time. I have a question about barrier material; if youre laying a ground cover for mulch, do you lay the barrier material before or after your walk is built? While youre at it, do also place a call DigSafe (811), a nationwide service that will notify local utility companies that you plan to dig. Once youve placed the blocks for the final layer, grab a caulking gun and some construction adhesive. Remove the soil in the higher areas between the areas where you removed the soil until you reach the same depth as the first sections you removed. It just wouldnt be profitable, and Id have to break my back trying to stick to a timeline. An affiliated link means that I receive a small commission on the sale of any product you purchase from links in my posts at no extra cost to you. After we had a couple rows in all the way across, we put in the french drain surrounded by lots of gravel. We watched lots of YouTube videos on how to build a retaining wall. Preparing a solid base for the wall can help ensure that it will be stable. Im thinking of looking for a specialist that can build retaining walls because my wife and I are thinking of putting a barrier in our backyard to separate her garden from the lawn. Each row will then sit slightly back from the one below it. Good question. If your property is on a slope, youll build flatter spots that are more usable for different needs. Some jobs are better left to the pros. After you build the retaining wall, youll likely have gaps to fill with soil or other landscaping materials because of the slope. To give you an idea of size, the larger stones are 3.5 x 10.5 x 7 (height x width x depth). Yes, this type of retaining wall allows you to add dirt and level off an area. SimplePracticalBeautiful.com contains paid advertising banners and affiliated links. Add a second 3-inch layer, raking and tamping that layer as well. The wall has been up for about five years and hasnt moved. Youll want to make sure there is enough room for the buried rock and base material for this area. But, if you want to transform your own yard and are willing to take your time, this is a very fulfilling project to take on. We did have to cut two bricks in half on the other side so that the wall would end in a straight line. Spray paint two lines onto the ground, placing one line 8 inches behind the pavers, and the other line 3 inches in front of the pavers. It takes a minimum of two passes to achieve an acceptable result, and it sometimes needs 4-6 passes to build the proper foundation. Barrett is currently attending Bucks County Community College, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in sports management. If it isnt, subsequent rows wont be level either, resulting in a retaining wall thats lopsided and unattractive. If you use concrete blocks, it helps to fill the hollow cores for added strength. Its easy to get the first row height correct because one can use a line level but how do I get a perfectly straight line at 90 degrees. Im pretty nervous to build one on a slope like you did. Hi Dan, thanks for the great step-by-step. Seriously, those bricks are heavy. With every additional foot of height, the pressure of the soil increases substantially. Here are some things to consider when planning your wall. If you have any questions about building a retaining wall on a slope for your next residential or commercial landscaping project, give our team a call today at (425) 549-5147! Trench Depth The trench needs to be deep enough for at least six inches of packed gravel base material and half of the height of your blocks. This step is time-consuming, but heres a tip to make it easier. Home repairs and improvements are in high demand, and there arent enough service pros to fill that demand. I cant imagine how difficult it must have been to get everything in place, my cousin recently had something similar done and it took him about a month. Despite their simple appearance, though, these walls require a good deal of planningsometimes professional engineeringto keep their shape. As a pro handyman, I would never take on a project like this for a customer without a crew to help me. There are hundreds of different retaining wall blocks out there, but let me save you some time. When it saturates clay-type soils, they swell and put excessive pressure on the backside of the wall. And a fence or something. Flip each block up, apply the adhesive to the layer below, and then set the blocks back down. Well-built retaining walls transform unworkable inclines into usable outdoor space for the garden. Apply a thick, zigzag bead of masonry adhesive to the top of one of the end pavers in the first course. If youre building a short retaining wall (less than 18), you can get away with a four-inch base. If after, what do you use to keep the material in place? Here is another good article on how to do this if you need more detail. If youre installing your wall on a hill or slope, I cover that toward the end of this tutorial. Again, this first row is critical because you wont be able to go back and fix it later. Indeed, they are some of the most common ways to correct problems caused by hilly areas! Your project turned out so great! For larger retaining walls up to three feet high, these 6 x 16 x 10.5 concrete garden wall blocks are the best for DIY projects. Did you use any wet cement to make the bricks stay together? Be careful not to pack too hard, or youll move your blocks. This short PDFwill explain whysomeTHRIVE and others struggle. We bought 2 pallets of 16-inch interlocking bricks anda yard ofgravel and brick sand. Thank you! I created this site to help others understand business and marketing so they can turn their home repair skills into profitable businesses as well. The perforated pipe will carry groundwater to each end of the wall where it can drain harmlessly away. That process begins at the base, where the lowest wall elevation will get constructed. He has been published on various websites. Again, this is all demonstrated in the video above. Use a broom to sweep the blocks thoroughly between rows. This is for a 3 tall wall max. Hi. Also, Ive seen recommendations of 12 of backfill. Position the paver so that the front edge is 3 inches away from the front of the trench. Mine are flat faced, though, and I notice yours were curved. Place the level across both stones. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Can you describe it a bit more? Cover drain tile with the landscaping fabric to prevent clogging. Use a four-footcarpenters level to ensure that the gravel layer below the first course of blocks is level before you start setting the blocks. FREE REPORT: 10 Profitable Handyman Services You Can offer WITHOUT a Contractors License. Fortunately, working with retaining wall blocks makes it incredibly easy to achieve this step-back construction! The locking flange on the bottom edge of every block guides it to click into position slightly behind the lower block, preventing the top blocks from being pushed outward. (To make it taller, add more layers of blocks.). Take a look at this post on building a small retaining wall. Always check for level with each addition to ensure your work is stable and supportive. Thank you for your support of this blog. When retaining walls are built, they slope slightly to one side in order to improve drainage. But, even a short wall will be a large project. You may have to submit plans for your wall and schedule a property inspection to ensure that building a retaining wall wont create drainage problems. Is there a reason you didnt do that? I have a neighbor whose back yard is several feet above mine and towards the front of our houses, the yards are mostly level. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Did you use a laser level? Lift the pavers off of the ground and store them someplace safe until you're ready to use them. After each row of blocks, add more 3/4 drainage gravel, spray it with a hose to get it damp, and pack it down with a hand tamper or plate compactor. The local brick and paver vendor, along with multiple other sources, suggest placing the first layer of bricks upside-down and backwards so that the lip is at the front of the wall and braces the next layer. When building your wall on a slope, youll want to step your wall up, as shown in the image below. If your wall is under four feet high, you can dig the base trench to be 18 inches wide and four inches deep, along with whatever space is necessary for buried blocks. Then place the brick on top of half of the brick below and on the sand and level it. I definitely think that we could benefit a lot from building one of these and our kids would probably enjoy having a flat area to play in as well. Im having a civil engineering company redo my backyard landscape and put in a retaining wall in the spring. This allows you to stagger the pavers in the second course, which strengthens the wall. If you plan to DIY this project, here are the steps to take to have a successful experience. Oh yeah, and landscaping. For DIY purposes, opt for manufactured blocks that are designed specifically for building retaining walls; a locking flange along the bottom edge creates a secure attachment between rows. Reducing soil erosion, turning steep slopes into terraced backdrops, creating focal points in the landscaperetaining walls serve many purposes. Digging deeper is ok. Digging too shallow will compromise the integrity of your wall. Now that you have the first layer in, the rest is easy. You can also visit us at www.bearcreeklandscaping.com and stay connected with us via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bclandscaping1. And they scrape your skinouch! document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Next post: How To Start and Grow A Business While Working a Full Time Job, Previous post: 6 Proven (and Profitable) Handyman Business Models That Can Replace Your Income. For a stacked-block retaining wall thats no higher than four feet, a trench filled with three inches of crushed rock will help keep the wall from shifting and settling. Yes, you can build it in the middle if youd like. Curious about the fabric cover. Thanks for sharing! Your email address will not be published. Dont let that happen. I have sort of the reverse of your problem. It doesnt matter how you get it level; just make it level and pack it very well. While retaining walls taller than four feet should be engineered by professionals, you may be able to DIY a solution for a tall slope by creating two or more shorter tiered retaining walls as opposed to a single tall wall. Pour crushed limestone into the trench to create a solid base that will allow water to drain. To accomplish this, youll add a paver base to the very bottom row only, then add the first row of blocks. If youre building a wall taller than three feet, then you will likely need a building permit and a structural engineer to design your wall for you. This will allow for at least 6 of drainage gravel behind the wall and give you some room to work. Want to run a profitable handyman business? Both had to go, and we knew we needed some kind of retaining wall to keep the flat dirt from sliding down the slope. There was also the added difficulty that the slope is not even. So weird that you cant find any information online about his situation. Once you have the blocks in place, youll need to run the plate compactor along the wall rock to ensure the slope supports are in place. Lay a second paver into the trench right next to the first paver. If it is lower than the first paver, place crushed limestone underneath it to raise it. Dig a trench that is 12 inches deep between the two spray-painted lines. Not too difficult, it just took a little more planning and some extra math figuring out how many bricks to buy. 11 Retaining Wall Ideas That Work Hard While Looking Good, The Dos and Don'ts of Foundation Planting, The Dos and Don'ts of Planting Ground Cover, 9 Clever Organizing Tools to Help You Cut Clutter, Where Utility Bills Are Highest (and Lowest) in the United States. That will allow for six inches of packed paver base and half of the bottom block to be buried. Handyman Insurance Everything You Need to Know, The First 5 Steps to Starting a Home Based Handyman Business, Handyman Pricing How to Figure Out Your Hourly Rate, Handyman Business Names: The Ultimate Guide, Handyman Licenses and Laws How To Avoid Getting Stung, Home Advisor Pro Review: What You NEED to Know, Quit Your Job In 6 Months Or Less The Ultimate 9-5 Escape Plan, Learn how to start or grow a handyman business, The 3 Most Common Handyman Business Mistakes. Thank you for sharing this post! Retaining walls add value to residential and commercial properties because they provide reliable property boundary markers, prevent soil erosion, and allow you to make better use of your landscaping space. Learn ten profitable services you can start offering TODAY, without having to jump through the hoops to get a contractors license. Once the first row is in, you just place the second row on top of it, but the small lip makes it sit slightly back from the first row. The lip on the back locks the blocks into place and automatically creates a natural slope to the wall for added strength. While building your trench, after you placed the crushed graveldid you completely level it in a day? And we ended up getting some landscaping cloth too. Sometimes rocks and dirt will get in between them and mess up your nice level wall. It is a pretty big wall at 3 tall and 50 long. This wall took me over 6 months of slowly chipping at it. How to Use Limestone as a Border in the Garden, How to Build a Stacked-Stone Garden Wall with Round Fieldstones, How to Lay Flagstone in the Dirt With a Weed Barrier, The Family Handyman: How to Build Retaining Walls Stronger, Lowe's: How to Build a Block Retaining Wall, Beautiful houseplants that also repel mosquitoes, cockroaches and other pests. For retaining walls taller than three feet, you will likely need a building permit and to hire a structural engineer to help with the design of the wall. The block should split pretty nicely. Add the gravel base in 2 layers and pack it down thoroughly after each layer with a hand tamper or plate compactor. Then, take your chisel and hammer and chisel a notch all the way around the block. We had to use a very large chisel with a mallet after scoring the brick. Anything over 3 feet requires a permit in most states because it often requires an engineer. The weight of the bricks (and they are heavy) hold the wall in place too. You can rent them at most tool rental stores. Lay another course of pavers onto the wall, staggering them from the pavers in the second course. And yes, you need the fabric to prevent dirt from washing down into your rock and preventing drainage. Cover the landscaping fabric with a 1-inch layer of drainage aggregate. We do still need to glue capstones on top of that last row. Lastly, I dont see any drainage pipe in your system. After taking out the old chain link fence and garden box, we had to clear away the over-grown plants that were growing where the wall was going to be. When you start building a retaining wall on a slope, the first project is to create the various step-ups youll need for the property. Hopefully you can see how we expanded each row. Adjust the second paver until it is level with the first stone. Once you have a groove all the way around the block, place the chisel in the groove and hit it a bit harder with the hammer. Thanks for sharing your process! Your email address will not be published. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Plant sod, grass seed or plants in the dirt. That is good for me to know because I have been wanting to fix the slope of my property. First, heres a quick image that sums up what it takes to build a retaining wall. Lay a level on top of the paver, going front-to-back and side-to-side. Required fields are marked *. Youll want about a 6 layer of gravel all the way up the wall. You need to place at least six inches of wall rock along the base trench. They also have angled cuts on the sides for building curves in your wall. Im curious how much time has passed since you installed the wall and if youve seen any movement due to drainage issues. It seems like it took a lot of work. They are lightweight, easy to move, and you can buy them (or something similar) at most home stores. Home depot has a good one that makes it seem very simple. Place drainage aggregate into the trench behind the paver stones until it's about 2 inches beneath the top of the wall. Copyright 2012-2021 Handyman Startup LLC |, The best retaining wall blocks for DIYers, How to build a retaining wall step by step, How to plan and design your retaining wall, How to build a retaining wall on a hill or slope, these 6 x 16 x 10.5 concrete garden wall blocks, Heres a video showing how this tool works, How To Start and Grow A Business While Working a Full Time Job, 6 Proven (and Profitable) Handyman Business Models That Can Replace Your Income, Paver Base (aka crushed stone base) Amount depends on the size of the wall. Another option is to put a two-foot level on a 24 and use that to level it out. Its important to add the gravel after each row of blocks so you can tamp it down and so your retaining wall doesnt tip backward after a few rows. These blocks (available in gray and earthy tones in smooth or textured faces, like these at The Home Depot) can be found at virtually any home improvement store and many garden centers as well. Thanks for the information about how it would be smart to make sure that water can drain through the retaining wall well. Hi. So, planning your wall design and layout is an important step. We actually had the rows get longer and longer the higher the wall became. Before laying your blocks on the first row, its helpful to use a hammer and masons chisel to knock the lip off of the blocks so they can sit flat on the ground. Any discrepancies here will show up higher in the wall. Draw a straight line all the way around the block where you want to make your cut. If it is higher than the first stone, tap it down with the rubber mallet. I dont know if I would have had the upper body strength. FYI: the french drain has to go in with the holes down to work correctly, which just seems backward. Getting lazy here will just cause more work later, make your wall weaker, and make your friends laugh when they see the shoddy work. I should stop using we because at this point because my awesome husband did pretty much all of the work. Thats the reason walls made with this type of brick look slightly curved. The blocks and the base of your next step-up level should be equal once youve completed the building work. Add a small amount of limestone to the trench behind the paver stones. Place the first paver stone into the trench at one end. Once each block is level, set each block by hitting it in the center a few times with a rubber mallet. The trench must also extend into the hill far enough to bury a whole block. After completing the trench and the step-up area, you can place the base course of blocks on the base material. Heres a good YouTube video explaining why. I used those pavers with the lip in a different part of my yard, and because they have to centered over one another for stability, did the rows of your wall get shorter and shorter the higher the pavers went? So, this good for me to know about building a retaining wall. After you get everything in place, youll need to compact the area, making sure it is level. Did you cut the pavers to deal with this- or did you have to estimate how short the top row would get to make sure the bottom row was long enough. Soil is heavy, especially when soaking wet from a recent rainstorm, so a basic retaining wall (four feet tall and 15 feet long) potentially has to support up to 20 tons of soil pressure. I dont know if Id be willing to do that all by myself, or even with my husband! Does that sound like you? Wayne finished laying all the rows of bricks until it was level with the flat part of our yard all the way across. The exact depth of the trench depends on the proposed height of the wall, but follow this rule of thumb: Dig a trench to be an eighth of the wall plus three inches. Grab a masonry chisel and a mini sledge. If you forget that step, erosion can eventually lead to wall failure. Even with installing a lawn and watering it twice a week, plus all the other plants weve added, the wall looks like it did when we installed. That end of the brick will need to be partly covered with dirt from the hill too. Although every property has unique features to consider, youll typically dig a base trench that is 24 inches wide. This is different than the gravel used for the packed base and will be loose gravel. Its essential. Cover the limestone behind the paver stones with landscaping fabric. For example, if you want the finished height of your retaining wall to be three feet (36 inches) tall, youd need to dig the trench eight inches deep to accommodate three inches of crushed rock and about five inches (or an eighth of the visible retaining wall) to start the wall below grade. A retaining wall is used to prevent a hill from eroding or to create a flat surface for a garden or flower bed. The fabric is just landscaping or weed barrier fabric that you can pick up at any hardware store. Ill cover everything you need to know so you can get started with confidence. Make sure the blocks sit snugly on the other blocks. However, I am so glad that you mentioned the need to bury the first layer of the wall so that it has a firm foundation. After your drainpipe is in place, you should backfill the rest of the space behind the blocks with either sand or pea graveleither will allow water to filter through to the drainpipe at the base of the wall. I love how the final wall looks, the white bricks really help to divide the landscape both physically and with their bright colors. Youll determine the depth by allowing for six inches plus an additional inch for every one foot of wall height for the number of buried blocks or materials needed. That lip prevents the bricks from moving forward, even with the weight of the dirt behind it. Once you have it in place and level, youll need to make at least two more passes with the plate compactor to ensure you have the stability necessary for your project. Bear Creek Landscaping is fully licensed, insured, and Bonded (Contractors Reg BEARCCL882P3). You make this look very dooable for my home project. Once you have the trench in place, youre ready to create the second level of your retaining wall getting built on a slope. These are the blocks I will be using in this tutorial. It could be a lot different. I have a trench on a slope that tends to dump a little bit of muddy water on top. I dont have much of a back yard currently, I have about a 90 slope I would like to make my back yard usable, is it possible to start a wall in the middle of that slope? Typically 6 of packed gravel base is recommended. Cut a paver stone in half with a wet saw. You can make slight adjustments to the blocks by pounding them with a rubber mallet. Given the cost of gravel, if I can get sufficient drainage from 6, Id rather do that. That meant cutting back branches and pulling out roots and several stumps. Once we got back to building the wall again, each row after was a little easier than the last. The ends of the drainpipe should then exit on each end of the wall, and you may cover them with crushed stone to camouflage their appearance. Follow your local block suppliers guidance on base depth for the system you are using. I once placed one brick, and it nearly killed me. But the wall is awesome! A plate compactor is usually required for this part of the job. Wear safety goggles, gloves and ear protection when using the wet saw. Oh yeah, and had a baby. Then, lightly pack down the gravel and the dirt around the blocks to lock them in place. I have no way of cutting the bricks. Heres a video showing how this tool works. Add dirt on top of the landscaping fabric behind the wall. So we planned a wall that was 3 feet high on the north end, gradually getting smaller to about a foot and a half on the south end. Best video on DIY retaining wall. Im going to use a considerable amount of washed crushed rock as back fill and would like to cover this rock before putting topsoil over it. We dug a trench for the deepest part of the wall. I suppose if you are building a little circle wall like they did, it is pretty easy. Retaining walls can be constructed using a variety of materials, from poured concrete and large timbers to natural stones, even bricks. We never found a video specifically about building a wall in the middle of a steep slope, but we watched and read enough that we felt confident we could do this. Slope the limestone down toward the area where you want to drain the water. Not sure if you still check this but how is the wall holding up? Receive free, no-commitment estimate from lawn service professionals near you. Your retaining wall will only be as strong its support system. This step is NOT optional. By Glenda Taylor and Bob Vila | Updated May 6, 2022 3:41 PM. Once youve added the gravel, add some dirt in front of the first row of blocks to hold them in place. Once you have 6 built up, go back and level it out. You can use a string and line level for this step or a four-foot level. They are widely available, easy to work with, and relatively inexpensive.