How to Build a Sturdy Retaining Wall
A retaining wall is a protective structure, first and foremost. It should be strongly built for steady support. But it can also serve as a decorative architectural element. It is this mix of beauty and functionality which any home addition should strive for.
While of course it is possible to hire a contractor to build something like this, there really is no reason as you can do this home project yourself and it will not take as long as you think and also it will save quite a few dollars when simple home additions are done on your own.
All one needs is a little drive and determination and make a plan and then stick to it. Before you know it your retaining wall will be built and you'll be full of confidence looking for the next home project.
The first thing to do is excavate the area where we plan to put up the retaining wall. If the area is downhill, be sure to grade the soil. Drive stakes of wood into the slope and stretch across them a masonry twine.
For the base trench, dig a ditch on the higher side of the wall. Fill the ditch of our retaining wall with different colored stones and then level using a rake. Have the stones compacted together with the use of a tamper.
For the first course, we place the first base of concrete over the stones for our retaining wall. To make sure the concrete is even on all sides use a torpedo level. Continue putting concrete while leveling out stones. Wear safety gloves.
When cutting the initial block into halves (for stronger grip and vertical joints placeholders) do so with the block of each even-numbered row. Use a sledgehammer for the purpose along with a brick chisel. This is for a stronger retaining wall.
With the second course-after cutting the initial block of even-numbered rows-put the second row. Step back each block just a bit off to make sure we are making a slight backward slope to somewhat push the thing that needs support. This is what a retaining wall is for.
Then, as the wall rises, compress the earth behind it. As we fill the rear portion with earth reinforce the wall with concrete the higher it goes. Between the wall and the earth fill should be more cement mixes to increase retaining wall material strength.
For our final grading, the higher the wall goes the farther the slope is from the wall top. Fill the gap with crushed stones topped with earth. The fill level should be some inches below the wall top.
When building the retaining wall alone, opt for interlocking blocks. Take care to refill the ditch or trench right after the base or footing or foundation layer is done.
Retaining walls are best for keeping slopes like small hills or mounds beside our houses from landsliding. They're perfect for garden landscaping and even for buttressing wall portions of our houses. Retaining wall concepts are also applied for chimney building.
Building a retaining wall helps keep our surrounding safe and supported. It keeps a steeply sloping terrain from collapsing.
(ArticlesBase SC #519501)
Article Tags:
how to build a retaining wall
How to Build a Retaining Wall for Your Garden
Tricia Craven Worley from DannyLipford.com explains some more affordable options for building a retaining wall for your garden. (01:09)
How to Plan a Retaining Wall Project
Learn how to Plan a Retaining Wall Project (03:51)
Building a Retaining Wall
If you have a yard that is full of hills and dales, then the best way to have a garden just might be to have a retaining wall. Here are some helpful tips for when you are building a retaining wall. (02:03)
How to Build a Patterned Retaining Wall
Learn how to Build a Patterned Retaining Wall (04:28)
How to choose Materials, Soils and Tools for Retaining Wall Installation
Materials, Soils and Tools for Retaining Wall Installation form concrete Allan Blocks (02:06)
Retaining walls are a great advantage to any garden or exterior area. You can use this wall in order to prevent the earth from slopes and from washing or eroding away, as they act like strong barricades. You can also use them as decorative walls, which can be great background options for fountains, ponds, flower beds, patios, etc.
It is relatively easy to make your garden more beautiful by building a retaining wall, which has a lawn or area of flowers behind it. A retaining wall needs to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of soil weight behind it.
Erosion is a very common headache for people who live next to slopes or have uneven topography around their property. Retaining walls are a great solution for eroding earth, as well as, they look good and offer security and privacy. Retaining walls can be made from a number of materials that make them look very natural and aesthetically appealing.
Revealing the necessities of a successful retaining wall, this article is a must read before building any type of retaining wall or hiring a contractor to build it for you. It exposes common reasons retaining walls fail and shows how to avoid them.
A wood retaining wall is just as durable and functional as any stone, or block wall as well as being a safe and effective way to add a dynamic feature to your landscape. Wood adds a certain luster to any landscaping project and is a great material to utilize in the yard.
Retaining walls are more than just a solution to erosion, as they can be used for decorative and security and privacy purposes as well. They offer a great background for your yard or garden and also are not that expensive to install. They can be made from a number of natural materials, like stone, limestone, boulders, etc, as well as concrete, which makes it more fortified.
Outsource your retaining wall design services to get help of expert professionals!!! By outsourcing your retaining wall design services you can also save your valuable amount of time and money.
Learn easy instructions on how to care for silk bed sheets.
Martellato Pastry Equipment About Martellato pastry equipment For all practical purposes, Martellato Pastry Equipment as well as their baking and ice cream is revered as being some of the best in the industry. This is a family owned business that has been in operation since early 1980 and has been servicing the...
The natural stone is derived from the chunks of hard mineral or pieces of rock. In earlier days, their usage was seen in monuments, buildings, and commercial and residential areas. In the current scenario, they are spoken of as one of the most popular and widely-recognised flooring materials among the people.
Bath and Kitchen Remodeling is a priority for many people in the Greater Hampton Roads Area. Everyone wants a perfect kitchen and bathroom. Kitchen Emporium can help bring that about.
Have you seen skunks on your property? Are you wondering what the signs of rabid skunk behavior may be?
Moths have to be dealt with quickly and effectively if you don’t want to waste money on replacing expensive fabrics, clothes and new carpets. Clothes moths or carpet moths can cause lots of damage, leaving holes in your clothes and tunneling through your rugs. Silverfish are another household pest that can be a nuisance; they favor dark moist places so you will generally find them in kitchens and bathrooms.
Do you want to rework your home with bi-folding doors? Then its now time to create your home look attractive and modish. These days you can simply produce the feeling and atmosphere of being among the garden by sitting within the heat of your own home. You can give a fancy look to your conservatories, bedrooms, garage conversions, dining areas and thus on through the help of the fashionable bi folding doors. You will fancy open plave living by extending your home into garden.
There isn't any person during this world who don't wish to stay their home beautiful. Yes, often the a lot of energy efficient doors aren't your most visually pleasing option. Aluminum doors are turning into a lot of common these days. Durability and its great style is the main reason for that.
Try the 3-day diet for immediate but short-term results. But only if our career depends on it and not done regularly. A 3-day diet has sure result but not aimed at better health - so it is adviseable to stick with 3 days only and to get back up on...
This diet sounds like it destroys a lot of dieting paradigms, but the 3-hour diet is really challenging and incredible. It claims that eating often makes us burn more fats. The 3-hour diet is worth examining. No, it's not eating for 3 hours each day or even dieting for 3 hours...
The Shangri La diet is simply ruining the taste buds. If the taste buds are in no mood for food, the appetite follows suit. This is the Shangri La diet theory on taste-calorie relationship. Here's a diet that manipulates our appetite by upsetting our taste buds and the caloric program...
The South Beach Diet provides three phases of diet programs that allow an individual to enjoy the indulgences of eating good tasting and healthy foods while still losing weight and obtaining the slim figure everybody would love to have. Created by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, the South Beach Diet is...
The magnetic diet is among the best ways to keep our weights and eating habits controlled without too much rigidity. With a magnetic diet we lose weight at the same time that we enjoy good foods. In principle foods have "magnets" that attract positive or negative effects to our bodies. The...
Kashi GoLean diet introduces shakes and light snacks rich with natural nutrients in lieu of meals. Calling this "meal replacement" Kashi GoLean diet effectively reduces weight by simply enjoying shake meals. How about shake meals for a change? All we have to do is gobble up tall glasses of protein-rich and...
The unique principle behind the zone diet promotes a dietary program that targets hormonal control to reduce body fat and maintain ideal weight while reducing the risks of other chronic diseases as well. The Zone diet was born from the concept of Dr. Barry Sears, a guru in hormonal responses and...
Body for Life is a more realistic approach to fitness and dieting. we cover all angles from exercises to a healthy fat burning diet. Body for Life, as a result, has many satisfied patrons. There are lots of different both good and bad diet programs around that promise quick and easy...

