Anybody got experience building a retaining wall?
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I’m putting a block retaining wall for a raised garden bed tomorrow. 24’ L x 18” H (4” will be submerged). I dug a 7” ditch and will lay down 3 inches of paver base tomorrow. While the wall isn’t tall, the combined weight is about 2000 lbs. With a soon to be toddler that will be crawling all over anything, I’m planning on dropping some rebar, too. The question is how much and how deep? Any suggestions? I was thinking of dropping 6 2’ bars halfway down. Is that deep enough?
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Find an Irishman and ask him.
“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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@Mik I’m Irish. I know for a fact that we won’t do work without whisky or beer being involved.
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I'm an Irish man.
I have built several retaining walls, concrete and wood.
One down, two up. That is the rule of thumb. One block underground for each 2 blocks above. I believe the limit for blocks like this is around 3 feet above grade.
Make sure you bury some of this stuff behind the wall, you don't want pressure to build up and knock it over:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/ADS-4-in-x-10-ft-Corrugated-Perforated-Pipe/50163591The courses are all level, they don't go up and down with the terrain. This lets you put your beer down without it tipping over.
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And nobody ever regretted having a good 42 inch wrecking bar, you will use it on a million projects
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I just picked up a 36” bar to tear down the timber wall the previous owner had up. That made my life so much easier.
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@Mik said in Anybody got experience building a retaining wall?:
Copper, quit giving the wanker free advice.
You’re just upset that I stole all your lucky charms...
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This first row is kicking my ass. Once I’ve got it in, it will go faster, but today I’m working my behind like an Irishman trying to earn money for a bottle of whisky.
@Copper I am impressed with that wall.
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Okay, the wall is pretty much done. Getting ready to put the caps on top. The wall is only 14” above ground and 6” - 12” submerged (I have a slope in the yard and have an extra row of block for 6ft (1/4 the wall length). The wall is not holding back against natural terrain but is simply one side of a raised garden bed 24’ x 4’. The other sides are bordered by a wooden fence (that is next year’s project) so the pressure against the wall isn’t that high. Still, I dropped a 3’ perforated drainage (ran it from the catch basin from the gutters to kill 2 birds with one stone), and even dropped some rebar down through the block (decorative hollowed cinderblock). It’s perfectly level (except the drainage pipe) and all that’s left is putting the caps on... Except, a neighbor just suggested filling the holes in the block as much as possible with gravel. Thoughts? I don’t want to do this again in 10 years...
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Okay, the wall is pretty much done. Getting ready to put the caps on top. The wall is only 14” above ground and 6” - 12” submerged (I have a slope in the yard and have an extra row of block for 6ft (1/4 the wall length). The wall is not holding back against natural terrain but is simply one side of a raised garden bed 24’ x 4’. The other sides are bordered by a wooden fence (that is next year’s project) so the pressure against the wall isn’t that high. Still, I dropped a 3’ perforated drainage (ran it from the catch basin from the gutters to kill 2 birds with one stone), and even dropped some rebar down through the block (decorative hollowed cinderblock). It’s perfectly level (except the drainage pipe) and all that’s left is putting the caps on... Except, a neighbor just suggested filling the holes in the block as much as possible with gravel. Thoughts? I don’t want to do this again in 10 years...
By the way, it’s taking so long because after I had the first row done, I started working on the drainage system and then we had a ton of rain and work...
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I think the gravel is a good idea but with only 14" above ground it might be overkill.
That is just a guess I don't know what the limit should be.
The gravel will obviously help prevent mud from working into the holes and wet mud and ice could cause things to move around. Dry gravel would be better than mud.
