Building A Rock Retaining Wall At Home

Avoid having downspouts pointed at the retaining wall and if it s against the house keep soil and mulch well below the siding.

Building a rock retaining wall at home.

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. Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers. Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas. 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.

This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind. This makes your rock wall into a 50 year wall. Follow the block manufacturer s instructions for wall height limits. Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible.

In other words for a four foot wall two feet wide. Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than. How to build a short retaining wall this 2 retaining wall is a great architectural element that also serves a purpose to keep dirt from a sloping yard from going into the driveway. To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site.

How to build a rock wall 1. Without this simple footing the rocks have a tendency to move. To create a solid foundation dig a trench for the first course of your interlocking retaining wall blocks to sit in and make sure the ground remains even throughout. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time.

Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level. Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines. The success of your retaining wall depends on a level base. Self stacking concrete blocks make building a sturdy retaining wall a much simpler diy project.

This footing is similar to a concrete retaining wall just not as engineered. Try to cut the ditch into native soil rather than loose added soil as the former provides a more stable foundation for the wall. Anything taller should be handled by professionals. Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye.

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.