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without a lip you'd want to use concrete adhesive on each row. check your local code regulations. Typically a wall of a certain height has to be run through an engineer first. In my area I believe the height was 3'. Anything higher I'd have to hire an engineer. In our case, we had a large amount of earth to retain, but decided it was best to use a tiered ...

The blocks you linked to are more for decorative purposes; one or two courses around flowerbeds or trees. What you're going to need for 3'-4' of retaining wall is something like this: This is engineered block from http://www.anchorwall.com (I'm not affiliated; it was the first thing that came up when I Googled "Retaining wall blocks"). As you can see, ...

My neighbor and I fixed his retaining wall along the steps to his basement years ago (when we were both in better shape and in our late 20s). We had it dug out by hand in a few hours, but it was mostly clay, and didn't require shoring up. If you've got a long length, or sandy soil that's going to keep filling in as you dig, it might not be a good option, ...

I've recently purchased used railroad ties from home depot for my own landscaping needs. They were the cheapest by volume that I could find about, $15 for an 8"x10"x8' (nominal), and if you want something that's going to match the worn look of an existing railroad tie retaining wall, well that's as good as it gets. Concrete blocks will be more expensive ...

If you have access to a sawz-all also called a Tiger saw or reciprocating saw you can cut the spikes. Pry the timbers one at a time to get a little separation. Using the longest metal cutting saw blades you can get in the 14 tooth per inch range saw thru the spike. The longer blade will allow you to cut the spike if it is on the far side of the timber. ...

I just finished a similar project -- removing the top layer from about 40 running feet of retaining wall built with 6x8 timbers. I used a long crowbar (about 36") and a one pound sledge to drive the claw part of the crowbar under the top of the spike, then use the leverage of the crowbar to pull it out. It may only move a small amount at a time; add ...

If i understand the question, you want to use these blocks to create a retaining wall for your patio? the patio will be enclosed by these walls? A 28" wall made from solid block is fairly heavy and might settle if not built on a footing or well compacted gravel base. You didn't mention what part of the country you are in. If you are in an area with ground ...

First the blocks you are describing seem plenty big enough for a 28" wall. You are talking about 7 blocks high. I would personally use a taller block but I like making the install go easy. Smaller blocks I believe are more work. I have used LIQUID NAILS® Landscape Block, Stone & Timber Adhesive However I only glue the caps (top layer to the ...

Those aren't bricks. Those are CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units). They should have mortar in between the joints, but if not, it's likely filled with concrete. Is it cracked at all anywhere? If it's not cracked and it's been standing for 10 years, you're probably OK with it as is. You could go ahead and build a brick wall in front of it as ChrisF points out, ...

If it was built correctly (designed with seasonal wood movement in mind) it shouldn't need anything done to it. Depending on how you would like it to look you might want to use a sealer on it. As for how long it will last that all depends on what was used to build it. If it was pressure treated construction lumber then I'd estimate 30+ years although the ...

The engineering on such a wall may prove difficult. We recently built a 6' retaining wall and a couple of 5' retaining walls. The 6' wall was 32 MPA concrete spray using our pool as the footing, the 5' walls are steel reinforced, core-filled besser blocks with footings 600mm deep and 1000m wide. In both cases, using steel and concrete, the engineering was ...