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Background, long story short: I have an old shed that is basically barn construction. It's about 12' x 16'. The thing used to sit on concrete walls and those walls deteriorated. So I jacked it up, and put it on 6" posts, with deep concrete footings (~42"...it's Ohio).

Now that the building is once again solid, I need to finish the ground around it.

The building is built into a slope, where its front and one side are level with the yard. So the slope runs diagonally across the building, front to back. The front sits on an existing (and massive) concrete footer in the ground. The side into the yard is my concern right now.

What I want to do is simultaneously contain the slope and provide enough of a finish to make the space under the building into useful storage. The old concrete walls used to provide this, but now it's sitting on posts, so there is a lot of open space around it that I need to fill. The side in question has two posts, at the halfway point and on the back corner.

Is there a way to build something between these posts that would serve as a retaining wall, while not interfering with the posts? I'm open to ideas.

BTW...I'm not sure what tags are appropriate for this problem.

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  • It's difficult to tag this question because it's very broad. The question isn't clear. That said, it would have been better to pour a proper foundation which would have served both purposes. It's going to be difficult to pour individual walls between your posts and expect them to stay standing. – isherwood Oct 22 '17 at 14:02
  • @Isherwood I know. But the simple and cheaper solution was the only thing keeping me from just knocking it down, so I went with it. But now I've got this problem. – DonBoitnott Oct 22 '17 at 14:12
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You will need to dig/form a footer for your wall, appropriate in size and depth to support the wall itself and for frost heave in your area.

You could then form and pour, or build a block wall, between the posts. It will need to be reinforced (rebar) if you want it to last, and if stabilizing a slope it would need to be strong (tie-backs?), waterproofed for soil contact, and hydraulic considerations taken (gravel backfill, drains, etc.)

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  • In addition to that, the current post now becomes a weak point for rot and moisture infiltration. Consider the posts temporary, and make this a multi step process. – Valkor May 11 '19 at 16:16

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