Questions tagged [retaining-wall]

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7 votes
5 answers
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Setting fence post in gravel/backfill?

I am attempting to build a privacy fence that will sit just behind a retaining wall (as in, on the ground behind the wall and not on the wall itself). While digging today I realized that while the ...
TMK's user avatar
  • 71
7 votes
1 answer
639 views

My yard is eroding away and taking my house with it: what's the cheapest way to build a retaining wall to stop it?

We can't get grass to grow in spots in our backyard due to a combination of dogs, trees, and shade. Behind the house is a hill. A third of it has a retaining wall built with rail road ties. It has ...
James P. Wright's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
663 views

How can I level and secure retaining wall steps?

We have some retaining wall steps that are in dire need of repair. We would like to re-level some of them and re-adhere all of the cap stones so they no longer rock. Is it possible to create a ...
Ben's user avatar
  • 71
6 votes
2 answers
14k views

Can a retaining wall follow a slope?

We've got a 50' stretch of yard that has a very gentle side to side slope that we can't easily eliminate (fences on each side built at different heights). We want to build a retaining wall along that ...
Jakerc's user avatar
  • 63
5 votes
4 answers
3k views

What Kind of Wooden Beam is this

My wife and I recently purchased our first home. We'd like to make a flattened area in our backyard (which is somewhat sloped) for a firepit. My thinking was to dig out a shallow area and fill it with ...
Ryan's user avatar
  • 221
4 votes
5 answers
97k views

Retaining wall: footing or no footing?

I'm looking to build a retaining wall on my sloped backyard. I'll be using cinder blocks (with mortar to join them together and rebar for added stability). (added info: at the lowest point the wall ...
ttothec's user avatar
  • 191
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to make a Tall Retaining Wall

Recently, as in September [Final close date was 11/13/2015] this year, I bought a house. This house is on an extreme incline. I would like to level out this incline. The front first floor of the ...
Kayot's user avatar
  • 191
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Building a free-standing wall on top of a retaining wall

My house is well below street level. The slope from the sidewalk down towards the house is visibly eroding, to the point where I can see the entire side of many of the sidewalk slabs. The yard looks ...
alexw's user avatar
  • 505
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are railroad ties suitable for a retaining wall under tree canopy?

This video shows a sharp cliff near my house that leads down to a stream. The drop is about 20 feet. I would like to build a 4' high retaining wall right around where you see a stack of dead branches. ...
Wynne's user avatar
  • 1,541
4 votes
1 answer
28k views

Can I build a retaining wall along an existing fence?

Our yard has a small slope to it, and we wanted to make it level. (Mainly so we can put a swing set in for our kids.) I was thinking I could build a small retaining wall and just fill it in, but would ...
user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
18k views

My timber retaining wall is tipping over

My timber retaining wall is falling over, I'm just wondering what my options are? Is there a way to fix what I've got, or will I need to dig this whole area out and rebuild? You can't tell from the ...
Dan Williams's user avatar
3 votes
5 answers
5k views

How to prevent rebar from rusting in the ground?

I am building a wall with rebar, cinder blocks, and rebar, as I've seen in many YouTube videos. ________||_ ___________ ___________ _____ | || | | | | <--cinder ...
Village's user avatar
  • 995
3 votes
2 answers
177 views

How to saw inground lumber

My townhouse has some outdoor stairs built out of 6" x 8" lumber. A couple of the steps are rotten and I need to change the lumber. There is also a perpendicular long piece of lumber that crosses ...
Jimmy's user avatar
  • 299
3 votes
3 answers
5k views

Should a 3'-4' retaining wall have interlocking blocks?

I'm building a 3'-4' retaining wall in my backyard and I'm in the process of choosing block. One of the blocks I like isn't engineered with any kind of lip or interlocking feature. Is this necessary ...
lecrank's user avatar
  • 155
3 votes
1 answer
329 views

Compacting gravel on wet ground

I'm building a retaining wall from concrete blocks. The foundation will be 8 inches of 3/4 inch gravel compacted with a plate compactor. The trench is dug, but it has rained a good bit the last two ...
Chip Burwell's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Should the high side of a concrete block retaining wall be sealed?

I am mid-project in a DIY yard project. I have subbed out a large retaining wall to a civil / wall contractor. It’s 220 feet long, between 2-5′ in height, and makes 2 90-degree turns. It’s built to ...
pennstump's user avatar
  • 223
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to dig out behind retaining wall?

I'm looking to extend an existing water line. The only problem being that I need it to go under an existing retaining wall. I've included a quick side sketch just to get an idea of what I mean. The ...
TFK's user avatar
  • 3,714
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to fix a retaining wall that is difficult to access behind the house?

My retaining wall needs to be fixed/rebuilt since it's leaning, but I can't get any machines back there because house doesn't have much side or rear setback(maybe 5ft on each side) and behind the ...
Ville M's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do I compact backfill behind a retaining wall under a driveway?

I have a retaining wall that is on the property line. Along the top of the wall is my driveway. Part of the wall has given way and needs to be rebuilt. I think I have everything figured out except how ...
BD72's user avatar
  • 342
3 votes
2 answers
16k views

Can I build a 28" retaining wall using blocks with no lip?

I am building a wall that is 10.5' long and 28" high. There will also be side walls sloping down from both corners to enclose a patio. I would like to use blocks that are 15" wide, 5" tall and 8" deep,...
Erik Schamel's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to Anchor to Top of CMU Cinder Block Wall?

I want to install a fence along the top of a retaining wall. The wall is made of standard 8x8x16 CMUs and is filled with 3500psi concrete and #4 rebar in every cell. The posts have 4"x4" ...
pennstump's user avatar
  • 223
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can solid offset blocks be used to build a retaining wall in excess of 5'?

We need to build a retaining wall near our pool area. We have not made final decisions on it, but it will be a minimum of 4' tall, and possibly 5' or more. Many online tutorials recommend solid ...
Nicholas's user avatar
  • 889
3 votes
3 answers
28k views

How can I prevent this concrete block wall from falling over?

I have a concrete wall that separates my backyard with my neighbor’s. It has been there for decades (at the very least 30 years). I have a slope of about 30 degrees and have noticed that the wall is ...
Rick's user avatar
  • 869
2 votes
2 answers
12k views

Using Fence as a retaining wall

I have a fence, nearby which around which the ground is not level. the Kick boards (pressure treated) are around 2' high. Can i fill dirt and use fence as retaining wall. there is a post every 4'. If ...
David's user avatar
  • 295
2 votes
1 answer
870 views

Are my hardwood sleepers shrinking?

I've built many retaining walls and garden beds with class 2 hardwood sleepers (2.4m x 200mm x 50mm). A few weeks after installing them in a vertical position with no gap between sleepers, a ...
lithic's user avatar
  • 135
2 votes
4 answers
11k views

How do I take apart a wooden retaining wall?

I have a retaining wall, sorta. It acts as a divider between homes rather than retain anything. Built the same way as one, with 6x6 boards, spikes, all that jazz. No deadmen, of course. I need to ...
Matthew Bonig's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does anyone know if concrete blocks with half-moon tops are made?

I'm planning to finish a concrete block fence and would like to cap it with a rounded half-moon style block for aesthetics (the whole thing will be covered with surface-bonding cement for an adobe-ish ...
iLikeDirt's user avatar
  • 12.5k
2 votes
2 answers
197 views

How best to repair a cavity in the base of a retaining wall

I'm looking for some pointers on how best to go about repairing a hole and cavity in slate wall. The wall is the retaining wall at the rear of a house. Above and behind the wall there is a garden. The ...
Robert Barrow's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
5k views

Maximum retaining wall height

Some retaining walls from the home improvement store stated that Maximum Wall Height is 2 feet. For example, Tranquil Olde Manor Concrete Retaining Wall Block from Lowes. My question is that why there ...
HP.'s user avatar
  • 1,832
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

What's the best way to get grade below foundation wall?

We just discovered that the cause of some water staining on the internal sill-plates on top of the basement foundation wall are due to the outside grade sitting ~2 inches above the foundation wall!! ...
1905home's user avatar
  • 239
2 votes
1 answer
59 views

Shoring up side of old raised concrete

I live in an old (1920) Baltimore rowhouse. The concrete basement floor was—as far as I can tell from having drilled in a few spots—poured over a pretty variable, haphazard substrate, probably just ...
CrazyChucky's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
148 views

Dealing with incline from back door to fence

We have plans for a new house build - see my attached crude mockup where the front of the house is on the left and the backyard is the green shaded area. The land has up to 1.8m incline from front to ...
LeopardSkinPillBoxHat's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
243 views

Why don't segmental retaining walls need any piers or anchoring below grade?

I have built two soldier pile retaining walls (where you slot the boards between I-Beams you sink into the ground) with good success - but that success was due to: sinking the piles at least their ...
user227963's user avatar
  • 1,030
2 votes
1 answer
101 views

Type of drill to use for installing reinforcing rebar 18" into wood retaining wall?

I just finished assembling the frame for a gravel pad where I plan to put a shed. Because I put it into the side of a slope, I needed to use 5 layers of 4x4's to get the proper depth. Currently ...
Greg Stecker's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
248 views

Rainwater Pipe Through Gabion Wall

I need to build a relatively short and about 70-100 cm high retaining wall in my garden. I have chosen to make it out of gabion for various reasons, one of them being price. The main reason, however, ...
Topper Harley's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
293 views

How to properly allow for drainage for a backyard retaining wall?

I'm building a retaining wall for a circular fire pit area in my backyard, which has some slope to it. I've stacked the stones along the front part of the fire pit to make a kind of retaining wall, ...
Will's user avatar
  • 361
2 votes
1 answer
136 views

What should I do about this bowing foundation wall?

I'm currently in the process of buying my first home, and I found a property on the market that was priced significantly less than most homes in the area. The seller's justification for this was a ...
Chandler Freeman's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can I fill cinder blocks with soil/dirt?

I have two short raised beds made of cinder blocks (8 in. and 16 in. tall) that isn't finished yet. I was wondering if it's okay to fill the voids of the blocks with excess soil from my yard? I live ...
Jack Moresey's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
6k views

How much base is needed for small retaining wall?

Using crestone blocks 3.5 inches tall by 11.5 w and 7.5 deep. I will be doing two levels plus caps. What base depth should base material be? I know base brick should sit 1 inch deep for every 8 inches ...
eaglei22's user avatar
  • 1,075
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Using a boulder wall as an 8' retaining wall (Dallas area)

I've got an 8' retaining wall, runs about 120' across the back of my property (faces my house). It's railroad ties and has about run its life. I'm looking to replace with some kind of stone/block ...
drventure's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

How to repair small concrete retaining wall

I have a small retaining wall between the walk at the back of the house, and a flower bed. The wall also support small pillars for a roof overhang. There is a break in the wall, that over the years ...
RoJo's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
0 answers
1k views

Compact drainage rock behind retaining wall?

I am confused by the mfg instructions and its images. It states to fill core and 12 inches back with drainage crushed rock, and to compact, "backfill" First, what type of rick can i use for drainage ...
eaglei22's user avatar
  • 1,075
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Should drainage pipe behind a retaining wall only have holes on the top?

I am mid-project in a DIY yard project. I have subbed out a large retaining wall to a civil / wall contractor. It's 220 feet long, between 2-5' in height, and makes 2 90-degree turns. It's built to ...
pennstump's user avatar
  • 223
1 vote
2 answers
292 views

How do I build a fence with zero experience?

I've never built a fence or have never done any outdoor construction. I'm pretty handy and do most of my interior maintenance. I have a total of 780 feet where I need to put up a fence. I'm still ...
Tito Valentin's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
308 views

How can I restore a CBU retaining wall with a vertical crack at the corner?

A 30 year old concrete retaining wall is showing signs of age: What can be done to: halt the deformation of the blocks & wall? restore the wall to a state closer to 'new'?
gatorback's user avatar
  • 3,026
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Concrete retaining wall with lean and crack, looking for input

We bought our 100 year old house “as-is” a year ago with various small cracks and a firm, but somewhat eroded foundation. This all needs to be addressed eventually, however, a large crack with ...
timz08's user avatar
  • 55
1 vote
2 answers
90 views

Number of posts needed? [closed]

I have no idea what math needs to be done to figure this out, but let me set the stage for you. I'm building a BIG planter box in my yard. 27ft X 54ft X 5ft high. We want to utilize our whole yard to ...
bob152637485's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Check retaining wall drawing

Wondering if I can have people's thoughts on this retaining wall I'm building. It's a mortared CMU wall with rebar 24" o.c. It's on a slope and it will have a concrete slab and a fence right above the ...
ttothec's user avatar
  • 191
1 vote
2 answers
248 views

How should I attach sacrificial anodes to steel columns in concrete?

Soldier pile retaining wall. We're putting 25 foot long w8x48 beams into 16 foot deep holes and filling with concrete. So the steel beam is encased in concrete. I would like to increase their ...
user227963's user avatar
  • 1,030
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

How can I raise grade near my fence without making soil contact?

My house is on slightly sloped land, and I am trying to fill soil to level the ground to make it more flat to lay lawn. There will be 30-40cm height of soil that would go against the fence, but I don’...
Dhanuka777's user avatar