Is the area level along the slope? We just put in two walls 20' long using option a towards one end and c towards the other. Its taken my husband and I 2 days including removing stumps but we had to hand dig (couldnt get equipment back there). But usually you are taking into consideration where you want the wall locations as well. The low side face of the first row of block should be nearly covered by finish grade. Whatever you use don't over dig and recompact under the wall or on the low side if you can. Best to save yourself work by having undisturbed soil, your base for leveling, tamped.

A couple of easy suggestions come to mind... If you build the planters out of wood, the side walls could be painted to match the wall color, and the interior faces of the raised wood walls could be backed all around with a waterproofing membrane in combination with a vertically applied drainage material product such as Mirafi. Which is a filter fabric backing applied to a plastic waffle drainage layer which provides quick drainage and also acts as an air gap helping to preserve the life of the wood and keep the painted surface more stable because the wood remains drier. This would allow you to skip the 6 inch gap at the walls of the house and still avoid moisture penetration. A wood and painted wall, perhaps replicating the horizontal lapped siding look would contrast ni sly against the existing brick. Perhaps using a matching brick for raised walls away from the house at the back yard would be an approach for the back yard. Alternating heights of walls and switching between painted wood and matching brick can also give a contemporary look for the back yard situation. I'd not suggest matching brick at the front unless you prefer the walls "disappear" against the walls, rather than contrast them. You could also use backerboard material for walls which is made for interior shower wall construction, and use a thick stucco-like paint on product with integral color added in lieu of wood and paint, there are several competing products on the market formulated to give a painted stucco look at less cost.

Well -- the wall is up! Will post pictures this weekend. In the end, I went the easy route. I had to get the concrete back porch pad replaced, so I simply had the guys pour the retaining wall as well. It's not perfect; it slopes somewhere between actual level and the slope of the sidewalk, and it's not really parallel to the street (the guy told me afterwards he simply ran a line from the outside corner of one neighbors wall to the other neighbors wall)-- but I don't think that will really be noticiable once I get the concrete stained and the beds put in and planted. I'm less happy about the drainage. I'd assumed he'd put in drainage holes; it looks like it's usually a piece of PVC pipe placed thru the form, and concrete poured around it. But they didn't put anything in. (This wall is about 16" high, and the space behind it is about 30 inches, with a drop of 12 inches -- hope that makes sense.) When the boss came by the next day to do the cut lines I mentioned the drainage issue to him, and he told me he was drilling holes at the base of the cut lines. They're small, less than an inch across, but they are spaced about every 3-4 feet. I know I need to put down gravel at the inside base of the wall, and a perforated pipe on top of that. Then more gravel and a layer of filter cloth on top of it before I put in the top soil. (And they're calling for extreme heat advisory for the next week!) A few quick questions: -- How much gravel above and below the pipe? Is 2" enough on both, or do I need more? -- After quick look at two box stores, it seems the perforated pipe only comes in a 4" diameter. This is a relatively low wall, with not much space behind it -- do I really need a pipe that big? If I don't, and I can't find a smaller one, can I use a smaller diameter PVC pipe and drill holes in it myself? -- The ends of the perforated pipe are open -- would it be smart to wrap the ends in filter cloth as well? -- I didn't actually see filter cloth at the stores, just read about it in a book -- but I have a done of weed barrier cloth I got on clearance. Can I use that, or do I need something plastic/fiberglass-like that will last forever? -- And since I'm buying more than just a bag of gravel and topsoil, is there a simple formula to turn inches into cubic yards? Appreciate all the advice -- once I get it stained I think I'm really going to like this wall, and it's nice how complimentary the neighbors have been about it -- since they're going to be seeing a lot more of it than I do!

Except for the dog issue, I'm confused about what you're trying to do with fences. If you must fence the property line, which it as top of berm, I presume you would eliminate fence close to retaining wall (so as not to have a strip of land sequestered in between two fences.) It would be vastly easier to understand if you'd take a site plan (I'm sure you have one since the house is currently being built) and mark out your intentions, and submit a photo. Hopefully it will explain what/how you mean about running a fence "half way." In regards to the issue about the dog or children jumping off the retaining wall. I can't really believe either wouldn't be able to learn their capabilities almost instantly. The wall doesn't look high enough to be a real danger and won't there be unpaved areas at its lower side? Doesn't seem like a problem. When I was a child we would think this wall a nice toy. Plantings could easily limit access.