Wood retaining wall advice needed..
acarsme
7 years ago
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JSL Landscape Design Build
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Need some advice on retaining wall. . .
Comments (2)Most bang for the buck .... Generally, for contracted walls, this will be the type that is most commonly built at this time in your area. The contractors will have all the kinks worked out and will be more assured that their bid will produce a profit. And there will likely be competition to get the job. Uncommon construction will always cost more. For the DIY project, the most bang for the buck is where the type most matches the resources of the homeowner. By resources, I mean the number of people, their physical shape, experience, and skill level, the time available, and the tools needed. I'm down on the use of timber walls. Probably because I live in a wet warm climate and timber walls last longer in other areas. Though a badly constructed timber wall can fail in the first five years, I would agree with marcinde that a well constructed timber wall will be good for 15 to 20 years, even in my climate. But if you sell ten years after the wall is built, a discerning buyer will see that wall as a liability, where a well constructed permanent wall will have appreciated in value....See MoreRetaining wall fell, need advice
Comments (5)Can you see where your wall went? What was it made of? if cement blocks they could be cleaned up with chisel & hammer, I did mine after Northridge earthquake, much cheaper than hiring someone to come & haul them away & get a new wall. Of course I mixed cement in wheelbarrow & dad set the blocks. used rebar both in the blocks & across to strengthen it. In your case because it is a retaining wall you have to have a cement base. But if you could retrieve all your blocks you could cut the expense greatly. Might have retaining wall put in with chain link fence on top of it or wood as that would cut cost by probably 2/3 but you need to find out why earth is moving. I know of some swimming pools that have poorly built fences or no fences,just hedge & ground isn't moving just because of the pool. If the fill in your backyard is mostly sand that could cause problems. We have some areas out here in Ca. that are extremely unstable- guess you saw the beachside community that buried number of people few years back. People love a hillside house & every couple of yrs some slide down on top of other houses but they just fill it in & rebuild. Good Luck!...See MoreNOOB needs advice: porch stairs using retaining wall blocks
Comments (0)Hi. We bought our first house last autumn so I'm complete noob and really hope to get some good advice. I'd like to build porch stairs using retaining wall blocks and copings. It'll be 4 steps high, about 25 inches from ground to highest step. I've already drown sketch and more or less made my decision with blocks. The only issue I have left of how to prepare soil. More specifically do I need to rent plate compactor, or jumping jack, or hand tamper would be enough to compact soil and crushed stones for this project? Could you please give me some advice here? Thank you in advance. :)...See MoreHelp building retaining wall on a slope! 1st time builder need advice!
Comments (1)You will need to dig down so that the bottom of the wall (which is the bottom of the footing) is below the frost line. Maybe a regional forum could help you find out what frost depth is. A footing is like a nice thick sidewalk that is created for the wall to sit on. (8" thickness depth would be good. 6" might be OK.) You're building a retaining wall so keep in mind that it needs to be sturdier than a free-standing wall. A footing ought to protrude beyond the footprint of the wall itself, by about 8" all the way around. So that's a total width of 24". If the present excavation only allows for the wall, you would need to excavate farther into the hill, also allowing for the space occupied by the form work. The wall will not look good if the block slopes. Instead, it should be level and to control it's height, step it down with level changes as needed. The footing would step down, too, as needed, in 8" increments (or multiples thereof) to accommodate the block courses. You'll need to use wire mesh in between courses of block. For heft and strength, I would fill the cells of the block solid with concrete as it's built. (Retaining walls that are under built tip over with time. Also, you will need to embed rebar into the footing which turns upward into the wall itself, locking the two together and helping the wall to last. Search Google images for "CMU wall" and you'll be able to see all manner of examples and details. My instructions are general and you must reconcile them with local conditions....See MoreRevolutionary Gardens
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7 years agoRevolutionary Gardens
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6 years agoRevolutionary Gardens
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