The company/person doing steel construction should know how to secure that wall.

That said some L brackets should be welded on at the bottom of the wall and fastened to concrete piers or concrete footing... or cheaper way to weld come L shaped metal brackets with a pre-drilled hole at the bottom of it and drive metal pins through it into the ground (same way they install edging just use longer and wider in diameter pins)... there plenty of other ways this can be done.

Do you have a picture of the metal wall?

I know such avante garde things are being done and ending up in magazines, but one should consider practicality. Steel that's going to hold up to the forces of rust for a period of time is going to be very thick and expensive. There's got to be reasons why steel as a retaining wall material hasn't gone mainstream in light of its being around for ages.

Corten steel retaining walls are done often in the UK I think this is what you are thinking I hope IMO the only steel worth using. I think they use a concrete footing sort of like this

Thanks for the comments! Here are a couple of examples of the retaining wall style that I am looking for. Since it is going to be 12-16" I don't think it is going to need a footer, depending on how I secure it to the ground. There is a company in the UK called EverEdge that makes this type of product but from my research it looks like only the 5" landscaping edge is sold in the US. They do sell an 11-12" version for commercial applications, so I've emailed them to ask about installation guidelines - nothing really on their website for the taller version.

Corten does seem to be ideal, but I've also seen applications of cold rolled mild-steel that seem to work. I have a metal work designer that is coming by on Monday to look at the project - he hasn't done something like this before so he and I both agreed that we would have to put our heads together on how to properly secure it, which is why I was reaching out to this forum for advice.

If ANYONE has experience with INSTALLING this type/height of steel retaining wall, I would appreciate some advice. I've done hours of research online and there is very very little information. At this point, I've posted here and have started to make phone calls across the country and into Canada.

Thanks!

Not saying they are not done, just that they will be expensive if quality and good quality would be the ONLY way to go.

Yardvaark - from my research - it's really hard to say and depends a great deal on where one lives.. I live in the Washington DC area and from what I can tell this type of retaining wall is not common at all, which is why I'm having a problem finding more information. EverEdge in the UK looks to have cornered the market on steel landscaping edge and it looks to be quite common there. This is a very small retaining wall at the end of a narrow strip between two driveways. I've already had stone retaining walls spec'd out from $3500 - 10,000, so you can see there is quite a wide range for the exact same wall.

They sell EverEdge steel edging products in HD and other landscaping places, Steel edging been widely used in landscaping for a long time.

But I never seen a metal retaining wall or saw being sold anywhere.

I looked at the EverEdge UK website to see what the retaining wall is like and as I said before, they have metal C-brackets welded on so a metal pin can be inserted and driven into the ground to support the wall..

Good luck

I wonder why you chose steel? Is it because you think you can install it yourself?

We put steel edging around our last house. Our kids and I think even our dog got hurt on it. Not sure if the retaining wall will have the same exposed edge, but I swore I'd never use it again. If you google, it's actually quite dangerous. Enough that there's a product available to cover the exposed edge to prevent injuries. If folks will be stepping out of their car near the wall, or walking past it, I'd reconsider.

pls8xx - A couple of reasons - I like the look of the steel when it gets a patina. The steel only needs to be 1/4 thick whereas a drystack stone wall would have to be 12" thick, which gives me a lot more area for planting. I don't expect to install it myself as it will need to be a custom piece to fit the area we have for it.

benjesbridge - I have thought of that. Thanks for sharing your experience. There is a small portion that will be along the bottom of our driveway. The main hazard is backing down the driveway but I've already decided to have it inset from the edge of the concrete driveway at least 1 ft - maybe more. Since I am having it custom made, I can have the top edge rounded so that it isn't sharp. Obviously, when you buy off the shelf steel edging, you don't have the option.

I appreciate all the comments folks, but I really do know what I want here and am only looking for advice regarding installation. If you have some advice about that, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

I recently saw a retaining wall made from highway guard rail

I did a search for corten (an alloy of steel used in landscape applications for its high strength and the exterior patina of rust that protects the interior from corrosion) in the photos here on Houzz.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/Corten/nqrwns

There are a fair number of landscape beds with steel on all sides, making them self-supporting, but I found one application that has one steel side, and the builder in answer to a question described the install.

Phillips Garden

“The steel is 3/16" thick and is mounted on square steel tubing set in concrete footings.”

https://www.houzz.com/photos/minnehaha-parkway-industrial-landscape-minneapolis-phvw-vp~80125

I stopped after finding one, but I imagine that if you looked as I did and clicked on specific photos so you can scroll down the righthand side to read questions and answers you may find more.

goldilocks1319 and andreadambrosia: I too live in the DC area and am considering a corten retaining wall. There is a real dearth of information, it seems. I would really appreciate contractor recommendations, advice, and/or photos of your completed project(s). Cheers.

@mmaricco shoot me an email or message me through houzz. I have a friend in DC who does metal fabrication, and I also have a subcontractor here in VA who does metalwork as well. If you give me some info on your project I can share my thoughts with them and see what they think. I don't typically cross the Potomac Ocean, so this would just be a referral.

goldilocks1319 - sorry for the late reply. I didn't see your comment until the last two comments.

I talked to a local steel supplier and they said they would take a look at a design and give me a price if I came up with a template. I also had a steel designer from Annapolis come over and take a look at the project. He had a friend who had done quite a bit of Corten retaining wall work in Colorado but the price was going to be 3-4 times what it would cost for me to do a dry stack retaining wall. That's a complete non-starter for me.

I agree with mmaricco - there is a dearth of information - although if you look at suppliers in the UK where Corten is popular, then you can find quite a bit of information.

Revolutionary Gardens - what is your experience with price compared to drystack or a block retaining wall? Can the corten retaining wall be done for a reasonable price? I still haven't done anything but hope to in the fall when I've gotten a number of other projects completed.

Link to Cor-Ten on Houzz

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/interesting-industrial-materials-cor-ten-steel-stsetivw-vs~358346

Kathy -

Yep...saw that article. There is plenty of information on how to use Corten in an interesting way but very little information on how to design or install.

Yes, you are right. I did notice that too. Good luck with your venture and keep us updated so maybe we can learn something. You may have a start of a new product.

@andreadambrosia, did you ever complete your corten steel project? I am in the process of doing this as well. I am also trying to figure out how to anchor it.

Taller walls should have steel tie-backs much in the same way as timber cribbing

OMG! i have nearly googled myself insane trying to solve this stuff myself . google apparantly doesnt want anyone to build retaining walls with anything other than concrete block from home depot!!!! i have been trying to solve bendabity of square pipe all night. i would like to have my steel wall supported by visible steel and the ends runs dying into buttreses faced with mortared river rock that extend over the top of the steel and into the beds proud over the soil. like tics marking the hours on a clock. days on end googling. pssst.... as soon as i spoke ill of the g--gle the spell check and auto correct while typing this has gone haywire. we loooove the google, niiiiice google, niiiiiiiice google.

Why wouldn’t you build it with traditional materials and wrap in steel? We will be starting a business down here in the great state of TX doing just that!

@andreadambrosia did you complete this Corten steel retaining wall