skip to main content

Landscape Design garden

Building a retaining wall

5 years ago

Hello,

I am new here and I have a shed in my backyard that i need to relocate. The only problem is the ground is uneven and I need to build a retaining wall. It will be towards the back of my lot so ascetics are not super important, it is about 2 feet of decline over an 8 ft distance. I only need the wall to be about 30" high and 14ft wide. I am having trouble finding the blocks to use. I have seen cinder blocks used. Is this a good choice? If so, where can i get them? Home Depot and Lowes seem to be priced high.

Thank you,

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

PRO
Colwynn Garden Design
5 years ago
Cinder Blocks will be your best choice if it is going to support a lot of weight. HD offers bulk discounts for a lot of building products, I find them to be as cheap as anywhere else.
PRO
Revolutionary Gardens
5 years ago
CMUs (what you're calling cinderblocks) need to be built on a concrete footing, mortared together, tied to the footer with rebar, and the cells filled with concrete. Is this what you're looking to do? If so, I've found that the 8x8x16 CMUs from Lowes are ~$0.40/ea cheaper than my contractor yard. Occasionally you can find someone on craigslist clearing some out for a buck apiece, but it'll take you a while to get what you need.

Or are you referring to the interlocking concrete wall blocks, that go on a gravel footer and lock together with pins or a lip? If that's the case I wouldn't even consider the ones from the big box stores as they're trash. You want to buy those from a paver and stone supplier.
Related Discussions
how to get rid of grass and building a retaining wall
Q
Comments (1)
Yes I'm thinking of doing that. The dirt is kind of compact do you think I could just take the grass out with a shovel. I took a lot out today but some of them have that deep white root that just goes under really deep. So I should use a tiller to till out most of the grass. Then put some kind of plastic tarp or something to prvent the weed from growing. Then put on a layer of mulch. Then pour the soil over and start building the retaining wall then add perennials. Do you think one layer of plastic is enough?
...See More
Building a retaining wall around a Dancy
Q
Comments (12)
My purpose for the retaining wall is two-fold. Primarily to keep our 60inches of annual rain from washing dirt off the mound I planted the tree on and into the low area around the tree that needs to stay low enough to drain water from around my house. I want the low wall to be visually appealing so I plan to match it with the rock wall (part of an outdoor shower). The bonus for the sturdy wall is that I can use it to help support a freeze cover during cold winter nights. My main purpose for posting was to get input from folks with mature Dancys to see how big they get. I'm guessing mine won't get as big as some since my winters will be a little rough on my tree. I'm in Zone II, it's recommended for Zone I.
...See More
Need help building a retaining wall
Q
Comments (5)
A wall needs deadmen when the mechanism to overcome failure is mass and the mass of the wall needs extra ballast to do so. Your wall is relying on nothing but vertical posts at this point. It will fail by leaning over assuming that it is well anchored. If it is not well anchored it could fail from the bottom rotating out and upward. A deadman is used to combine the mass of the soil that it binds to the wall to overcome the force on the wall. Many people believe that it attached the wall to the slope, but that is not correct. A method to make this type of wall design work that is often done with vertical sea walls is the use of helical anchors. Have you ever seen a retaining wall like yours?
...See More
Building a retaining wall for fruit trees etc.
Q
Comments (6)
I do some work with limestone around here (kentucky, US) for fencing/walls and other things and usually use temp logs or pvc pipe in the wall that I pull out after done to allow water to drain -drain holes. I especially would consider that if you are building the wall on bedrock. Don't just pile the rocks though unless you plan on using concrete as well. You want to simply stack them but stack one side behind the other and use smaller filler rocks pushed in the middle to tie them together. Since you don't have experience I'd build the wall with a cut away view like this: / ......| / ......| --------- with the front tapered and the flat back leaned slightly back toward the hill kind of laying against the dirt that will be pushing against it. Do the corners first then occasionally in the middle build up and then go back and do the in between parts and occasionally use a larger rock that can go across both front and back and over filler middle rocks to tie everything together
...See More
PRO
Drawn by Nature Landscaping
5 years ago
If you are trying to retain soil, which you are, please do not use cinder blocks. Use retaining wall blocks that have a setback to them - meaning each row of block you stack on top of the other one, it sits back about a half inch. If you stack anything up vertically it will tip over in the long run. You can find retaining wall block in a number of big box home improvement stores. Consult either a professional or watch some you tube videos on how to properly install a retaining wall. There's a lot more planning than setting blocks on the ground.

Related Stories

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 7 Out-of-the-Box Retaining Wall Ideas

Go Beyond Railroad Ties With Stylish Rock, Metal, Blocks, and Poured Concrete

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Pile On Style With a Dry-Laid Stone Retaining Wall

By Katherine Caviness

Durable, natural and practical, this landscape feature is an art form unto itself

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Dry-Stacked Stone Walls Keep Their Place in the Garden

By Olander Garden Design

See an ancient building technique that’s held stone walls together without mortar for centuries

ARCHITECTURE How to Artfully Build a House on a Hillside

By Jen Dalley //

Let your site's slope inspire your home's design, rather than fight it

BATHROOM DESIGN Room of the Day: Renovation Retains a 1920s Bath’s Vintage Charm

By Becky Harris

A ceiling leak spurs this family to stop patching and go for the gut

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING How to Make a Pond

By Mitchell Parker

You can make an outdoor fish paradise of your own, for less than you might think. But you'll need this expert design wisdom

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Gabion Evolves From Functional to Fabulous

By Olander Garden Design

The permeable rock-, concrete- or glass-filled steel cages are showing up as retaining walls, planters, benches and more

GREEN BUILDING Building Green: The Paths, Beds and Decks That Define Your Landscape

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

You can make your outdoor area more sustainable by carefully designing your hardscape and selecting materials

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: A Connecticut Beach House Builds New Memories

By Nora Burba Trulsson

Extensive renovations make an 8-bedroom summer home ready for a family and many guests

CONTRACTOR TIPS Building Permits: The Submittal Process

By Matt Clawson

In part 2 of our series examining the building permit process, learn what to do and expect as you seek approval for your project

Sponsored

Fourteen Thirty Renovation, LLC

23 Reviews

Professional Remodelers in Franklin County Specializing Kitchen & Bath

More Discussions

Planning a rock bed in front of house - please help!

3

How can improve this house's curb appeal with plants?

10

front yard landscape ideas

12

Is this Rose Rosetta Disease? And Recommendations for Replacements

11

Landscaping help

1