Building A Rock Retaining Wall

Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers.

Building a rock retaining wall.

Anything taller should be handled by professionals. How to build a short retaining wall this 2 retaining wall is a great architectural element that also serves a purpose to keep dirt from a sloping yard from going into the driveway. Avoid having downspouts pointed at the retaining wall and if it s against the house keep soil and mulch well below the siding. Without this simple footing the rocks have a tendency to move.

Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level. A wall that leans into the soil it retains is less likely to be pushed outward by soil pressure than a plain old vertical wall. The easiest way to build a stone retaining wall is to use the dry stack method that requires no mortar between stones and does not need a concrete footing like mortared walls do. Design and build your retaining wall to slope at a minimum rate of.

To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time. This footing is similar to a concrete retaining wall just not as engineered. This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind.

In other words for a four foot wall two feet wide. The interlocking retaining wall block can be used to build walls up to 24 to 36 inches high depending on the size of the block. Try to cut the ditch into native soil rather than loose added soil as the former provides a more stable foundation for the wall. The wide base needs to go back into the slope at least half as wide as the wall is tall.

Self stacking concrete blocks make building a sturdy retaining wall a much simpler diy project.