Pouring a concrete retaining wall is not that difficult and this easy to follow how to guide will show you just what to do.
Making a concrete retaining wall.
Follow the block manufacturer s instructions for wall height limits.
Constructed correctly a form for a homemade wall will not only retain the concrete.
A simple cost effective way to make a retaining wall is to stack 60 lb.
Materials tools and site.
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.
So diyers have come up with an interesting trick.
A retaining wall must provide a way to release the water that builds up in the slope behind it.
Over time the bags will degrade and you will have an elegant and permanent retaining wall.
When installed properly concrete offers much more room for customization than any other retaining wall material.
That s right the idea is that.
For diy purposes opt for manufactured blocks that are.
Here are the steps tom ralston owner of tom ralston concrete in santa cruz ca follows when pouring a retaining wall.
Without a pressure relief system the weight of the water in the soil would crack or even buckle the wall.
To make the wall as strong as possible pour the concrete in layers no higher than 20 inches working from 1 end of the wall to the.
Poured concrete retaining walls can be colored textured accented with embedded objects and much more.
Then pour your concrete inside the form using a chute or hose attached to the mixer.
Retaining walls can be constructed using a variety of materials from poured concrete and large timbers to natural stones even bricks.
Avoid having downspouts pointed at the retaining wall and if it s against the house keep soil and mulch well below the siding.
If the form is constructed incorrectly the concrete can blow out the form breaking it apart and creating an enormous mess while wasting much of your money.
How to build a concrete wall prep work.
If you want to build a concrete retaining wall you should consider pouring the wall rather than making it out of concrete blocks.
Building a retaining wall in the conventional ways is not a trivial matter.
Block retaining walls are generally the same as freestanding block walls but with a few important differences.
There are block retaining walls stone retaining walls and poured concrete retaining walls but these can be quite complicated and expensive.
The wall we built was a weekend long project and an exhausting one at that.
It took a day to rip out the old collapsing retaining wall to dig farther into the hill to provide room for the backfill gravel and to help unload materials.
Rather than messing around with mortar they lay the walls down like lego pieces using concrete while it s still in the bag.