The reason why homeowners make retaining walls on their estates is to have a protective structure, so it stands to reason that it should be sturdy so it lends good support. This retaining wall is usually built to rein in soil and rock and stabilize them behind retaining wall to stop soil movement and erosion on steep and sloping landscapes. So read on how to build a retaining wall.
A retaining wall is also decorative in nature and can easily transform any plain looking landscape into something unbelievably beautiful. Such retaining walls can be made from a variety of construction materials that include timber, concrete, natural stone blocks, concrete blocks and bricks.
Your choice of construction material will depend largely on the height of the wall, the wall design you choose and the incline of the area so that you know how much soil and earth it should contain well. Before choosing the design of the wall, it would help immensely if you seek professional help as with domain expertise, you will get to have the best material and design that suits your wall and its height.
Though you can hire a contractor to build this wall for you, there’s also a good chance that you can do this as a DIY project as this is something that won’t take too long to finish, and you’ll save precious money too. If you wonder how to build a retaining wall, read on to see how you can go about it:
How to build a timber retaining wall
To build a retaining wall in wood, begin by excavating the area where you want the wall to be erected. If the area is on a slope, you’ll have to grade the soil by inserting wood poles in the slope and stretching a masonry twine across them.
Next, you’ll have to construct a base trench by digging a ditch on the side of the wall that’s on a higher altitude. Fill it with multi-coloured stones and level it with a rake. Over the stones, place the first level of cement. Remember to wear gloves when you do this.
Now, place the initial row of wood flat into the ditch, and follow it up with a second row of wood. For a strong wall, stagger the rear parts of the wood. Use spikes to attach the timber layers of one row to the ones below it. Work with a sledgehammer and a brick chisel to build a strong wall.
When the wall rises, push the earth in behind it tightly. As you fill the back portion with sand and soil, strengthen the wall with cement as it goes higher. There should be increasing numbers of cement mixes between the retaining wall and the ditch so that the wall gets sufficient material strength.
The higher the wall rises the farther the slope will be from the top of the wall. Top up any gap in the trench with crushed stones and earth, ensuring that the final level is barely a few inches below the top of the wall. You can now paint it or stain it the way you want to.
Your retaining wall is now ready.
Here’s a video you can watch on how to build a retaining wall:
