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Concrete Landscaping Projects For The Do-It-Yourselfer - Retaining Walls |
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| Do-it-Yourself Projects - Retaining Walls |
| Retaining wall general installation guidelines |
| If you're a "do-it-yourselfer", one of the most useful landscaping projects you may decide to tackle will be a decorative retaining wall. Decorative retaining walls are retaining walls that are under 4 feet in height and generally add an aesthetic touch to your home landscape. These retaining walls may be functional, in that they may hold dirt in place, such as when used for a planter, but their application does not affect the safety or structural soundness of tiers or terraces. If in doubt, contact a qualified landscaping contractor or lanscaping architect. |
| Make sure you have read all installation guidelines in the left column of this page. |
| 1. Start block placement at the lowest elevation of the base course. Level the block side-to-side and front to back as you build. As with any wall, the first course is most important. |
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| 2. Backfill and compact with granular well-draining 3/4" minus aggregate after each 8" course. Place the aggregate into the cores, into the voids between the block, and 12" behind each unit. Do not fill block with pea gravel, clay, or organic topsoil. |
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| 3. If required, install alignment pins into holes. If necessary, clear debris from the holes with a spike. |
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| 4. If necessary, place geogrid between layers of block as specified by engineer. |
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| 5. Begin next course by straddling two lower units and staggering the vertical joints. Position trough downward and straddle the upward facing pins. Pull the unit forward and against the pins, establishing the setback. Note: Setback is 1/2" per course and 3/4" per vertical foot. |
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| 6. Compact all loose soil behind wall with a hand tamper, or plate compactor. |
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| 7. Finish off by adding cap units and landscaping surrounding area. |
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| Tools and materials you’ll need for your project: |
- Shovel
- Wheelbarrow
- Level
- String line
- Hammer
- Wooden stakes
- Hand tamper
- 3/4" minus aggregate is recommended
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| General Guidelines for retaining wall installation: |
- Retaining walls less than 3 ft. high, without excessive loads, generally require no geogrid reinforcement. Walls over 3 ft. high generally require terracing or an engineered design utilizing reinforcement.
- Walls under 4 ft. require 4" of base. Walls over 4 ft. require 6" of base. Allow 18" minimum base depth. (Under ideal conditions)
- Bury 1 unit below grade for every 6 ft. of wall height. Walls 3 ft. high and under, bury 1/2 of a unit.
- The face area of each block is 2/3 sq. ft. To estimate the number of blocks needed, multiply the actual square footage of the wall by 1.5.
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| Special Considerations for retaining wall projects: |
- Soil conditions, land slope and water table will affect final design.
- Walls over 4 ft. routinely require an engineered design that is based on site conditions.
- Drainage systems should be considered for all wall designs
- Tiered wall design can create greater stresses on the wall than equal height single tier designs. The tiered wall design must be carefully considered.
- These procedures are not to be construed as construction detail. Soil and application variations effect engineering detail of the wall. Consult long engineer for details.
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