Is there an area of your garden that needs a retaining wall to help keep soil from encroaching onto your lawn? Do you want to create some stylish levels? Perhaps you have a large tree in danger of being washed away and need to build up a solid base in the form of a retaining wall? Well, you could hire someone to carry out this work for you or you could build it yourself. Building a retaining wall is pretty straight forward especially if you follow the steps below. You could even have a new wall built in a weekend if you really have the time. Here are our 5 steps to building a retaining wall that will make this DIY project a lot easier to complete.
Step 1 – Design Your Wall
It is important that you know exactly where the wall is going to go and also how high you want it to be. This way when it comes to buying the materials to buy your retaining wall, you know exactly what you need.
Step 2 – Mark Out The Area
Once you’ve decided on the way your wall will look, you need to mark out the area where it is to be built. Important that you check with your local authority to see if permission is required to build it. If close to your neighbours property to get their approval first. The best way to mark out the area is to use some spray or some pegs and rope. Make sure that you mark out an area that is wide enough to allow you to use a plate compactor.
Step 3 – Excavate Area And Create Trench
Dependent on the size and length of the wall you are building. You should be able to carry out this work yourself using just a backhoe and a shovel. The trench you create should be wide and deep enough to allow for 130mm of gravel and 30mm of a cement and sand mix.
Step 4 – Create A Solid Base
Once you’ve dug out the trench, you need to level it off and add the gravel, which you then need to press down (compact). Then once all even you can add the layer of cement and sand. Make sure that it is damp, not wet. It is important you spend time on this aspect of the build to ensure that it provides ample support for the retaining wall you are going to build on top.
Step 5 – Build Your Retaining Wall
As you lay down each course of bricks or stones, you need to make sure that they are level. This will ensure that not only is your wall sturdy, but helps it to look even. As you lay, each course remember to backfill as this provides additional support for each fresh course you lay. Make sure that you backfill so it matches the level of the other layers. Also, remember to tamp down the soil so very little settling is needed later.
