Retaining Wall

[Dale Moser]

My back hurts...

[Bowtech Shooter]

Will have to come check it out and have a beer when you get it finished. Looking good

[Chad_E]

Will have to come check it out and have a beer when you get it finished. Looking good

Why wait Brad? You can help move a couple stones. I'll have the beer cold for you!

[Chad_E]

Had a chance a couple of evenings this week to make more progress.

Tuesday I was able to add a couple rows.


Yesterday I added the last two rows on the majority of the wall. Then started playing with how I want to do the steps. Still have some figuring and adjusting to do.

[Chew]

Excellent job!

[Parramore]

This is really looking good. Hard work and effort is paying off.

[Dale Moser]

Have you smashed yer finger yet?

[Chad_E]

Have you smashed yer finger yet?

Once. Wasn't too bad, luckily. However, last night, I caught my toe with the tamper. That did not feel good! My two girls were supervising at the time. They were exposed to a few new words I'm afraid...

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Once. Wasn't too bad, luckily. However, last night, I caught my toe with the tamper. That did not feel good! My two girls were supervising at the time. They were exposed to a few new words I'm afraid...

Only a few? You obviously don’t know how to use a tamper efficiently!!

The wall looks great, BTW.

[GoneSouth]

http://youtu.be/3-ZAuFi1mD4

[Chad_E]

I've watched one of his videos before. There are a few differences between the type of block he is using (marketing) and Pavestone. Nothing wrong with it, looks to be a great product, but also designed for a different level of wall. Additionally, the pyramid method looks great (and expensive use of block). At minute 16 he discribes the fact that he has done a double pyramid method where he gets to a certain height with one pyramid, then uses compacted backfill to the level of his first pyramid and starts a second.

The soil I'm digging into is not native material, it is actually select fill that was placed for my house foundation. It was placed in lifts, moisture conditioned and compacted in accordance with the geotechnical report I had prepared for the house. The surface material doesn't look all that compacted because of construction activities, but it's hard as a woodpeckers beak once you get past the surface. Trust me, me and my pickaxe are well acquainted. Ultimately, I'm not too worried about my steps shifting all that much. Only time will truly tell if I'm wrong.

This is basically the setup I'm trying to replicate. Only difference is I'll need to add some sort of tread material to the top of the exposed blocks. I'm thinking of buying some flagstone and using the same construction adhesive I'm using now to glue it down after cutting it to shape.

[Chad_E]

Only a few? You obviously don’t know how to use a tamper efficiently!!

The wall looks great, BTW.

Luckily, that swing (if that's the right term) was only half-hearted because I was shuffling backwards to start a new spot. Just didn't move my foot out of the way quickly enough. Otherwise, I'd be typing this with a big black plastic boot on my foot instead of my work boots.

[ClayW]

If the wall were taller or closer to bearing the load of the porches or carport, yes. At its tallest, the wall is only going to be retaining ~24". The load the wall supports radiates upwards at a 45 degree angle from its base. Therefore, it is supporting the dirt set 24-30" back behind the wall. The porches & carport are 5-6' or more back from the wall depending on where along the wall you measure.

The design of this particular wall includes ~1" lip on the back of each block which locks it to the block below it. There is at least one block below ground level for the length of the wall to keep the wall from "sliding" forward and to be the anchor for the stones above.

I'll say this. If the wall would have been 4' tall or carried a larger dead load (been closer to the porches), I certainly would have had at least one, if not two layers of geogrid tied back into the soil behind it to help support the load.

Nailed it


Looks good!

[Chad_E]

Work continued last week and this weekend. This section of the wall is now complete! Finished the steps and then removed excess dirt between the wall and the porches. We are now ready to bring in topsoil for the flower beds. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.



All done.

[Dale Moser]

That looks really good, man! That's a lot of work..