Cheap retaining wall solutions

[MillerMav]

My wife and I have a little bit of tax return money left over and we were shopping around for a landscaper. Problem is most of them have a $2500 minimum to quote the job.

I am a fairly handy guy and enjoy yard work for the most part so I was thinking do any of you have material ideas for cheaper retaining walls that still look decent? Maybe some pics of jobs you have done with rough costs. I am not retaining multiple feet of soil just something like 8-12" high in certain places due to grade.

Any help or ideas would be awesome.

 

[Gary S]

Landscape timbers make a cheap retaining wall. Set vertical ones first into the ground to act as supports,and then stack others hortizontally behind them. But, wood isn't going to last a lifetime.
Retaining wall blocks look much better and last much longer, but they do cost more. On a wall only 8-12" high, you don't need many blocks unless it needs to be a mile long.

I just finished a 16" high block wall about 30' long for under $300. Get your blocks at Menards. They have great sales in the Spring.

 

[Coolerman]

For that height I would use the stackable interlocking stones: http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-build-a-stackable-block-retaining-wall/

No pics but I used these for two flower bed retaining walls. They were about three feet high and 12' long. I did use a footer under them to prevent settling. The are still in place at my old house and have not settled or moved.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'm in the process of building one right now. I used a course of filled concrete block as the base, actually two courses. (Since it's along the driveway, I did two courses, if we ever do anything more to the driveway than stone, I didn't want to undermine it.)

I'm just using the regular retaining wall block that you can find at Menards, theses were on sale for $1.24 each, 4" tall and 11" long. Add a cap for $1.61/ea to make it a smooth layer at the top.

 

[LX-Markham]

8"-12" ? that's not a retaining wall, that's a curb!

Interlocking concrete stones as stated above.
Something like Risi-stone.
http://www.risistone.com/
http://www.risistone.com/products/small-landscape-walls/stackstone

 

[JakeKohl]

Prices add up quickly with retaining wall materials. The cheapest probable path is to use railroad ties or treated lumber...but not necessarily the easiest. The stackable blocks you can get at the home center stores cost a bit more but they go together easy after you build a simple little foundation.

 

[JimVonBaden]

My retaining wall is about 2' tall, and used around 200 blocks at $2.65 each from Home Depot. Were it the only part of the project I could have done it myself in a weekend. It is pretty simple, just dig down one layer for the footer, add 3-6" of crushed stone, and layer up the blocks. No cement, and use construction adhesive for the caps. It is a year old, and the final photo is the wall a year later looking great!

Jim

 

[NUTTSGT]

Hey Jim, your block look flush on the front side. Do they not have a retaining lip on the backside ? Mine did and I chipped it off with a brick hammer, hopefully there won't be any issues with the wall getting pushed forward.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Hey Jim, your block look flush on the front side. Do they not have a retaining lip on the backside ? Mine did and I chipped it off with a brick hammer, hopefully there won't be any issues with the wall getting pushed forward.

They do have a retaining lip, but are designed to be near flush. It is a slick design that looks good and is strong, but allows for a near vertical wall. IIRC they are only good up to 36" without added shoring.

Jim

 

[NUTTSGT]

They do have a retaining lip, but are designed to be near flush. It is a slick design that looks good and is strong, but allows for a near vertical wall. IIRC they are only good up to 36" without added shoring.

Jim

Ah, that makes since. I knew you'd have an answer of could get one.

 

[ford33]

We had landscape timbers as retaining walls at several locations in our townhome complex. They were installed about 1990 when the neighborhood was developed. By 2003 they were not looking good. Many were rotted and gaps had formed between the timbers causing weeds to grow and soil to move through the timbers. In 2005 and 2006 they were replace by interlocking stone blocks. Seven years later the block walls look great.

I recommend the blocks over timbers.

 

[Nowater]

I used blocks made by CEMEX locally. Some of them are available at the blue or orange stores for about $1.79 each. Every foot of wall 12" high needs three blocks, so roughly $6 a foot for your wall.

 

[Chevy72pu]

http://www.familyhandyman.com/ Search retaining walls. They have a lot of good ideas, plans and pictures.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I don't like timber or pressure treated wood. They tend to bow out (because people do not install proper deadman) and eventually will rot.

The type of block you use has a lot to do with how high the wall has to be. The least expensive "garden wall" block is good for about 3'.

The real keys are footings (good examples shown) and drainage from the uphill side (either through or around or both).

 

[MillerMav]

Thanks for all the tips guys!

JimVonBaden; those are the pics and tips I have been looking for. I should be able to handle all of that. Thinking about the area I am putting it in I don't think I will need the crushed stone but the 1 layer underground thing is a good idea to keep everything level. I wouldn't have thought of that.

I have been looking on CL at brick. I am thinking just solid (no holes) red brick from like an old building or something would do the trick. Would I have to mortar between layers or just stack it?

 

[kb2tha]

If you have a source and are only going 8-12" high, perhaps some recycled telephone poles would work well. It would be more about who you know that might have access to them. Often cheap or free.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have been looking on CL at brick. I am thinking just solid (no holes) red brick from like an old building or something would do the trick. Would I have to mortar between layers or just stack it?

Nope, it will fail !

Brick, even 3 or 4 brick thick wall, mortared in, will not hold back soil for very long. The brick and the mortar are both porous.

Check into "garden wall"

These are about 4" high, but you need 1 block below grade (see picture) on a good base. These will work because they have an interlocking lip on back bottom edge that locks each layer to the lower one.

If there is a lot of up hill area you still need some drainage behind the wall.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Nope, it will fail !

Brick, even 3 or 4 brick thick wall, mortared in, will not hold back soil for very long. The brick and the mortar are both porous.

Check into "garden wall"

These are about 4" high, but you need 1 block below grade (see picture) on a good base. These will work because they have an interlocking lip on back bottom edge that locks each layer to the lower one.

If there is a lot of up hill area you still need some drainage behind the wall.

Exactly like mine with just a different face. You can leave slight gaps in them and backfill to within a couple inches of the top with gravel to allow drainage.

You can also use cinderblock as a first course.

I agree that normal brick wouldn't hold well. These are so cheap that brick would cost more. I have seen them on CL for around $1 each.

Jim

 

[nonhog]

I went with "free" listing on CL and other places. broken concrete.
Old foundation is great but about 90 lb. ea. I'm getting too old for that ****!
And yes I was going for the "rustic" look.

 

[AZ Pete]

In the last three homes I've had and landscaped, I have used quarried flag stone (sandstone), rail road ties and keystone block. The keystone block is the only thing that I had to buy. The flagstone, I got a permit for and quarried myself. The ties were free to salvage. I have also seen broken concrete used to make a suitable retaining wall. BTW, I laid up the flagstone in a "dry wall" but you can use mortar as well. Sorry, no pictures as I left those homes many years ago.

 

[jhelrey]

OP... Where are you located? I used to be a landscape foreman and I do cash jobs on the weekends.

 

[JakeKohl]

I built a retaining wall with my crazy a$$ friends. It was a huge project but a lot of fun. Tip: don't lure yourself into thinking that letting your buddies drive the rented mini track-hoe might entice them to want to help you more ... and go pick up lunch while they are digging the trench. You will end up having to do a lot of backfill for your foundation.

Man, that was a good time.


DSC_2247 by Team Seacats, on Flickr


DSC_2252 by Team Seacats, on Flickr


DSC_2258 by Team Seacats, on Flickr


DSC_2256 by Team Seacats, on Flickr


DSC_2257 by Team Seacats, on Flickr

That last shot was at something close to 1am the morning before the morning the concrete crew was to show back up to backfill and pour the drive. Nothing beats great friends.

 

[MillerMav]

OP... Where are you located? I used to be a landscape foreman and I do cash jobs on the weekends.

I live in Mid Michigan so I am thinking that you're not available. lol

 

[sophijo]

Hydro-static pressure is a big deal. I'm not a retaining wall expert but it may be a good idea to install some kind of drain (behind/bottom/gravity) the wall; 4" socked tube in gravel or something like that.

 

[MillerMav]

Hydro-static pressure is a big deal. I'm not a retaining wall expert but it may be a good idea to install some kind of drain (behind/bottom/gravity) the wall; 4" socked tube in gravel or something like that.

Thanks for the tip. I definitely plan on running some kind of drainage for this project.

I would like to say that after reading through this thread and all of the great advice I think my plan is still sound. The brick will only be 2 high (maybe only 1) and only holding back mulch; its really much less a retaining wall and much more a decorative way to separate the landscape from the grass.

That being said I am still going to put in some sort of drainage and also lay a foundation 1 brick deep into the soil before I build up the next two (or one) on top. Its definitely going to be one of those "first layer is done, lets eyeball it" type of things since this is my first venture into landscaping.

 

[Automatic Slim]

Great pics JakeKohl, very nice.

Depending on the retention, would indicate the solution. I like the heavy retaining blocks like Jake used and have seen then used to hold back small mountains.

However, the asthetics of the small retainer, looks well placed for the neighborhood in the other picture too.

Of course lots of options, but agree w/ other poster about landscape timber being poor choice too.

Probably best to work yourself up to the task and start by carrying 30 packs of beer to the fridge nightly, LOL.

GL to OP

 

[NUTTSGT]

Since this thread came back up, I'll throw this picture out there.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Since this thread came back up, I'll throw this picture out there.

Looks great Eric!

Jim

 

[red92s]

At only 12" high, I'd go with the Home Depot type interlocking blocks. It'll cost a bit more than a timber wall, but go together a bit easier, and look nicer.

I built my wall with Allan Block units, mainly because this wall is a bit more structural than just a garden wall. We may have been able to get away with a lighter duty system (the Allan Blocks weigh 85 pounds each, and are filled with 25 pounds of gravel), but with a project requiring this much effort I didn't want to chance it. I have about $2k into the wall blocks, caps, gravel, drainage, adhesive, and tool rentals. We started this project 3 months after buying our first house. Prior to that, our DIY home projects consisted of painting a bathroom.

Before:

Excavation done:

Base course is above grade ~2-3".

Caps Installed

 

[BrianMcCallister]

I have seen some limited retaining walls made with concrete sacks. They are typically laid like brick in a running bond. They work well but you really have to work carefully and do some planning if you are going to make them look good. With varying elevations this is especially important.

Actually you don't have to wet them. They will hydrate from the moisture they pick up from the atomsphere. It does take a while for the paper to peel off.

If you want to get an idea of how they might look, try setting a sack out in the weather for a week or so and then peel off the paper. You get a shape that is very much like the sack but is kind of gray like concrete usually is.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Looks great Eric!

Jim

Not as nice as yours but thanks.

Caps Installed

Nice, very nice.

 

[skippy24]

I agree and go with interlocking retaining blocks. This is my work from a few weekends ago. Previous to this there was a section of landscape timber used as a retaining wall. I went to push it to see why it was sagging and it fell apart on me. About 5 hours or impromptu work (including two trips to Home Depot) and about $80 later this is what I got. The hardest part was getting the base prepped and level. After that it was a piece of cake.

 

[classic boost]

there are some nice looking walls on here.
i have a wall project coming up and some parts are going to be 4.5-5ft high. i wouldn't mind doing it myself, but there needs to be steps at one point. i don't know if i want to tackle that. we'll see.

 

[Zick]

I have seen some limited retaining walls made with concrete sacks. They are typically laid like brick in a running bond. They work well but you really have to work carefully and do some planning if you are going to make them look good. With varying elevations this is especially important.

Actually you don't have to wet them. They will hydrate from the moisture they pick up from the atomsphere. It does take a while for the paper to peel off.

If you want to get an idea of how they might look, try setting a sack out in the weather for a week or so and then peel off the paper. You get a shape that is very much like the sack but is kind of gray like concrete usually is.

Just google "concrete bag retaining wall" and click on the images tab. You'll get a lot of results.

 

[pendragon1998]

DSC_2252 by Team Seacats, on Flickr

Power tool with no eye or ear or dust protection?

 

[JimVonBaden]

there are some nice looking walls on here.
i have a wall project coming up and some parts are going to be 4.5-5ft high. i wouldn't mind doing it myself, but there needs to be steps at one point. i don't know if i want to tackle that. we'll see.

That is pretty high for a stacked wall. I am not sure of the limit, but likely you will need some shoring built into the design.

Jim

 

[JakeKohl]

Power tool with no eye or ear or dust protection?

I had my safety glasses on but my buddy was supposed to be looking the other way. :-(

 

[pendragon1998]

I've always been a good boy and worn my eye and ear protection, but lately, I've become more concerned about particulates and their long term affects on the lungs. My wife being a respiratory therapist might have something to do with that. I know for a fact that just wearing an N95 dust mask is enough to keep me from hacking the rest of the night after I've been grinding or using spray adhesive. The other day, I found a 2" metal splinter embedded in my mask when I was done cutting something - I'd hate to have to pull that out of my face.

I wouldn't want concrete dust getting in my lungs, either, that's for sure.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

I've always been a good boy and worn my eye and ear protection, but lately, I've become more concerned about particulates and their long term affects on the lungs. My wife being a respiratory therapist might have something to do with that. I know for a fact that just wearing an N95 dust mask is enough to keep me from hacking the rest of the night after I've been grinding or using spray adhesive. The other day, I found a 2" metal splinter embedded in my mask when I was done cutting something - I'd hate to have to pull that out of my face.

I wouldn't want concrete dust getting in my lungs, either, that's for sure.

Good point on the dust.

Ask those older folks who worked in dusty conditions..and now have COPD.

TMT

 

[tonycastec]

I have had great success with Aleen Blocks.
I suggest that anyone planning a serious retaining wall where soil moisture is present, evaluate Allen Block. Just reading their technical literature will give you an education on the subject.
One thing I learned was that in my conditions a solid concrete/block wall was doomed to fail. This puts the Allen Block cost in perspective. Yes they are expensive and there is lots of gravel to haul also.Yes, they are a little demanding to lay correctly but the results are superb. And the wife loves the look too!