Downloadable Retaining Wall Build Guide: https://geni.us/Xev21
Insurance Survey and Custom State Report: https://geni.us/bI8z0
I just completed a massive retaining wall project in my backyard to get ready for a shed build. I documented every step along the way in addition to making a complete downloaded Free build guide to help you on your own retaining wall project.
French Drain Man YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCs09Xm81fnqfuilUKJvKyPw
Free Home Maintenance Checklist: https://geni.us/P7XBg
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:20 Laying Out The Location of Your Retaining Wall
2:49 Digging The Trench
5:00 What Type of Retaining Wall Blocks To Use
7:40 Getting Down To Grade And Laying Foundation Gravel
8:33 Starting To Lay the First Retaining Wall Blocks
10:26 Drainage Outlet For Retaining Walls
12:03 Laying Retaining Wall Block Going Up The Grade (Fewer Courses)
16:06 Backfilling with 3/4″Gravel and Fill Dirt
21:24 Cutting Top Cap Around Curved Corners
22:40 How Much Did I Save and Spend on Materials
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
20 Comments
What if I had a steep hill like 2 meters high, 2 meters width and length 30 meters. Was thinking of making it into a terraced hill with each step level then planting vegetables / crops all along, I wonder if I’d even need a retaining wall if I break it up into say 8 small terraced sections (1/4 meter high) then level each but till the next step up.
How do you bury concrete footers on top of the retaining wall around the perimeter (not directly on top of the concrete blocks, but the leveled surface) without messing up the drainage system? I would like to build a retaining wall on my property and place a lean-to pole barn on top of it.
Can you link the wall blocks from where you got it?
Execellent job!
Where did you get block so cheap?
This shows me I'll never have the time to do something like this. My wife would never understand why it isn't done in two weekends.
I'll assume it would take me at least 50% longer than you. I'd save zero dollars on labor assuming I did this instead of going to work. Figure in the equipment rental and I'd be majorly in the hole.
the downloadable PDF asks for you to subscribe. WHY?
Thank you for another great video.
I have done SO MUCH around the house with your videos.
Lawyer and avid DIYer here. After being involved in lots of lawsuits and meeting with dozens of people with potential defective construction claims, there are two things I will never DIY: 1) showers & 2) retaining walls. I've dealt with engineers and experienced contractors, and I have learned there are many unexpected ways retaining walls can go terribly wrong.
Excellent results
Ah this video is exactly what I was looking for. Big Thank You!
Nice job, question could you have gone a little deeper and used the material you compacted as a base and then set some forms level and did a small concrete footer? My thought is this would have eliminated having to level each block you set by hand. Maybe drive in some rerod too?
I'm a solo lawn care guy trying to get into more landscaping jobs. It's just the finishing touch to your home, and you, sir, did an excellent job with breaking down the information and building the retaining wall. Thank you for taking the time.
I think in 53 years, I've seen 1 retaining wall that has held up in the next 3-10 years
Thanks for this video. Does tbe perforated drain pipe require a vent or is just the "daylight" outlet good enough?
Excellent great info!!
So the Water goes Inside the Blocks Then Seeps all the way Down to the Base Row and Softens the Dirt foundation bcos NO Drainage at Base
Consider putting the tools you own in the beginning of the video, instead of the end of the video…
So that people in my shoes don't waste 20 minutes watching this only to find out:
"I have a 5 ton dump trailer" ($5,000 – $8,000 to buy one of those)
"I have a 25hp kubota with a loader" ($20,000 tractor used or $30k new)
Outside of already owning it, unless you are precise enough to get this done within only a few days you're looking at weekly rates, which is going to tack on another $2k – $3k total for both of those two things in rental fees (more if you need them to deliver it to your house and pick them up after)
And then your margin of savings gets eaten enough to where you're barely even saving half the cost anymore.
Not trying to be a butt about it…and it's gonna be awesome one day when I can say I own those pieces of equipment too, like I plan to.
Just gets annoying trying to do these types of things in the meantime for actual substantial cuts to the cost, only to find out "yeah but I own $50,000 of equipment already…so…totes DIY-friendly…just…go get a second mortgage to buy a crap ton of equipment first."
"Whole bunch of rocks" lol that dirt looked fantastic. I can't even get one shovel in and I'm hitting shale, quartz, and clay. It would be a NIGHTMARE to try and dig that kind of trench starting out here in Arkansas where I live. To dig any kind of hole, I basically need a pick or post-hold diggers. I did a mini retaining wall for a landscape garden in my backyard and it nearly killed me lol