Do-It-Yourself

Block Retaining Wall How-to


1 Make a plan or two. A well designed plan will be essential in the building process. Plan out the area where you want to build your wall and make sure it is detailed and to scale so when in the construction process you won’t have to go by memory and possibly make a mistake.

2 Order the materials. You will have a lot of choices to choose from, so take your time and make sure that the color and design will match your home and it’s surroundings. From your plans estimate how much you will need adding around 10% extra to ensure that you’re covered for a possible mistake.

3 Outline your project area. Staking out or using spray paint to outline the area that you are going to excavate is a good idea.

4 Excavate your area. When digging out the area or trench for your wall, you are going to want to dig around 6 to 7 inches below the surface to allow enough depth for the gravel base of the wall. The trench should be roughly 14 to 16 inches wide.

Tip: When digging the trench try to keep it as flat and level as possible so you’re also able to keep the base level and flat.

5 Make the base. Use the gravel to fill the trench slowly and pack it in stages to build up the base. You are going to want to make the base around 4-6 inches depending on the height of your wall. Make sure that your base is wide enough so that your block will sit completely on the base. Keep the base block at least one inch below the surface to ensure the gravel base wont’ wash out underneath.

Tip: Using a motorized plate packer will ensure a solid base. You can also use a hand packer, which will keep costs lower, but it’s not as efficient. Also, you might want to consider using a string line to help ensure a straight wall when laying the base block.

6 Set the base block. Now that you have the base set and level as close as possible, you can now set your base row of the wall. This is going to be the most time consuming and important step of the building process. The tools needed for this task are a rubber mallet and a 12 inch level. When setting the base block you want to make sure that it is level from front and back and side to side. When joining the blocks you want to make sure they line up and are flush with each other.

Tip: If the base row is not level and flush with each other, it will throw off the entire wall; you’ll notice it after a couple additional rows if it’s uneven.

7 Build up the wall. Now is the simple task of adding the rows. The only thing to keep a close eye on is making sure the blocks line up or make a smooth bend. You can do this by looking down the wall to see if they all line up.

Tip: In making a bend in the wall you may have to chip off some of the knob on the bottom in order to make the bend. This is a judgment call and might require a little trial and error.

8 Fill the cavity of the wall with rock. As you slowly build the wall up, you’ll want to fill the cavity with river rock or other medium sized rock to help with filtering the water and mud when it rains. This will also help with the back fill behind the wall by decreasing the amount of black dirt that has to be hauled in.

9 Cap off the wall. Now take the wall caps and glue them to finish off the wall. You will want the cap to hang about an inch over the final row (or about the length from your first knuckle of your index finger to the tip). You may need to cut the cap with a cement saw to make the bend.

10 Back fill and clean the area. Back fill behind the wall up to the top of the cap or just below it. Clean up the area in front of the wall to make it look nice and to prevent the base from washing out.

Materials Needed

  • Shovel
  • Wheelbarrow
  • Laser Level
  • 12" Hand Level
  • Motorized Plate Packer or Hand Tamper
  • Rubber Mallet
  • Construction Glue
  • Cement Saw
  • String
  • Hammer
  • Chisel
  • Garden Rake

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