Tim A. Hicks - Building Your Retaining Wall: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

To make things easier and to help break this massive project down into manageable pieces, I have divided it into phases, with each phase broken down into its corresponding chapters.

Phase One: Project planning, laying-out the borders, and making a supply list.

• Planning Your Tiered R etaining Wall
• Sampl e List (preliminary)
• How to Calcula te the Number of Stones
• How to Calculate the Quantity of Gravel and Dirt Needed
• Pre-Construction Photos of Our Retaining Wall
• Retaining W all Supply List

Phase Two: Sod removal and digging the trenches for the stone.

• Retaining Wall Progr ess Report
• Sod Removal the Cheap and Lazy Way
• Trenc hing the Tiers
• The Arriv al of the Stones

Phase Three: Pouring the gravel, compacting it, laying the first row of stones, installing the weed barrier, installing the drainpipe (perforated pipe), and back filling.

• Building the Retaini ng Wall Foundation
• Finishing the First Row
• Starting the Second Row

Phase Four: Repeating the process on the additional rows and tiers.

• Starting Additional Rows
• Finishing Your Retai ning Wall

Phase Five: Building the stairs and adding a gravel pathway, if you elect to do this.

• Building S teps for Your Retaining Wall
• Building a Gravel Walk way

Conclusion: Construction photos and problems I faced.

• Retaining Wall Construction Photos
• Problems Faced While Bu ilding a Retaining Wall

As you complete each phase, even though you may have a long way to go until you actually complete the project, you can look back with a sense of accomplishment at what you have already achieved. I know, it may sound strange, but it really helped me when I got discouraged.

Phase One

What you will need...

• Paper and Pencil.
• Tape Measure .
• Cam era (to document your progress and achievement).
• Calculator .
• An old garden hose.
• Spray Paint.

The first thing to do is to take pictures of your project before you get started. Also, be sure and take LOTS of pictures throughout the entire construction process This has the benefit of acting as a reference during the construction and also serves as a great showpiece for you. You see, you can take these photos and show them to your family and friends to let them see the great job you are doing. This may sound silly, but you're going to be putting a great deal of hard work and effort into this project and you deserve to brag about it. Believe me, you will want to look back on those pictures years later!! It's been four years since I completed this project and I still find myself going back and looking at the pictures I took.

Step-by-Step...

• Take a tape measure and measure the length of your project and mark it down on your paper
• Measure the width of your future retaining wall
• Decide how many walls (tiers) you will actually need and how far apart they will be placed.I will be building two walls (tiers), each consisting of 5-6 rows of stones (which will roughly put it at 3-feet high). To clarify my terminology, a tier is the actual wall
• If your wall is going to be higher than four feet, you might need to look into a geo-grid system to help strengthen your wall. There is also the possibility you might need a building permit
• Decide whether or not you will be building steps in your retaining wall
• Decide if you are going to be installing sprinklers or some other irrigation system, such as a drip system
• You will still be laying the main line, the only difference will be in the service connections (drip heads or sprinkler heads)
• Decide if you are going to be installing any landscape lighting (I decided to be lazy and just go with solar lights)
• If you go the electrical route, you will n eed to look into low-voltage lighting and be prepared to bury the wires (in conduit). Also, keep in mind where your initial electrical connection will be made and how you will hookup to it

After you have all this written down, it will give you a good idea as to the scope of your project. I have to say that there is nothing more devastating then to get halfway through construction, only to discover that you forgot to do something. I hope that this will help you prevent that.

Also, try to remain flexible to new ideas. Here's what I mean: As you begin construction, new ideas are bound to come into your mind (a few of them for me were the installation of the stairs, the gravel pathways, and the stepping-stone placed at the entrance to the garden). If financially possible, see if you can incorporate some of your ideas into your project. Some may work and some may not, but it's still worth the effort to find out. This is your project and you will be looking at it for years to come! Don't let the "what ifs" ruin it. Try the new idea and if it doesn't work, at least you'll know.