How to Build a Retaining Wall
How to Build a Retaining Wall
Brick retaining walls offer the perfect solution to steeply sloping lawns or desired garden-style backyard enclosures. Use this to design a low-maintenance, elegantly landscaped yard. Follow these steps to create the architectural masterpiece that will transform your lawn into the envy of all your friends and neighbors.
Tools Needed:
Chisel
Scissors
Level
Carpentry hammer
Shovel
Protective eyewear
Gloves
Mason’s line
Line Level
Hand Tamper
Materials Needed:
Retaining bricks
Sand for leveling
Wooden stakes
Porous fabric for landscaping
Getting Started:
Determine the perimeter of your wall. Decide whether your wall will be straight or curved, and whether it will enclose all or a portion of the lawn.
Using the hammer, pound stakes into the ground at intervals along the outlined boundaries of the wall.
Begin at the point on the boundary that is at the lowest part of the slope. With the shovel, dig a trench along the boundary of the wall.
The trench should be deep enough and wide enough to comfortably seat the type of brick you have selected into the trench. For example, if your brick is three inches wide, and 3 inches tall by 5 inches long, the trench should be six inches deep and 4 inches wide.
The entire perimeter of your wall should be situated below the level of the ground.
Add one to two inches of sand to the base of the trench.
Use the hand tamper to pack the dirt firmly against the sides and bottom of the trench.
If the desired site slopes steeply, you may be able to dig only part of the trench before packing it with bricks. The goal is to lay the brick foundation in a seamless layer, so you may have to lay one or more layers of foundation at the lowest point of the site before beginning the trench for the remaining part of the wall.
Laying the Brick
Place the first brick into the trench. Place the level on top of the brick and gently tap the brick into place until it lies evenly and levelly in the trench.
Continue laying that layer of bricks into the trench and ensuring that each one is level. Tap them into place until they are level.
Continue this approach until the entire foundation trench is dug and the first layer of bricks has been laid throughout the entire perimeter of the trench.
If the last brick is too long, gently tap it with the chisel until it breaks to the desired size.
Next, lay half of a brick across the bottom brick at one end of the trench. Do the same at the other end of the trench.
If the wall is designed to entirely enclose a piece of ground, lay a third or even a fourth half of a brick atop the bottom layer of bricks at evenly spaced intervals throughout the trench.
Use the mason’s line to be sure the bricks are level. If they are not, adjust the first layer of foundation bricks until they lie evenly.
Lay a second complete brick against the first half, and continue around the wall until the end of the foundation layer is reached.
Fill the area around your brick foundation with sand or dirt.
Continue to lay the blocks around the perimeter of the trench until you have reached the desired height.
Landscaping the Retaining Wall
Cover the area inside the wall with porous landscaping material. The ends of the fabric should reach the top of the retaining wall.
If the wall’s height is greater than 2.5 feet, add gravel to cover the material completely to a distance of six inches from the retaining wall on all sides.
Cover the rest of the fabric and fill the area with dirt. Cut off the extra material and discard it.
Remove the stakes and plant shrubs or flowers, or create your own unique landscaping design inside the boundaries of the wall.
Useful Building Advice and Information:
Expert builders recommend that brick retaining walls be built up to only three feet high.
Measure the length and width of the boundary of your wall, and divide this by the length of a single brick. This is the number of bricks you will need for one layer.
Determine how many inches tall the wall is to be, and divide this by the height of an individual brick.
Multiple the result by the number of bricks needed for a layer. This is the number of bricks you will need. Add at least 25 bricks for a margin of error.
When the bricks are delivered, avoid placing them on the driveway if possible. The weight of the bricks can be damaging to the driveway.
To cut a brick: Score it by scratching a line across the surface with the chisel as deeply as possible. Then, place the chisel along the line and gently tap the chisel with the hammer until the brick falls apart.