How Do You Build A Concrete Retaining Wall
Many variables affect that cost including the design the wall s location on your property and how much concrete contractors in your area charge.
How do you build a concrete retaining wall. To create a solid foundation dig a trench for the first course of your interlocking retaining wall blocks to sit in and make sure the ground remains even throughout. The wall we built was a weekend long project and an exhausting one at that. Poured concrete retaining walls can be colored textured accented with embedded objects and much more. Retaining walls can be constructed using a variety of materials from poured concrete and large timbers to natural stones even bricks.
Before you can start pouring the retaining wall you ll need to build the forms. Do choose a material you can easily work with. Whether you need a wall as a property marker a support structure or to hold back soil or water you can make one by building wood frames called forms. In most cases square footage is the most significant factor in determining your final cost to build a retaining wall.
The success of your retaining wall depends on a level base. To do this you ll need to drive stakes into the ground where you dug the footings. Nationally the cost to install a concrete retaining wall ranges from 2 000 to 15 000 but the average cost is 3 500. When installed properly concrete offers much more room for customization than any other retaining wall material.
Using a tape measure decide the length and the width of your retaining wall then mark off the area with the garden stakes and string. It took a day to rip out the old collapsing retaining wall to dig farther into the hill to provide room for the backfill gravel and to help unload materials. Avoid having downspouts pointed at the retaining wall and if it s against the house keep soil and mulch well below the siding. A concrete wall needs to be built on top of a concrete footer in order to be stable.
The interlocking retaining wall block can be used to build walls up to 24 to 36 inches high depending on the size of the block. Here are the steps tom ralston owner of tom ralston concrete in santa cruz ca follows when pouring a retaining wall. Materials tools and site. How to build a concrete wall prep work.