Building a Retaining Wall with Sleepers - GARDEN RENOVATION

In this video, I talk through how I build a retaining wall in my garden with sleepers. If you enjoyed it or found it useful, feel free to like! Also, if you want to follow along with my renovation, feel free to subscribe!
I am new to all this so if you have any advice, let me know in the comments below!
Part 1 - Planning:
• Garden Renovation - Fr...
Part 2 - Digging a Sleeper Wall Trench:
• Digging a Trench for a...
Music: bensound.com
• Joakim Karud - Canals

[@tbear23]

Nice to see some top work without needing thousands of pounds of tools. Top job bud

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers!

[@CaughtShorts]

Excellent advice mate. Exactly what I needed to begin my own sleeper wall. Thank you.

[@kurtinbloom]

This year I'm about to start a very similar project, same style sleeper system and preparing and laying a patio.. you've done a great job there

[@colinthomas2300]

Exactly the advice i need for a much smaller retaining wall. Well explained by you and easy to follow. Many thanks.

[@NoviceGardener]

Glad you found it useful!

[@bencooper6616]

Really helpful overview, thank you!

[@Combustion47]

Great video 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@nickymacdonald7573]

Cracking mate. Exactly what I'm planning 👌

[@NoviceGardener]

Nice one! 👍🏻

[@dandylion742]

This is fab - thank you so much! I am going to be doing something similiar and you've made the process so clear. 😊

[@NoviceGardener]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@dancarter22]

Very helpful as I'm about to tackle a very similar project on my own, looking forward to the pick and shovel work 😂

[@NoviceGardener]

Good luck with your project!

[@markhall9027]

Smashing it buddy - Look forward to seeing how it turns out!

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers 👍🏻

[@kezminnufc]

Good video buddy keep up the good work

[@lesblase3667]

I love your style of video bro. Very informative

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers! 👍🏻

[@lilnoutje]

Nice job, your videos and work on the garden gave me some great ideas to tackle our garden as well this spring! Small tip when using a 18V battery drill and screwing into larger/thicker pieces of wood. Pre-drilling (in second gear and drilling mode) will definitely help. Also when screwing into the wood, you could use the drilling mode in gear 1 and carefully build op speed when pulling the trigger.

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers, I’ll have to try doing this next time. I’m looking to do a similar job but at the front of the house this summer. We’ve got a verge at the front but it slopes downwards. Hoping to build a wall and backfill to have a flat strip of grass.

[@timchannell7439]

Looks good. For longevity, i would have also added a drainage layer at the back of the wall (geofabric with gravel and ag pipe).

[@andrewpride5230]

Nice

[@tomc2091]

What program are you using to design your sleeper wall on?

[@skeemag]

starting something similar, never done anything like this before. wish me luck lol

[@NoviceGardener]

Good luck! Honestly, when I started, after the first 15 minutes of digging, I regretted starting! But I can now say it’s the best thing I decided to do. You can make it exactly how you want it be. All the best with with it 👍🏻😁

[@rupindersharma5215]

Hi mate. Firstly your videos are great. Thank you for making them - they’ve helped me gain the confidence to start my own garden renovation. So I’m also going to be using hardwood railway sleepers (on their flat side) to build a 3-level retaining wall but with a concrete base. Drainage is important. So I saw at 4:45mins that you back-filled the wall with gravel but you used geotextile in front. I always thought you need to keep the wooden sleepers free from water to stop them rotting. So instead of having gravel touching the sleepers and then geotextile, wouldn’t it have been better to possibly secure DPM to the sleepers instead? That way they would stay dry all the time? Also I thought that a French drain would be need behind the railway sleepers? Thanks mate 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@NoviceGardener]

Nice one! 👍🏻 Everything you said was bang on! Go for it. In hindsight, I should have done that. It was only after the fact that I realised that doing what you’ve just suggested would be better. Don’t get me wrong, two years on and the wall is still perfect, but inevitably it’s going to start to rot. I may have a big job on my hands when it eventually does 🤣 But that won’t be for many a year yet! Good luck with your project! 😁

[@rupindersharma5215]

@@NoviceGardener thank you. I showed my wife what you had done and she looked at me and said "...yeah but he obviously knows what he's doing!" - great start to my project!

[@brownesugar1000]

😂😢

[@Lily_mae__2]

been planning on doing this myself. can i ask do you use a whole bag of the post crete per post?

[@robregist]

Planning something similar. Really helpful, thank you. Is the reason the posts are house side?

[@NoviceGardener]

It’s so that they can bare the weight of the wall. If the posts were behind, it would just be the wood screws that would be taking most of the pressure from behind.

[@terrycoburn125]

Brilliant video to learn from, is there a specific measurement for the sleepers in the ground please? As in how far apart they should be?

[@NoviceGardener]

It's a good rule of thumb to have them at least 1 third of the post in the ground - this is regardless of the size of the post. The distance between the larger posts is about 200cm. I was going to stagger them at first but found it much easier to keep most of the posts the same length. A year and a half on, they're holding up well.

[@realaledrinker3733]

How do you know it was 600mm from top to bottom of the garden? Im trying to do the same as this but not sure how hight to set the sleepers

[@glynnhancock9546]

Hi great video, what did you use to stain the sleepers?

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers 👍🏻 I just used a wood protector from Screwfix - I forget the name!

[@360private]

Was there a reason you didn't stagger the sleepers? Looking to do the same thing add have been advised to stagger the sleepers to add support and allow for smaller posts if wanted.

[@NoviceGardener]

Originally I had planned to stagger them, but it would have meant more support posts along the wall. I didn’t want any weak spots where the joints were not supported. I think I would have staggered them if I had laid them on their wider side though.

[@MichaelSut94]

Hi - what would you recommend for treatment / preservation of the sleepers? I have some that are splintering and they were only installed 2 months ago

[@jacoboverton777]

Char with fire

[@NoviceGardener]

You could get a wood treatment, put a few coats down. You may need to do this each year too. If you get a big enough tin, it should last you a while. Hope that helps 👍🏻

[@kevintimmons446]

​@@jacoboverton777it's a great way to preserve wood but if you do make sure to oil it after or it starts to split in a year or two.

[@benjaminhorn4662]

I’m on this following your steps one at a time. Did you line up your supporting post with the string line then screw your sleepers on after ? Sorry if a stupid question! Just didn’t see the supporting post till the top sleepers were attached. Thought maybe you made them up first

[@NoviceGardener]

Not stupid at all! Yep, that's how I did it. I set up a string line from one wall to the next. I got that perfect before putting any of the sleepers in place.

[@paulradford6902]

Hi, deciding whether to replace my current concrete rockface retaining wall with sleepers. Might be more hassle than it's worth but where did you get your sleepers from?

[@NoviceGardener]

I ordered mine from Jewson. They were a decent price and they have decent delivery slots.

[@paulradford6902]

@@NoviceGardener thanks. Will have a look.

[@philw7580]

Hi, are the sleepers, hardwood or softwood? Great job btw

[@NoviceGardener]

Cheers 👍🏻 They're hardwood.

[@adelesunley-pf7ki]

Can I use a normal house hold drill to drill pilot holes and put the screws in?

[@NoviceGardener]

An impact driver would be best. I didn't own one of these at the time, but it would have done the job. A normal drill may do the job, just depends on the torque.

[@sammyv23]

Were these soft wood sleepers? Did you use 3m lengths? Thanks

[@NoviceGardener]

I used these sleepers: www.jewson.co.uk/p/fsc-incised-sleeper-green-treated-2400-x-200-x-100mm-ISGFRX24

[@markturner6755]

Can I ask how you identified any sub surface services (water, electric etc). I too have a new build but the builders do not supply any schematics of sub surface services.

[@NoviceGardener]

Luckily, I lived next door to the site manager for a time, so he was able to clarify bits like this. But if you drop the developer an email, they should be able to get back to you with where things are.

[@ripsaw88]

Hey, what did you do to return after? Did you have to bring in new top soil?

[@NoviceGardener]

Yep, brought in about 5 tonnes

[@marcogobbo284]

what program did you use for the design??

[@NoviceGardener]

It’s Notability for the iPad. Decent tool for getting ideas down

[@marcogobbo284]

@@NoviceGardener Thank you

[@markswaine946]

What sort of posts are best to use for the wall? How big should they be?

[@NoviceGardener]

You will want to get sleepers. I used the same sleepers for the posts that I used for the wall. They’re 200x100.

[@markswaine946]

​@@NoviceGardener Thanks - I'll do that. I'm going to put mine behind rather than in front due to aethstetics, so will use a few more posts to keep it secure. For a 60cm wall (3 sleepers), how deep wold you do the posts?

[@NoviceGardener]

A good rule of thumb is one third of the post. So for a 60cm post (out of the ground), you’re going to want to have 30cm extra in the ground.

[@matthewrobb218]

Hi, what was the length of screws you used?

[@NoviceGardener]

I used 150mm screws for the sleepers

[@georgehitchmough1045]

What type of timber did you use? Trying to find these and I can't remember what they're specifically called. Cheers 👍

[@NoviceGardener]

They're just the sleepers from Jewson (the normal light wooden ones).

[@georgehitchmough1045]

@@NoviceGardener ah fair enough, I thought they were the UC4 Sleepers. No worries 👍

[@langfordjack1]

Novice, I’m due to start my project next month. Can I ask exactly what did you lay the sleepers directly onto? What type of hardcore did you lay?

[@NoviceGardener]

The hardcore was mot 1. I put some in the bottom of each hole, tamped it down and then put them in with postcrete.

[@langfordjack1]

Top man, final question did you hand dig out the upright holes or did you have to use a tool? I’m struggling to dig into what I believe is dried clay and the only thing I can think of is a petrol auger

[@MsKaycee98]

Can you have the post on the inside do they aren’t visible?

[@NoviceGardener]

You can, but it won't be as strong. It's the posts that are holding more of the pressure from behind. If you put the posts behind, the pressure will be on the screws.

[@themechanicaladvantage3697]

I’m about to do this to my sloping garden, any thing you wish you’d have done differently?

[@NoviceGardener]

I would install a perforated drainage pipe behind the wall before starting. But other than that, I'd do everything else the same.

[@themechanicaladvantage3697]

@@NoviceGardener, would you have drainage at both sides? Or just on the retained side?

[@NoviceGardener]

Just on the retainer side. But if you can do it, both sides wouldn’t do any harm!

[@johniban]

What size were the sleepers? i can only find 100 x 200

[@NoviceGardener]

The ones I got were that size, but I’m sure you can get some that are slightly bigger too

[@johniban]

@@NoviceGardener They look a perfect size to be honest! can you lift one on your own? says needs 2 people on delivery but my mrs cant lift a match stick

[@NoviceGardener]

🤣 You can lift them on your own but it would take a bit of effort! Just depends how many you’re working with.

[@PyroGuitarsLTD]

Did you have to cut the support posts at all? Or did you manage to get them all the perfect height? Not sure whether to allow some height and cut down after. Did you attach the horizontal sleepers to the support posts (or temp piece of wood) to them before putting the Postcrete in also? Very inspired, I’m essentially adapting your design in the coming weeks.

[@NoviceGardener]

I cut 6 sleepers to create the posts and then used what was left in the wall at each end which is why I ended up with support posts close together on each side. I used timberlock screws to attach the horizontal sleepers to the posts. Used 2 ok each side, seemed to hold good enough with those. Before putting the support posts in, we put some hardcore in the bottom so that it wouldn’t be sat on the clay below. Hope that helps. Good luck with your wall!

[@paddyblair6472]

What size sleepers did you use ?

[@NoviceGardener]

2400 long, 200x100

[@Chan55]

What timber is suitable for making a frame for artifical grass ? Would it be sleepers or the normal treated timber please ?

[@fizwaz1]

what did this project cost u in terms of £'s and in terms of timescale

[@NoviceGardener]

It was about £500 for everything including the sleepers, postcrete, hardcore and other miscellaneous bits. Took about 5 days, 4 days of digging and the final day to put the wall up. You could do it in less time though if you had help - I only had myself and a mattock! I definitely would not dig through clay during the summer again, it was an absolute nightmare! The ground was solid, and packed full of slate too. But glad I did it myself in the end. We had some ridiculous quotes for the wall plus ground levelling!

[@danwatkins6303]

@@NoviceGardener I wouldn't say that around your lady friend! It looked like she did quite a bit, at least on the earlier vid's!! lol

[@NoviceGardener]

🤣🤣

[@mattyburrows9059]

is that a garage or someones house? either way it looks like you are backfilling higher than the damp course..lets just hope you are not for your sake because thats going to cause damp if it is mate

[@NoviceGardener]

That was something we were worried about at first. Garages are on both sides. The one on the right has a damp proof layer between the smaller wall and the larger wall and has a drainage pipe below. On the other side we have filled with a layer of hardcore that runs down into a drainage pipe. Hopefully all will be good 🙏🏻

[@MrAas41]

Possibly couldve put dome perforated pipe behind the sleepers for drainage but excellent job

[@allandocater6296]

I've heard good feedback about the Woodglut plans.