DIY Curved retaining wall project for a flower bed extension

Simple and inexpensive DIY retaining wall install. If you can work a shovel, this project is for you! This easy upgrade will add curb appeal to any landscape.

[@vinceromano8245]

Clever use of a string and levels for laying out and constructing the wall and especially as it pertains to the horizontal curve. Superb job by a meticulous craftsman.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@keepsakevideophoto6347]

Just what I was looking for...how to cut the top row blocks to fit. Thank you!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

I'm glad you found the video useful. Thanks for watching!

[@wilfredoalta3475]

Terrific Job! Looks amazing

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@janene5046]

Beautiful job!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@4thgenBuilders]

each course should have been backfilled before the next course was put on it locks them in place , plus you could have stepped the wall up and not have as many blocks underground where you cant see them , nice job thought.I myself have recently laid 10 pallets of those exact blocks around my house.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

On a straight section of wall backfilling can help lock the blocks in place. On a curved wall like this, the curve in itself, along with the tabs on the blocks, lock it in place. A curved wall will not fall in on itself. I could have stepped up the side, but for this size wall and to keep the install as simple as possible for the purpose of this video, I felt it was better to do full rows. I appreciate your comments as there is merit to each of them. Thanks!

[@vannguyen3251]

Thanks

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

👍

[@Josh-ux6zz]

Wear a mask when cutting those blocks, looks great!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

I had a fan going on my work table, but you're right. always best to wear a mask.

[@KeelanW]

Geeesh great job

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you

[@johnmorrison4224]

No drain rock behind the blocks? Maybe you don't freeze?

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

John, I live in a cold climate and have winter temperatures that average in the teens. As I explained in the video, my soil is very sandy and drains extremely well. For this reason, I am able to eliminate the need for drainage behind the wall. I also explained the proper drainage technique for those with heavier soil or even clay. I have other retaining walls on my property built the same way over 20 years ago that still look the same as the day I built them. Hope that answers your questions. Thanks for commenting!

[@bina64]

I cannot believe the amount of rocks. You dug like a champ.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thanks! The digging is the toughest part of the project. Once you start laying blocks, it becomes very rewarding. Thanks for watching.

[@khmerjamesgoodness8712]

👍👍👍

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you

[@chinov9445]

🎯🔬🤙🏽

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

👍

[@dmiroy]

Nice looking wall. Cheers!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@larrynelson8083]

Great video, nice job!!!!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thanks for watching!

[@hugozavala33]

Great job thanks for sharing 💯

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

👍

[@cocolumboshahin9886]

Super! And so fine to see you working with pleasure. Thanks for sharing. Nothing is more enjoyable than working for yourself, for your home. I hope that one day working and toiling for one's country and for one's world will give people such pleasure. On that day, there will be no trace of alienation and the difference between our life at home in America and the life of our friend and comrade in Ivory Coast will disappear.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you

[@cherylwilliams8431]

Beautiful! I’m thoroughly impressed! I have a question for you. What is the material you were cutting away before you backfilled? It looks like a mesh fabric. Is that to prevent soil from pushing the wall out?

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you for watching! You're correct. It is landscape fabric. My soil is very sandy. I used the fabric to prevent the sand from working its way through the wall. In a typical retaining wall build, you would have drain pipe and gravel behind the wall to prevent water from building up. In my case, I'm trying to prevent the water from washing out the sand. So, to keep it behind the wall, I used the fabric as a filter to allow the water to pass through the wall without taking the sand with it. Hope that answers your question.

[@hsad1234]

no glue on the stones? just asking if it will be needed

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

In my case, I did not use glue for the caps. You can glue them if you intend to use it for seating.

[@bullibe]

You did a great job!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you for watching

[@thomasmerino6767]

how long did it take you?

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

That's always a tough question to answer. Doing the work and recording content can consume a lot of time. With that said, if your project is well planned out and all material on site, you could complete it within a 10-12 day. For the average homeowner splitting it into several 4 hr days is a more realistic option.

[@michaeljandik5205]

Wall looks great!!! I read that you shouldn't use landscaping paper behind a retaining wall because you want the water to get through out your wall.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thanks Michael! You definitely don't want water backing up behind a wall. Typically you would put a drainage pipe at the base and backfill above the pipe with stone. That will allow your water to drain down to the pipe and out instead of through your wall. Since my soil is very sandy it drains very well. My need for the permeable fabric is to prevent the sand from flowing through the cracks even without the presence of water. Same principle as an "Hour Glass." Hope that helps.

[@ryanihrig]

@@patshomeprojectsandmore5878 I never comment on videos, but I have to on this one. This is completely wrong. It is perfectly ok and preferable for water to seep through the wall. You absolutely do not want to put landscape fabric behind the wall. Static pressure will build up and your wall will push out and fail. While it’s common practice to put a drainpipe at the base of the wall (this is only to appease the engineers out there), you should never see any water flowing through it. In fact if you do see water flowing through the pipe then you have a failing wall / drainage system. Additionally, you should be digging back at the very least 12” behind the wall and filling the backside of the wall with 3/4” clean chip rock and should fill to about 6” to the top. I build retaining walls for a living and have done so for over a decade. I have had ZERO wall failures. It’s just extremely annoying that people put such foolish and incorrect content out there. And more unfortunate, some poor bastard is going to follow these instructions and have an incorrect wall built. If you all don’t believe me, look up Stanley the dirt Monkey. He and I build walls exactly the same way, only he’s more famous than me haha

[@MetalistkaSofia]

​@@ryanihrig❤

[@dco8886]

@@ryanihrigmy husband and I are building a stepped-up stone flower bed and we are just going to put some river rocks behind the wall. Should at least some fabric be used to prevent soil filling up the rocks? We live in CO so we don’t really get much rain. The soil is also clay in the very deep but more silty on top.

[@schlepers]

That looks really nice!!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@yolandacontreras5557]

Muy bonito trabajo

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you for watching!

[@junxu7608]

Very nice job! I saved it for future reference.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you! Glad you found some value in the video.

[@Bellav122]

Great job 🙌🏻💪🏻

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@agentcorbeau3530]

Great video thank you.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@derrickwilson5562]

🔥

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

👍

[@RI-uv3lm]

Nice!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thanks Rajesh

[@agentcorbeau3530]

Great job!

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

Thank you!

[@pkfan5112]

It looks very nice, but a lot professional say don’t put fabric, because the soil will block the small on the fabric then water can’t pass through, the wall might push down???

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

I think I explained this in a post a while back. The correct way it to backfill behind the wall with gravel and to use drain pipe at the base to allow water to escape. My soil is sand and gravel that drains fine without the need for additional gravel or drain pipe. In my situation, the fabric it to keep the small particle sand from weeping out through the gaps in the wall. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and comment on your observation. Your point is valid.

[@JDCrain]

Nice work. But like all great walls, the best test is time. I think a lot of us would like to see an update on the wall after a year.

[@patshomeprojectsandmore5878]

I can understand the skepticism as I did bend some of the wall construction rules. I have another wall on my property that was built the same way about 12 yrs ago. It is still standing like the day I built it. Make sure you subscribe so you get my notifications. Don't want you to miss the wall update. I appreciate your comment. Thanks for watching.

[@JDCrain]

@@patshomeprojectsandmore5878 It's not what how you built it...that was fine. It's that there are so many videos of people doing these, their own way, but not showing how the wall lasted. Because it's not weeks or months but years that really separates a good wall from a bad one. It's a great looking wall and you showed some really great ways to build it. I was just trying to make a comment hoping you would show an update of the wall after a year or more.