How Not To Build a Retaining Wall

We look at the Common Mistakes that happen during Retaining wall construction. Simply avoiding these everyday problems will dramatically improve your results during Retaining wall construction. We cover proper retaining wall drainage, Retaining wall design, & installation to avoid a retaining wall failure. Heres the best prices on Some of my favorite Amazon tools:
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[@Accumulator1]

Finally run into a video where someone knows proper wall construction. Many wall buildings videos out here are failures. I learned how retaining walls suppose to be built by watching major construction crews build them along highways like for overpasses. The large rock was larger than 3/4", the geo grid anchoring mesh, all very intresting. Hydrostatic pressure, expansive soil, a major consideration. Tree roots no good for any concrete, sidewalks, building slabs etc.

[@ericgaylord2417]

I am making the shortest wall, so I probably didn’t need to know most of this, but I feel good that I picked up the crush stone over pea gravel, and this was just a great video made by someone who has relevant knowledge to share.

[@joeseabert8391]

My grandfather bought a lot in 1936 in, at that time was unincorporated Los Angeles County, Los Angeles. Between the sidewalk and the road was a 10 foot retaining wall. Some time in the 80’s that wall failed, started to push over, and the lot was condemned. Took the city decades to “fix” the wall. All they did was add concrete to the wall and angle the footing, making the road narrower. I wanted to build a small house on the lot but he wouldn’t let me because of how the city did the wall. He said if you put anything on that hill the wall would give. From what you are saying in this video, he was right. I ended up having to sell the lot when he passed away to settle his estate.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Sad story -to bad the city could get away with that.

[@ZoomStranger]

Superb. I'm a commercial construction manager and this sharpened up my knowledge - many thanks Stanley!

[@ianthompson9201]

Very good advice: principles clearly explained. In a few minutes I've learnt how to avoid years of crumbling and ultimate collapse!

[@silverrings6719]

i'm not a landscaper, but I LOVE to learn from people who actually know what they are talking about. That was an excellent vid

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Silver Rings Thank you!

[@annasingh6044]

Silver Rings true

[@agseyf99]

Thanks. That helped me in considering what kind of retaining wall I want and need to build. The neighbors and I have a shared road and the hill above is very steep. The rain this spring has caused a slide. Good and concise information.

[@elijah4606]

I didn't come here looking for info about retaining walls, but I stayed because you did a great job presenting. I found this super interesting, but I'm a civil engineering student

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks! Good to know- appreciate the feedback!

[@homesteadonomics]

Perfect timing as I'm just trying to figure out a retaining wall for the inside of my greenhouse.... I was actually thinking of using pea gravel for the back fill because that's what I was going to be using for the floor...whew! You might have just saved me a bunch of headache Stan! thanks! Joe

[@Dirtmonkey]

+homesteadonomics Call me if you need any advice. Structural retaining walls is my speciality.

[@jeffbrown7246]

Aweeome!! Glad I found this channel. I’m going to build a 80’ long wall than may be 10’ tall. Thinking about tiering it so we can plant beds.

[@nikkis.4354]

Great Video - you answered most of the questions I had and prevented me from making a few mistakes... the terrace issue was extremely valuable

[@Dirtmonkey]

Great!

[@handymobi3370]

DIYers, you can learn, plan, do and share your home improvement projects with a great app. check out handymobi.com

[@hollamby75]

one of your best* videos. love the technical talk. any talk like this for hardscaping is always welcome! you rock

[@Dirtmonkey]

+hollamby75 Thank you!

[@putogonzalez9592]

I clicked on this video thinking, yeah, probably something I'd do wrong if I tried right now. Turns out, there's a few somethings. I love videos like this.

[@higg13001]

Great info. Thanks for taking the time to make this vid!!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you!

[@markrymer2908]

Stan- your knowledge and your passion for sharing it with us is truly a blessing. Thank you so much for all of your hard work towards helping others.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Mark Rymer Thank you!

[@macylandscapingretired]

Stan I personally want to thank you for your videos. I learn so much from your channel.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Daniel Macy Thanks Daniel!

[@paulfromcda8440]

Thank you for discussing the value of the two different types of rock. VERY IMPORTANT!!

[@derekah.3359]

thank you for this video. great advice, plain and simple.👌👍👏

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you Dereka!😃

[@patugejv]

i have not built a lot of walls. All of the walls I have built are less than 3 feet and have done well. I learned a few mistakes I made in the past that I will not repeat. Thanks a lot Stan! As always, awesome info and tips. I love your content...keep up the grest work!

[@Dirtmonkey]

+patugejv Thank you!

[@Thelawncarenut]

Stan you're a real pro man, and represent the best of the green industry. Solid content as always.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+The Lawn Care Nut Thank you! Think we can schedule an interview soon? Would love to talk before the season kicks in and makes both of us crazy busy.

[@mikemireles5301]

Great video. Keep it up, you do awesome work. Thank you.

[@M3rVsT4H]

Well, I just learned a bunch.. Thanks for sharing.

[@farmalmta]

Very nice video! Regarding root activity of landscaping trees, select a tap rooting tree species rather than a lateral rooting species for plantings within 25' behind a stacked retaining wall. For example, redbud trees are commonly selected by landscape architects who want above ground beauty. But their long and forceful lateral roots can wreak havoc on a stacked retaining wall. So best to use other species like desert willow or another planting zone-appropriate tap rooter. If a lateral rooting species is to be included in the landscaping, the retaining wall should be poured concrete with sufficient tiebacks for anchoring into the ground mass behind the wall. In other words, additional tie-back to allow for the dynamic loading of lateral roots.

[@calvinwhite5104]

you know the best when u give up your secret and still not worry about know one taking business. that y I listen to your videos your the truth. next year I'm doing video with irrigation.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Calvin White Thank you!

[@ceceliawogan]

Very helpful video. I like how you get straight to the info with some good examples. One of your examples is exactly what went wrong with a retaining wall built to my house in 1948. It's terraced cinder blocks and it's probably been leaning since 1958. no real movement for the 15 years I've owned it. Somebody has proposed simply reinforcing it with recycled concrete versus taking it out and starting over. Any thoughts on this?

[@AG-qq3zl]

thanks for the video. the one question I have is what about deadmans...how long should they be, how many and if they are needed. thanks again for the info, learned alot

[@lcagee]

Great video. I had a retaining wall fail in 10 years. The retaining wall was also the foundation of the barn that was 60 feet long. It was 8 feet high maybe 10" thick with a footing that was about 20 inches wide and 10 inches thick. There were 2 supports that were 20 feet apart built at right angles but only went back about 4 feet. The soil behind the wall was clay and heavy with water. The middle began to bow in. The back of the barn built on wood beams began to angle back 5 degrees then 10 then 15 then 20. It finally fell over in a mini tornado. The barn from 1790 was a total loss. 3 tractors crushed. They charged my 75,000 for the work on the barn.

[@TheGuruStud]

Then why didn't you dig out the barn on the inside (you have the equipment), push the wall back up and pour several huge supports? Lazy.

[@lcagee]

@@TheGuruStud easier said then done. The retaining wall bowed in the middle. The 2 corners had lateral support so they were still mostly vertical. But the middle section was tipping about 15-20°. Pushing on it would probably result in the barn falling on the person inside. There is no chance this idea could have worked. The only solution was to raise the barn again, at great expense, tear down the old retaining wall and reexcavate. Then pour another stronger wall with deeper footing and better lateral support in the middle.

[@geraldbyrne2146]

Good Job Stan! Many great points presented in your video. I design all types of retaining walls at my job, and we also investigate retaining wall failures. We only specify #57 stone for the foundation and drainage media behind the wall. We also add a perforated drain pipe at the base of the drainage media behind the wall to collect and discharge any water which enters the drain behind the wall which is connected to a stormwater system or weep holes at regular intervals near the base of the wall. The vast majority of the failures that we see are caused by hydrostatic pressure (water pressure) behind the wall. Other failures may be caused by the use of pea gravel instead of the angular #57 stone, the lack of a proper filter fabric (geotextile) wrapped around the drainage stone behind the wall allowing for soil migration into the stone, damage to the geogrid reinforcement behind the wall by planting large trees or constructing a pool or other structure to close to the wall or insufficient embedment in front of the base of the wall to resist horizontal sliding of the base of the wall. Some designers also do not properly account for sloping ground in front of or behind the wall, or run a global stability analysis as part of their design analysis. Keep up the good work!

[@farmalmta]

I nominate this as the top comment for this video! Poster is absolutely correct. A retaining wall must have provisions for relieving hydrostatic pressure behind the wall either by weeping the water between stacked masonry units, or by provision of weeps in a poured wall. If weep holes are employed, there must be a french drainage system or perforated tile that extends to the weep holes in such a way that the drainage stone and weep hole cannot clog with soil. The drainage pathway must include appropriate permeable mesh surrounding it to exclude soil from the drainage fill, thereby maintaining both permeability and flow to move the water out the weeps.

[@cynisturb]

PEA GRAVEL! Thanks! My friend built a retaining wall on his brother's property and it failed in the first six months. Two key words: Clay and Pea Gravel. I told him I would have used 3/4" lime stone and I never heard of pea gravel being used. Now I know why.

[@bobproxmire3637]

Highway - I225 with the flyover interchange of Parker Road in Aurora CO has a retaining wall that failed. It is currently patched with PVC and Concrete to allow drainage. They used the pea gravel and sand on the send up and down of the fly over (ramps, whatever engineers call the part of the bridge where it is dirt then the span and dirt again) I remember seeing the water come thru the wall and indeed have seen other spots that will likely fail and it is exactly the same mistake you discuss in this video. :) Now i know what happened. I also know it is a huge mess to fix it but still the more you know :D thank you for the explanation

[@andrewvida3829]

Good video - concise and to the point.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Glad you liked it!

[@plokiju88]

Finally! Somebody explained how not to build a retaining wall. Thank you!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Your welcome!

[@leadersuccess3761]

Very helpful video thanks.

[@bombsquad7g.o.a.t286]

Thank you. Do you have a video explaining 2 tiered ?

[@alessandromorelli9412]

Great video. Thanks!

[@a-veteranlandscapesitework2413]

I'm really glade for this video. I'll be doing a terrace backyard in a few weeks.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Nice!

[@mirelavijulie5405]

Very useful advice

[@Simply206]

Hi Stan, very nice video. Apologies if this sounds like a silly question but was wondering if it is possible to build a concrete sleeper retaining wall in a shallow river where the water only rises just above the angle height and the height of the wall is about 2.5 feet? At the back of our garden we have a river not that wide and need to replace the timber wall in favour of a new retaining wall using concrete posts and concrete gravel boards where the gardener said he will use sleepers. I asked another gardener for a quotation and he said that if concrete posts are used then this could make the wall collapse overtime and he said that he would use metal angled posts to hold the wall together. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks from the UK.

[@kyleiriarte4434]

Waw! Thank you, very informative

[@royeagle1484]

I want to know if I can use my Terrace as a water catchment and filtration

[@michaelshellhammer5670]

For this size of retaining wall, an underdrain or weep hole/drain is a must.

[@fisharmor]

Thanks for the info on the terraced walls. Unfortunately I live in a county where a county engineer sign-off is required for anything higher than 2'. So I'll be terracing.

[@awhodothey]

fisharmor Do they make you ask for permission to wee wee in that county? Or do they have that much faith in society?

[@mauri7306]

I love that video bro excellent !!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Appreciate it James, thanks !!

[@bgt63]

thanks for the pro tips. for anything significant I would defer to and engineer or a pro such as yourself

[@Dirtmonkey]

Yes- get that professional opinion on stuff like that.

[@jcslawntips]

Good to know, thank you for the information!

[@Dirtmonkey]

+JC'sLawnTips Thanks!

[@dannymac2040]

Nice job

[@johnnorquest2439]

I watch ya alot n have learned alot from you. But wouldn't the roots push out the walls just like when you have a tree to close a basment?

[@MK_CMV]

Need more of these How Its "Badly" Made Videos. Thanks for the post.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks for the feedback- I will do some more of them.

[@handymobi3370]

DIYers, you can learn, plan, do and share your home improvement projects with a great app. check out handymobi.com

[@dumbshitmule2251]

@@Dirtmonkey thank you for this, I await more of these "how NOT to:" videos as well. Its funny how that statement signals the thinking of an individual who is humble enough to have learned how to learn from the failures of others rather than himself.

[@KennethNAmend]

Excellent!!

[@elc7795]

I'm a huge fan of Rockwood retaining wall stone, it isn't held together by a poly or plastic pen. It uses (if done properly) the 3/4 or 1 inch stone along with the attached concrete knuckle to retain the block and wall. Thank you for clarifying the importance of back fill and drainage to counter the hydro-static pressures behind any retaining wall. It doesn't matter what stone you use, if you don't properly back fill and use it to the engineered specs it will be a failed wall.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+jason eshelman Yes- well said. The backfill and compaction is the key to longevity.

[@pokeyman2003]

Hey Stanley I am struggling to find the right way to cut blocks for a wall I am building. First of all, thank you for all your amazing videos. I have Belgard Diamond Pro Smooth face blocks. I have rented a saw with a 16 inch Diamond blade from my locale rental. company. Is this the right type of tool?

[@furgulley8077]

I'm a huge fan of versa-lok. only block I've ever used.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+jason shuler My favorite block.

[@TheLinkMedic]

Why do I feel like I can go design a massive retaining wall despite no construction experience after watching just this one KZbin video? lol

[@joncrosby8988]

Because you can. I can. Anyone can design a retaining wall....

[@pmcracken1042]

We was talking over dinner the other day about my kids school when my son asked me Dad when is that fucker Aaron gonna build a retaining wall 50 ft high? I said I don't know son, now finish your vegetables

[@notpurple]

Thanks!

[@donhill1825]

Does anybody out there know of an alternative to Versa-Lok that's available in southeastern Massachusetts? Versa-Lok looks like an ideal system but the closest vendor is in New Hampshire. I like that the blocks are both pinned & solid.

[@cruzlifecruz4543]

Hey I have a question not sure how often you all check your KZbin comments, but I’m current doing my first retaining wall and it’s on a slight hill right on the edge of my drive way I’m laying my first layer and it’s always slightly off to the left so I get it even then move on to the next stone and same difference I get that one fixed as well but when I check them both or even three it’s not leveled am I over-thinking because it’s on a slight hill or should I keep adding rock sand etc ?

[@AveryExcavating]

great content. Thank you!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you!

[@hhtlandscaping8838]

I really like that video! Good one

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you!

[@MrAbhc91]

Lookin to build a steel wall 4 feet high. Anchoring post on concrete every 4 feet into ground at least 2 feet good enough ?

[@LanceSheppard]

awesome video buddy! helps lot

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Lance Sheppard {Little River Lawn Care} Thank you!

[@ryan736]

How would you go about a retaining wall with a built in bench. Would you build a terraced wall with a bench in itt?

[@handymobi3370]

excellent!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks!

[@silveriocastillo5611]

Very sample you are jefe de jefes 👍

[@bsagewasson9440]

whats your opinion about railroad tie retaining wall?

[@Dan6erous]

Great video.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks Dan!

[@davidcabrejo3404]

Hey Stanley, dumb questions coming your way... Here is the scenario; zero lot line home/property here, slope backyard, canal. I want to level the slope and fence in the backyard, does the fence go inside the retaining wall or outside (guessing inside) but brings me to zero lot line, what does the neighbor see in his slop yard, the retaining wall? Lastly, i was thinking to save monies and not level the slope directly on the canal edge and do a terrace step(s) that touch the water/canal, thoughts? Thanks in advance!

[@JG-vo7zq]

I have a small slope that angles down toward my carport and house. I need about a three foot high wall do I put the French drain on the hill side or the carport side so the water will stop pouring in my carport off the hill when it rains.

[@Foxman876]

J G behind the wall on hill side with fabric drain bed and drain rock back fill are standards in oregon

[@pkvo20]

I am planning to build my own 3ft tall 50ft long retaining wall using the 18x12x8 block. The trench will be 18 inches wide and about 14 inches deep. 6 inches of #57 gravel base, and 1 full block buried. My question is should I use #57 for the base, or crusher run gravel? I want to avoid getting 2 different materials if I dont necessary need to. Price different for my area is $40 for #57 and $38 for crusher run per cubic yard, so not much difference in price. Also, is 2 inches of granite sand recommended for easy leveling of first row?

[@idmhead0160]

I wonder how many degrees the tall wall is for a set back? 6 degrees? I'm surprised it isn't angle back more.

[@MrDools123]

You are the man !!!!!!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks Tommy 👍

[@citywide550]

Thank you

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks!

[@mgp-bct7723]

Thank you for the information very helpful, God bless you

[@fabiansalinas9960]

Can someone point me to the right direction of how to build one against a fence? I want to raised plant base around 2ft tall and not sure if I need a retaining wall against the fence too

[@johngray2085]

great video. I have a slopped front yard and wanted to do a terraced retaining wall for raised gardens (versus a rotting wood raised garden). It seems that that is ok as long as I make them twice as long as they are high correct? then also use the correct backfill stone 3/4" angular with top soil on top (use garden mesh for the last few layers to retain the soil and avoid it silting out the rock). Does this all sound like a good plan? Anything I missed?

[@Dirtmonkey]

Sounds like your on the right track!

[@354seven]

Thanks

[@Dirtmonkey]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@cleeper6554]

How do I build a 100 ft long retainer wall along a creek line for a solution to flooding my property and what is the best design. The creek is not deep and it is not straight, it has curves. The wall needs to be about 8-10 ft high.

[@tariqjavedjaved8927]

stone retaining wall along with the road having stone size 200mm-300-4500mm.whether it is load bearing or not

[@kaye2890]

Great retaining wall knowledge. Can you explain what is the best retain block section profile? I see many has lip on back side of black. Are these better then other? If not, why? What is your preference?

[@Dirtmonkey]

Check out my latest video for the best retaining wall block and why.

[@Wunji1]

I live in Florida, my yard is pretty much sugar sand. I am laying pavers but would like to add a sitting wall around the paver area. Do I need to pour a footer, or can I just geo, and gravel the base, and then stack paver blocks? I appreciate your video's!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Sand is solid but not cohesive. You will need a binding agent in the soil to help stabilize it. IE clay, class 5 or other compatible,cohesive soil.

[@ericzamora1624]

Can you do tutorial on how to instal arizona buckskin patio ? Please

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Eric Zamora I can't. I have never installed one.

[@carolynunwin5075]

Wish you were in Sydney mate.

[@flienlow6281]

thank you! I will be build several allanblock walls. This great to know!! How do you calculate length of Geo Grid behind wall?

[@Dirtmonkey]

1 foot of grid for every foot of wall height spaced at 2 foot vertical intervals. SO a 6 foot tall wall has 3 layers of grid with each layer being 6 feet long. A 9 foot tall wall will have between 4 & 5 layers of grid with each layer 9 feet long.

[@idmhead0160]

Allan Block has videos on it. And they have a document where I think they specify it.

[@mrnobody8540]

Leavage and Drainage is the key... Oh yes, if you plant a tree - drill your augur hole 5ft. 180% from the wall, this helps the tap root and ball grow into the uphill bank side of the wall.

[@joncrosby8988]

Thanks for the exfra tip. Im planning a brick retaining to contain a circular section. Am.i askin for trouble tranplanting a mature Sago Palm into this circle? The tree is maybe 6'tall with a 7' diameter dripline. The wall diam is variable, but max is prob. 7' as well. The elev. difference is just 14". (Also, its adjacent to the house if that matters) Thanks!

[@evancaisse4148]

Stan awesome video..... good talking to you the other day hope to talk again.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Evan Caisse Thanks Evan- appreciate talking to you as well!

[@steved8486]

Nice

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thanks !

[@ChakatNightspark]

if i build a two tier wall. 3ft high first wall go back one foot and do a 1 to 2 high wall there. is it possible to put in long rebar and cement into the voids on 2nd wall? would that work? or would it also fail after awhile?

[@MrHarrisjp]

Chakat Nightsparkle he just said distance must match first wall, 3 ft wall 3ft to second wall

[@bobm6527]

No..that is not what he said. Double the distance of the height of the first wall back. 3' tall equals 6' back. What he did not mention is that most towns require engineering at 4' tall, some less. So one wall at 5' high would require engineering in most areas, but two spaced correctly you can often avoid the engineering. With two walls you then get into something called global stability that has to do with soil loads and rotational loading..... that is over my head even after 30 years installing these walls.

[@nardp96]

When we do walls we use 57 limestone for our fill and compact every 8 inches, once the footing (a mix of 57 and 411) is compacted. we've never had a wall move or fail. Just my tidbit, we've seen some bad ones

[@Dirtmonkey]

Sounds like you have it down pat :)

[@miltonloop3774]

I’m not supposed to compact the drainage stone behind the wall at all?

[@HuyenRozendale-mo1mz]

I made a dam of 1 meters high to retain soil erosion. Now the soil is at the same hight of the wateroutlet canal. It retained almost 50 m3 of fertile soil.

[@SuperMan-xy8ui]

We learn best from our own failures thought it's far easier to learn from other's.

[@MasturBilbo]

I have a question with regards to the geo-grid. I think I'm mainly confused just because when watching Stan's example with the wall to the side of the alley-way, Stan says that they went 14ft behind that wall. 14ft behind that wall looks like it would bring them beyond the pavement in the alley-way. In the clips showing behind the wall, the pavement looks quite aged. Am I mistaken in how far back the geo-grid goes? or was this job done quite some time ago and the pavement has just aged? Hopefully, this isn't taken as an attempt to dis-credit Stan, I just saw this and that made me question my understanding. I'm about to begin getting quotes for roughly 2000 sqft of retaining wall on the property of my primary residence, and Stan has the most trust out of any online source I've found thus far. If he wasn't so far from us, I would only need one quote... from him!

[@victorrothstein188]

Please do a "how to install paver patio" video.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Victor Rothstein I have one way back in the video library.

[@JacobVanHeel]

what's your opinion on the use of a fabric barrier behind the wall to separate drainage rock and dirt.

[@Dirtmonkey]

+Jacob Van Heel The Vertical fabric gets plugged with silt and becomes a hydrostatic barrier creating premature blow out. Don't use it!

[@ResidentialDirtWork]

What was that in the tree at 4:47 ?

[@HillbillyRednecking]

You know he's legit when his video has 175 thumbs up and zero thumbs down!

[@Boulderpits]

You just opened the door for every bitter troll living in their mothers basement to unleash their poisonous down thumbing.

[@Dirtmonkey]

It happens either way ;)

[@HillbillyRednecking]

Your mom.

[@erica1699]

My h usband is building a retaining wall for our driveway to make it bigger. He is using cinder blocks. Do you have any advice on how to make it more structurally sound since it will have alot of weight on it.

[@Dirtmonkey]

For cinder blocks use a very big footing.

[@robertkerr3059]

holy cow, a 16 ft wall with a zero failsafe built in? thats impressive, makes my peepydink project to small to even ask someones opinion, cheers, now I am going squirrel hunting

[@nicolepinson4285]

What does a surcharge have to with building a wall? What is a surcharge?

[@ELPATRON839]

Please explain hydrostatic pressure... thanks in advace

[@jjnatteri1245]

It's the pressure exerted by water in a containing vessel. In the case of a retaining wall is the force (over area) exerted against the wall by the water trapped in the soil being retained. Obviously, if the drainage is sub-par the accumulated rain water can exert enormous pressure against the wall.

[@samyuill]

You have the best retaining wall videos online i have found. Please can I have the best form of contact with you for consultation on a 10% sloped land plot I wish to build a home on.