How to Build a Timber Retaining Wall (CHEAP & EASY)

I've been having issues with dirt flowing down this hill and into my yard, so today I'm going to clean that up with a simple timber retaining wall.
This wall is made out of 4x8s and rebar - and nothing more!
To begin, I dig a trench that will be pretty level. I want a straight across wall, not a sloped wall but that's just my preference.In that trench, I lay some plastic down and up the hill so I can keep a lot of the dirt away from my boards as much as possible. If you skip this step, eventually the dirt will just wash down onto your boards and eat them away faster.
The next step is to lay some sand, gravel, rocks or anything else that will help with drainage under the beams, as well as give you a platform to level out your boards more than clumpy dirt would.
Once complete, lay your boards down, drill holes all the way through and hammer in some long pieces of re-bar. On the ends of each board I use 3' long pieces of re-bar and in the middle, I hammer in two 1' pieces of re-bar and leave them sticking out so I can attach the next level of wood.
It's quite simple and I hope you can get some of the same results as I did with my retaining wall. This was an easy and cheap diy project and makes my backyard look like a professional landscaped it.
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Tools Used:
⚒️⚙️🗜️🔦📐🔧🔨
Dewalt Drill: amzn.to/31ucc3h
5/8" Hole Bit: amzn.to/3i6W6CG
4' Level: amzn.to/38d2ynl
#RetainingWall #GardenWall #Landscaping
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[@e4d578]

I do not recommend non-porous fabric, it looked like plastic. It would retain water. Especially for wood, you would want as much drainage as possible. In addition, any sealed structure would succumb to the force of water buildup behind it if it were to get trapped. Use non-woven geotextile instead.

[@BustedLeaf]

non-woven geotextile, great idea

[@knight1987]

2 yrs later here I am a new home owner looking to build a outdoor kitchen platform and this just what I needed. Thanks!

[@Unitedwhisperer]

This is great. Im a novice at building, well trying my best and im going to do something like this in my garden. You made the video great and it looks simple enough to do 👍👍

[@jodysummers1015]

Thanks for the very helpful video!

[@Poor_Mans_DIY]

great job showing how easy that is to do. I suspect this can help many others.

[@KellyConcepts]

Thanks man, great time to get some landscaping done

[@JustMightDIY]

Nice! That does look super easy.

[@KellyConcepts]

It was! Just a little sweaty in the 110 degree TX weather lol

[@XDIY]

Great work. I like the simple way you made the connection of the wood to the ground. 👌

[@KellyConcepts]

Thanks, yea just a little re-bar! Lol

[@edmirk5498]

Rebar way too short

[@tomr200199]

@@edmirk5498 You joker! 😅 It's holding back fluffy soil, it's own weight is probably enough to never budge. He chucked a load of rebar in there, some very deep, it's fine.

[@edmirk5498]

You’re right not sure what I was looking at, it’s plenty

[@averyhomedecor]

Awesome video! You made that look real easy. Cool subscribe button!

[@Eroze18]

Great video man! Been looking for such video for a while. Very easy to follow. In retrospect, would you have done anything differently?

[@SandersRN23]

Beautiful fur babies ❤

[@jamestutanekai5060]

That was really good

[@TheWeekendDIYer]

Great job buddy!

[@KellyConcepts]

Thank you!

[@frankenstein3163]

Ya good job. Is the plastic, sand and gravel to prevent root. LOVE IT. Just wish you would have named video different. I was expecting a 3+ foot wall.

[@MasterCoachUniversity]

how long do those bottom rebar pieces need to be to hold the bottom layer in the ground?

[@campionoverbagh561]

Great Thank you

[@alo_etc4148]

Quick Q, did you not use screws to hold down the top plate to the bottom? Is the rebar ties below enough to hold?

[@fawnwilliams614]

looking for ideas to help hold sand for a small pool. husband wants to do crush and run then sand on top. i want to build a wall like this. we have to level one side of the pool area. its a small pool 10 foot buy 3 foot. i think this will work.

[@christopherdemarchi]

How many feet apart did you set your rebar into the ground? Every 6 feet?

[@cole71]

Perfect 👍🏾

[@beachbro8559]

Sweet!!🙂

[@TheAndyCAK]

What do you all think about using sand and pea gravel for the base? I thought crushed was typically the way to go.

[@isaachurtado-contreras1808]

How thick were the rebar?

[@deviousrooster136]

Without draining aggregate between the dirt you're holding back and the timbers, this wall will start to bow in the matter of a few years. Luckily it didn't look like much work so it won't be the worst thing when you have to redo it.

[@buzza2077]

Draining aggregate isn't really needed for anything 18" or shorter. You only need it as a base to help prevent rot to the lowest layer. You don't build up hydrostatic pressure when the retaining wall is shorter than what the frost level reaches. Tho it is good practice to do it to all walls.

[@Jo_240]

you killed that wood with the drilling lol

[@Tom_Sellicks_Mustache]

What size drill bit did you use on the first set of 4x8’s??

[@lightupyourlife111]

Same size as the rebar maybe plus a mm or two

[@MrClonesrock251]

Is this 1/2” rebar or 5/8” rebar??

[@Alan-ck6fg]

How long is the rebar?

[@alexanderbolduc1735]

Instad of rods cant we use structural screws???

[@CriticalThinker02]

Do you really need 3 foot long rebar for such a short little wall? Seems like 1 foot would be plenty.

[@xpired13]

thank you sm haha

[@sorchabell4180]

Would you go any higher than two pieces of timber or does it get unstable?

[@MS-ld1xj]

you could go higher, but you'd need a better base than what he's done. Usually you want at least 1 inch of base for each foot in height. Most places want permits for anything over 4 feet tall (and will require the wall to be "engineered"). I would probably follow the "This old house" video which shows putting 6 inches of base material, then fully underground first timber, then build up from that. That video also shows a deadman, whether or not you want to do that is dependent on how long you want the wall to last. If you think you'll be replacing it within 20 years anyway, than don't worry about the deadman

[@emmanuelmacedo1095]

@@MS-ld1xj how long can you make a timber retaining wall last?

[@hr1551]

what you expectation in terms of how long it would last?

[@KellyConcepts]

Pressure treated wood can last decades when in direct contact with soil (like fence post). That with the combination of setting it on gravel and rocks - with the plastic should make this last even longer. Also - it's not holding back much dirt so there won't be too much pressure against this particular project. What are your thoughts?

[@buzza2077]

@@KellyConcepts only thing I would disagree with is using rebar to connect the layers and throwing down the plastic. The plastic is going to trap the moisture and the rebar does not retain the wood like a spike does so the layers will move and separate.

[@darinswafford7586]

Why put the gravel over the sand that under the timber?? Thanks

[@erictotel]

drainage

[@gomaker1]

Just curious, why did you decide to put that plastic under the rocks? wouldn't that prevent water from draining and cause the wood to get excessively exposed to water?

[@buzza2077]

It would. Also rebar isn't the best idea to connect layers together. Only use rebar for the connection to the ground then use galvanised 3/8 spike nails.

[@marquizzo]

I was thinking the same thing. You’d probably just want rock at the bottom layer for good drainage into the ground, away from your wood. Dirt will hold moisture closer to the wood, and the plastic will ensure it doesn’t drain.

[@simonparkinson2432]

What’s the rods called you hammered into sleeper

[@STICKYBOY214]

Rebar

[@simonparkinson2432]

Thanks

[@SouthernEngineering]

Why timber instead of concrete landscape blocks, just curious.

[@paulbenjamin8754]

Way Cheaper

[@SouthernEngineering]

@@paulbenjamin8754 true

[@NFPowercat78]

No way I'm eyeballing where the hole goes for the next timber to fit on two rebars. Especially having it come out so flush and tight.

[@ksneek5639]

Beautifully done! Edit: who in their right mind would dislike this video lmao

[@mbaye_4135]

We’re those 4x4x 12 or 4x6x12?

[@KellyConcepts]

These are 4x6s

[@NoisyCamper]

Hard on the level, at 1:17

[@censortube7160]

What a cute baby hammer...

[@happygilmorides7353]

Use a bigger hammer

[@mrdobalina3451]

Gaps between the wood larger than my finger 🤣

[@east928]

Wanna come build mine?

[@natazer]

Spreading awareness for all KZbinrs - you don't need a lame music bed to make your video interesting. Just the natural sound. Tell your friends.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

1:12 ok until you hit solid rock.

[@lintonsutherland5137]

For a wall 2x railway sleepers high, the metal rods are over kill. Wooden braces of brackets to hold them together would be economical and efficient. Even wooden dows. Nice video though.

[@Kim-ek2mt]

That plastic is a disaster Unless you get no rain

[@gradualclearing61]

Music and dogs. Why?

[@timjballin]

Couldn’t watch, music was too annoying and there was no narration.

[@reddeerrebelrc6674]

Definitely not cheap

[@KellyConcepts]

It used to be when I made this video! Probably should update the title

[@R.E.Mellick]

Holy crap where's my volume control!.. a fan of this style how to video..not a fan of the freaky (louder) KZbin video editing music.

[@thelouiebrand]

What’s it retaining? Lol

[@johnhelton457]

Make it wooden with the help of the Woodglut instructions.

[@Mazel_Tov_888]

more like a glorified border. typically a retaining wall holds back dirt or earth from shifting.

[@Kelly-uf4qj]

Was the awful song that started at 0:05 necessary?

[@nohlovelost]

Not solid enough. Dogs will lean on it and will move or when you get rain. Good try ☺️

[@charlesmilligan1416]

What do you suggest then!

[@ALL4SCUBA05]

@@charlesmilligan1416 He's probably gonna suggest setting the timber on 6" of paver base material and 6" wall of drainage gravel behind the wall up to ground level.

[@charlesmilligan1416]

@@ALL4SCUBA05 which is? Right or wrong?

[@buzza2077]

@@charlesmilligan1416 technically he is right. However, this is so short and isn't really retaining a lot it is more of a planter box. Only two things I disagree with is using rebar to connect the layers (fine for connection into ground) and using plastic. Should use bolts or spikes and use fiber mesh instead of plastic

[@AlvinC-sz3li]

Don't follow this video.

[@brianbassett4379]

Why waste the time and effort to build something that will instantly start rotting away. It would be better to save up and do it right. Maybe you need to step up the affiliate links and the begging online more so you don't have to do it as cheaply as possible. Or... not do it.

[@treasure_hound]

Geez, why are you so mad about it? He’s a grownup and decided to do this to his own yard. You act like he was at your house building this without your permission, lol

[@RC0926]

Because he posted a how-to video which gives garbage advice and improper techniques ​@@treasure_hound