I Built an ADJUSTABLE Home Climbing Wall for $800!!

[@uriahballard5188]

The man is back! So freaking cool!!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

couldn't have done it without you!

[@bedarje]

Probably the most informative and thorough video ive seen of the process of building a home wall. Excellent editing as always!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Super appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed 🙏

[@danschmidt5189]

Great video, and this is quite similar to how I built my 8x12 (which I just posted a picture of in the Woody 3.0 thread). My design just had a few differences: 1) I used four chain anchors rather than two, with turnbuckles to equalize the anchors; 2) I added 45° bracing to increase rigidity (makes a big difference); and 3) my kicker is a solid 12x beam through-bolted into concrete anchors. Having climbed on a few adjustable 8x12 woodies, I think my overbuilt version is better. The others "work", but the board flexes quite a bit, especially on jump moves to the corners, whereas mine is completely rigid. Also, just wanna flex for a sec… I was so insanely psyched when building it that I mounted it myself. I added some casters to help with moving it around the garage, but… yeah, it was heavy as hell and hard to place. I think around 400lbs?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Yeah that sounds even more over engineered than mine!! Super solid.

[@advantagenguyen]

Would you happen you have some plans on the forum? I’m planning to do the same exact thing you just mentioned.

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@advantagenguyen @danschmidt5189

[@looperdup]

Great video dude! been wanting to build one for my kid and you gave me the motivation to do it!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@looperdup awesome to hear! Hope this helps 🙏 let me know if you have any questions on anything I missed in the video!

[@adventure_nugget]

Loved seeing the process and the cost, time, and material breakdowns! Such a fun wall!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Glad you enjoyed it! Excited to see more of your future sets :)

[@ComputerManDanMiller]

Thank you soo much for this!! I'm building a wall soon myself and this is exactly what I want to do. The video and links are going to save me so much time and help a ton. You're the man!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Hell yeah!! I decided to make this video with the intention and hope that at least one person would benefit from it. If you have any questions on anything feel free to hit me up on instagram! @nickkealiiclimbs

[@asasama12]

Sweet! Looking forward to more videos!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Thanks so much!! Excited to share some home wall sessions too!

[@lowaltitudefreesoloist]

This video may be the best resource on making a home climbing wall. Absolute gem. Thanks for making this Nick!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

That means so much!! I definitely tried to document as much as I could and answer all the questions I had going into it. Hoping it helps others 🙏🙏

[@129iphone]

Man this is a sweet build! Love the fact that there are no vertical pillars attached to the top, which I imagine would get in the way of climbing or potentially introduce injury risk when falling. Have you noticed significant improvements to your climbing now that you have a personal spray wall?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Absolutely! The vertical pillars is what I saw in tons of other builds and I just knew it would be a very mental issue with trying to go for dynamic moves near the top/corners. And I recently got a pulley injury unfortunately, but prior to that, I 100% saw finger strength and tension gains from climbing on the home wall. I was up to about 80% bodyweight for one hand 20mm crimp pulls. And you can check out some of the best sets from the home wall on the instagram page! instagram.com/themanawall/

[@129iphone]

@@nickkealiiclimbs Holy crap dude, you got strong! Sucks to hear about that pulley injury, hope it heals up quickly. Sweet page, thanks for linking!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@129iphone really appreciate it man!! Stoked for the comeback haha. Thanks for watching 🙏

[@johnedwards2433]

Hi Nick - to what is your header attached? I have a couple of options. option #1 is to attach the winch to a 2x8 ledger which is attached to 2x10 LVLs working as a beam. Option #2 is to attach the winch to a single 2x10 joist. Thanks for this DIY climbing wall build video!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Glad you found this video! As far as your situation, it's hard to say without seeing it, but I definitely recommend attaching the winch to more than a single joist if possible. Some people attach it to the ground and then run a pulley from the top which might work for you. Not sure though!

[@frankie668]

thank you Nick, planning to build one for my son basic on this video 🤪

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Awesome glad to hear! Hope it helps 🙏

[@ManuelRamirez8a]

Awesome. Video man. Thanks a lot for doing it. I will use it as a reference to build mine. 🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@ManuelRamirez8a glad it could help!! Hope it works out for you too. Let me know if you ever have any questions 🤙

[@Woodsmiths]

How the wall holding up? Anything you’d do differently? Am thinking of building this amazing wall!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

So far so good! Everyone tends to ask me that haha. I'm honestly extremely happy with it. The ONLY thing I wish was different was that my garage had higher ceilings so I could make an 8x12. But I've had a few people copy my design already for 8x12 and even 12x12. I think this design is super durable. There's no flex or wobble even on dynamic moves. If you decide to build your own, feel free to reach out on instagram with any questions!

[@vincentchan3087]

Awesome video!! With having an 8ft wall, do you sometimes wish that the wall was taller so that you could have a slightly longer problem?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Absolutely! 12 ft would be amazing, but my short garage ceiling didn't give me an option unless I wanted a super overhung wall. But the 8 ft has been great for 4-10 move boulders which is really all you need as far as training. And I love not having to worry about padding as much as I would have with a higher fall

[@HyperClimbers]

Sit start! Makes everything longer (and less enjoyable 😅)

[@ryanharrington2890]

I’m about to build a wall. Does it wobble/shake etc where you sometimes you maybe just built a fixed one at like 30• (or if yes but another angle, what angle?) or with angle and weight it pretty much doesn’t move? If it does move, do you think rigging like a couple third hand type extension poles (for construction) would be enough to keep it still? Thanks! Great video, love the concept, deciding if route for me.

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Appreciate it! Theres very little wobble or shake on even very dynamic moves. Not noticeable while climbing. And I’ve heard from others who used my design to build bigger walls that they’re even more sturdy since they’re heavier. But yes, you can put in anything you want to add support if you find it not feeling secure. Was your first question whether I’d recommend a fixed angle build?

[@ryanharrington2890]

@@nickkealiiclimbs sorry just saw late. Good to know. Thank you!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@ryanharrington2890 haha no worries man. Let me know how your build goes! would love to see

[@johnedwards2433]

Nice work! What is adjustment range of your wall? I'm planning an adjustable Moonboard Mini DIY and I'd like to be able to change from 25 to 40 degrees.

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Thank you! I don’t actually know the full limitations, not strong enough yet 😂 but the minimum angle ended up around 20 and so far we’ve lowered to 35. I imagine 40 and 45 would be totally fine though 💪

[@brainp471]

what are those hinges rated for? That seems like the weak link in the chain. All that board weight and your weight acting upon those bottom hinges.

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

I actually reached out to the manufacturer because someone else had asked about the hinges in the comments lol. And they did not have any weight rating for them. But they are extremely solid and heavy. In addition, they're designed to be used vertically to support heavy gates and doors as they open and close. With this design, they have significantly less force on them than they were designed for. The only chance of failure I could see would be if all the screws holding the hinges on were to actually shear. That seems to be what would fail first as opposed to the actual hinge construction failing. I've seen much flimsier hinges used so I bought the biggest heaviest ones I could find. Not sure what the alternative would be. What would you use?

[@nonojnet]

How did you fix the panels to the studs: nails, screws...?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

I used zero nails for this build. Everything is predrilled and then fastened with screws. The actual screw sizes and lengths are in the spreadsheet linked. Hope that helps

[@gabrielkiritz2383]

Hey Nick, I used your video for a lot of planning my wall (just hoisted the frame up, so getting close). I'm curious how the hinges have worked out for you - I bought similar ones but the only info I can find says they're rated to 48# (x7 = 338#), which is probably barely enough for the wall itself, much less add my 185# and force. But that's probably in a vertical orientation like a door, rather than compression. Any issues with them so far? Second question, have you noticed any issues with sway on your wall? With just the studs on (no blocking or plywood yet), it moves quite a bit side to side, and I definitely want to minimize that when climbing. Hopefully adding the plywood and blocking will eliminate it all. Thanks!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@gabrielkiritz2383 hey, no issues with the hinges or swaying on my wall. Please check the other comments about hinges. I actually had to reach out to the manufacturer because someone else was asking about ratings too lol. Hoping your wall stops swaying once you finish it. But maybe see if you can improve it/fix it now if you are noticing sway at the hinges

[@gabrielkiritz2383]

@@nickkealiiclimbs right on, thanks. one clarification - did you mount the hinges with the barrel resting on the kickboard top plate, or "floating" in the gap between the top plate and the base plate of the wall, like you would on a door? At 9:28 in the video, you show the barrel resting on the kicker top plate, which seems like it would add rigidity (I didn't do this, thinking it would impede rotation of the hinge).

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@ ahh yes that seems like an important difference. I have the barrels on the base, not floating. Feel free to message me on Instagram if you’d like to continue the conversation or see pics

[@fumbducks]

This is great thanks for posting

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@fumbducks appreciate the comment!

[@looperdup]

Dude! Quick question, Ive been thinking of using your plan to build a wall to fit a Tension Board 2.0 in my garage. With the experience of building your wall, would you recommend it? Ive just been torn with buying pre built ones from onsite walls and it will be safer. Just wanted to get your opinion to see if you were to build one for the TB 2.0, would you do the same again. Thanks!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Good question! I mean I’m very happy and have had no issues with mine. But it is smaller than a normal system board. And we don’t adjust it all that often. If you have the budget and space I think a prebuilt one would be worth it. Although I do know at least one person who followed this design for a TB2. He’s on ig as @waddyaknowitsjoe

[@looperdup]

@@nickkealiiclimbs Thanks dude!

[@brandonadams3195]

Super useful video. Thank you!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

so glad to hear that! Feel free to reach out on instagram if you have any questions

[@lafermedalexetflavie]

Very nice buddy, i ll do the same in my climbing room too. That’s my next step 😉👍🏼

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

oh awesome! Stoked for you. Feel free to message on IG if you have any questions :)

[@coolman9499]

What winch did you use?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Oh I put it in the spreadsheet! But basically just harbor freight's best option

[@JacobSegerman]

So impressive!! Are you going to show some of the climbs, and even more importantly, the names of the problems that you’ve set? 😂

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Haha definitely want to! Just didn’t wanna make this video too much longer and we didn’t really have any good footage of the climbs. Gotta get some during the day for the lighting and then we can post those sessions too!

[@gunnar-p1k]

what i built one thats 1metre x 220metre and that cost 700 including holds

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@gunnar-p1k that’s awesome!

[@suejorgenson4720]

Genius!

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

haha thank you!!

[@vanessacasi1993]

2x6x10ft… in cm ? 2x6x300?

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

yeah it looks like 10 ft = 304 cm. do you still measure 2x6s as 2x6s in inches? or would that be different too

[@hittmanru]

🔥🔥🔥

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

🙏🙏🙏

[@xeelee543]

nice 350z bro

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Haha thank you 🙏

[@sciencesaves]

dude! wall looks great, but how are the hinges holding up? On Lowes website it says the hinges you used only support 23lbs each. Yikes, I used 5" commercial butt hinges from Lowes and they each hold 220lbs. A 3 pack is only $32

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

Thanks man! And hinges are holding up great, absolutely no movement or anything. 23 pounds definitely sounds wrong lol. I picked these over the standard door hinges as they felt much beefier and had more load distribution to the wood. I was more concerned with that than the actual steel hinge being overloaded since its not mounted vertically like a normal door hinge. I really don't see how 23 pounds could be the limit for these things in any possible scenario lol but good catch on the specs. I saw some of the similar products don't even have a load specification so I'm not really sure what that's about. These things are definitely heavy duty and are usually used for like barn doors and stuff. The Hillman website itself doesn't have a load capacity and the description is: "Specifically engineered to support heavy doors or gates and is commonly used in applications where durability, strength, and stability are essential" shop.hillmangroup.com/ccrz__ProductDetails?sku=851697&cclcl=en_US

[@sciencesaves]

@@nickkealiiclimbs glad to hear you haven't had any problems. I returned similar barn door strap hinges at first bc they said they only supported 35lbs each, that freaked me out so I got the commercial ones just in case :)

[@nickkealiiclimbs]

@@sciencesaveshaha totally understand! That would freak me out too. I reached out to Hillman support and they really don't have weight capacity for this item so that 23lb is definitely wrong on Lowes website. (probably because every use case is so different and the likely point of failure won't be the hinge itself but the screws or wood). Also, as you mentioned the butt hinges are only $32 for 3, I bought these for $9 each ;)

[@sciencesaves]

@@nickkealiiclimbs yeah, they could be meaning it is for 90degrees of force also. Lever force of a door is much heavier than downward force. Who knows?!