Retaining Wall: Adding Even More Reinforcements!

[@chrisrea7347]

It seems to now be a super strong construction !!! Well done and I am sure you won't regret it.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

yes indeed!

[@mattcaluda]

glad you added the T bracing and Rebar. Thats one of the ways its done here

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Nice!

[@brucebenson9651]

Good job listening to your viewers. I used to build these as a summer college job. And that's the way to build a T deadman. I was a little woried after watching your previous video. I built hundreds of these walls even on the shores of Lake Erie with waves washing against them. To late now but we would always overlap the timbers so no joints from layer to layer (an 8' then a 4' then a 8' then a 4'....) and held each layer back a 1/2 inch. We used a combination of big ass nails (on each timber then rebar to hold three courses together) Everyone has a critique. ...haha. I'm a new subscriber who came over from SR Farms.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks so much! We decided to go through with it after considering the significant freeze and thawing we get throughout the years. Thanks for coming over!!

[@DW-fi4ch]

That's coming along nicely👍❤🌺🌹

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

I think so too!

[@trickydicky78s3]

Greatest attribute you guys show? You listen, you take on board advice given from folk who have had personal experience both good and bad and its those who have had bad experiences and can relay the information well whom are best listened to because they wont want you to face the hardship of a failure like they have done. Keep listening to the well relayed advice and stay open minded and you will create a paradise that will be absolutely stunning in good time.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

That is quite a compliment and appreciate the time you took to leave such feedback. It's nice to know there are good people out there!

[@hvnfun8601]

Thank heaven! A normal deadman goes from the wall back to undisturbed dirt and is pegged to a beam that runs parallel to the wall. That parallel bean is the dead man and most people make them as long as they can. With a few deadman braces, in order for your wall to tip, it would have to pull out a huge chunk of real estate - they never fail.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Yahoo! feelin' good!

[@brucejgallettajr1014]

Always make sure you put landscaping fabric against your interior of the wall to prevent wash out it happens a lot here in nj especially at the shore where we get tides hit the wall and when it happens rot or a hole wares in the wall inside you get sink holes

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

great tip! thanks.

[@yasminghani2073]

Good luck my prayers are with you enjoy your video

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks so much

[@mmanut]

That will make a huge difference, IT'S ALLOT OF WORK but should add years to the wall. Be careful pounding that rebar, NICE JOB, Vinny 🇺🇸

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

What's one more weekend of work at this point? thanks!!

[@Banjo-lm2wl]

Wow guys that fence isn't going anywhere it's so strong. Beautiful 💖

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks!

[@chloesamclutch]

I am building a retaining wall for a camper parking spot today, and I'm definitely not a construction expert! I believe my current design I laid out would have failed, I was ok except I didn't know about the dead man bracing. It's not too late to add a couple of them though!! Glad I saw this, will probably save my 2019 fifth wheel becoming a houseboat in the river!!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Oh good, glad it was helpful. good luck!

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

Phew! I’m relieved you added those!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

yes

[@allenburns3177]

Looks great, I use an old red head concrete drill. They were used before the rotary concrete drills of today. They just hammer, will drive a ground rod in less than a minute if you don't hit rock. It does a great job driving rebar in rail road ties. Never tried my rotary hammer, but worth a try. Instead of that sledgehammer.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Great tip! Will have to try that out.

[@randyhobbs67]

I think I told you about the deadmen and it’s such a beautiful wall I would hate to see all your work go to waste in only a couple of years. As soon as you reach 3 foot in height place a deadmen and every 3 foot in height and stager your deadmen if needed. Great job awesome videos.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thank you! appreciate all the tips!

[@johnbrowning4237]

Yes there is a specific tool to drive rebar.. it's called the biggest hammer you have! Lol. Your doing a fine job.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

You got that right! thanks!!

[@ToddHoover-j1g]

Your videos are great! What did you use to plane down the ties?

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks!! I believe he used a combo of reciprocal saw and circular saw. Really ruins the blades though.

[@silverknight1044]

Have you thought about making indications on the retaining wall area and under the porch where the gas and power lines are for future work in that area.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

That's a consideration. but every time we dig, we call the marker people and they come out and flag it, so it's not too hard.

[@toddincabo]

Nice work!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@markenloe1265]

Watching you drive that rebar makes me want to say , “take a break man”.😎

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Ha! "I've been working on the railroad!"

[@noproblem2big337]

I'm impressed, not sure how long you're planning to live Brian, but that wall ain't going nowhere, good work 👍

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

You and me both! Thanks!

[@christoffer1973]

I think most cement is nicely ment. Sad to do a job twice. You have a wonderful property and house.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thank you. Not really doing the job twice, just adding onto it.

[@JamesCouch777]

Glad to see you doing the extra reinforcement. I wasn't one of the whiners but I'm a firm believer in overkill 😁. You guys are very hard working and it won't be long before you will be reaping the rewards of your labor 👍

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Much appreciated!

[@herbertsusmann986]

I would agree that these changes are pretty important. You want that thing to stay straight for a long long time. The T deadmen are probably the most important as long as they are tied securely to the rest of the wall. I assume you will be pounding more rebar into the ties below and then more rebar from the layers above into the T bars.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

That's great. Glad to take the extra weekend to do it better.

[@davidturney9813]

The creasote is hard on those saws and bars get cloged up just like yours, When you get chace you can clean with Deisel of degressor, But looks about what I did on mine. just keep Kicking it and you will get there, looks great.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks for the tip!

[@driveman6490]

When it comes to a project like this, everyone will have some input. Some sound advice, some not. The bottom line is you follow some practical engineering principals and build it stronger than you think you should.....it will last a very long time. I built one similar in 1995 along the back of our property. 145' in total length, 10' tall at one corner tapering down to 4' in the other. 180 railroad ties, a crap load of deadman/tie-backs, rebar to fasten each row of ties, multiple 1cubic yard footings to tie back into, you name it. It's withstood two large firs falling on it, seasons of heavy NW rain, dozens of freeze/thaw cycles, and shows no signs of fatigue or failure. Instinct and common sense are your best tools (along with 1/2 dozen sledge hammers!!)

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks for the tips!

[@trickydicky78s3]

Also dipping the rebar in oil before driving them in helps both short and long term, short term reduces friction on driving long term protects corrosion of the metal mingling with the wood

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

too funny- Bryan just realized this trick earlier this week! He started doing this .

[@yota87truck]

Looking much better. There are a lot of factors that come into play with retaining walls. Miss one step can result in premature wall failure.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

We feel pretty good about it.

[@hmd8042]

Great video. Not sure if I can reinforce my "retaining wall" which is between deck and hill. Space constraints.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks!

[@TheBartmobile]

Now you got. Those are real dead men now. Good work. I like it now.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Great!

[@suenorton873]

You are one hard worker Brian. Have a beer on me. The wall is looking so good...hi Amy!... be safe

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks! Will do!

[@aomadison3891]

Even though extra gravel with added, a drain did need to be put in running along the wall base that is lower at the outer edges of the wall so that the water drained away from the wall. You do not want the water draining underneath the wall as she stated!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thanks

[@thebrooklyngardenclub225]

Cant say I agree...a timber wall using these huge sized rough cut type timbers will weep at the seems naturally and these folks def used enough gravel and weed cloth to mitigate any chance such the wall would fail. This wall aint goin nowhere with those deadman AND rebar, no way in hell.

[@bobbywartman2058]

From my past experience.....1 cut in a creosote RR tie = and chainsaw blade that needs resharping.....This due to all the dirt and debris enbeded in them.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

That sounds about right.

[@jf8947]

I have a question?Why couldn’t you pound metal I beams on the outside of your railroad ties? It would save a lot of labor.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

We didn't have metal I beams. , well we do have some, but they are reserved for the cable railing system. the king posts cemented with 2 bags of concrete a piece are much more secure and stable.

[@graciemiller9596]

A 4 inch capped pipe might help driving that rebar?

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Great suggestion!

[@blutothebear]

Those rail road ties are beginning to show their age. I would sprinkle a liberal dose of borate on top of the gravel. It will halt the growth of fungi which causes wood rot. It comes in 25 lb pails. Put some on the top of the wall also!!!!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

thanks for the tip!

[@davidbray6515]

Gabions on a concrete footing eliminate allot of future failings but very expensive I do hope it all works out just the same

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

We considered Gabions, but did not like the look, so decided to pass.

[@sandranewton6534]

OMgosh..I wonder if Jericho had to do all that work? All kidding aside you are not doing it halfway. Your land is beautiful.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thank you, appreciate the support!

[@18twilliams]

That should last for many yrs.I built the same except used PT and it looks like it did 20yrs ago!

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Fantastic!

[@paulgilliland2992]

One things for sure on the interweb . Lots of advice , mostly wrong but hey , there you go.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

It's cool to gather ideas then think them out for yourself, what would work best for one's particular situation.

[@eddieforce3550]

If you don’t know how to do something just start the project and post it on UTube and the experts will come out of the woodwork to tell you what you are doing wrong. Some advice is good and some is way over the top. People who give advice aren’t paying for the cost of carrying it out.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Truer words have never been spoken! But we've got some great and usable tips over the years. would be nice if some folks were more friendly about it, instead of calling you an idiot though.

[@mikejmcc1970]

Shouldn't the tiebacks be down one level so they aren't at grade?

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

They are. Additional wall ties were added later.

[@jackterry7664]

Looks 'bomb proof' to me...

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

yes!

[@jonathan3518]

Worth the effort I assure you. Plus, think of all of the “dead man” jokes you get to make now.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

That's great!

[@dannyv6399]

Gravel all they way up.?

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

yes

[@dannyv6399]

@@ColoradoMountainLiving great! That will help so much vs native soils behind that wall. Looks awesome!

[@rickb8808]

God forbid there is ever a major earthquake in your area, I guarantee that wall is going nowhere. We use a Bosch hammer drill with a driver bit to drive rebar and electrical ground rods. Drives them down to a inch, then you have to hammer.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Wow that's impressive the hammer drill can handle most of it- thanks for the tip!

[@mikejohnson1073]

Did you ever question your local engineer on the house build? What is the history on your property for ground movement? I really do not care how somebody did it in a different geographical area from yours, Appalachia is not the Rocky Mountains. I do not find fault with what you are doing, just maybe the necessity.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

We had an engineer (who is also our neighbor) analyze our soil for the septic system that we put in ourselves. Our soil composition was mostly decomposed granite which permitted us to use our native fill for the actual septic system backfill. This indicates good drainage, which is why we are less concerned about the drainage concerns others have mentioned. Our home, being on a hillside, sheds water easily and readily and have not been plagued with snow melt issues or any type of flooding, unlike several of our neighbors who have had to install extensive french drains around their homes. As far as movement; this area has been a grassy hillside for probably 30+ years, so the soil has been fairly contained until our excavation.

[@oldpeople1970]

Try resharping your chainsaw daily check out some of those KZbin videos

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Good idea! just need all the time in the world LOL. he will get a "roundtoit"

[@oldpeople1970]

Colorado Mountain Living actually a sharp chain will save time but time will tell

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

True . Also gets dull fast with all that creosote and oak wood.

[@jeffhernandez40]

His back has to be sore

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Those were pretty heavy!

[@madschristensen8968]

watch some drainage vidoes and you will regret not using it.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

Thank you

[@alforliniteaching5670]

Drill over talking. Ouch.

[@ColoradoMountainLiving]

huh?