How to Build a Block Retaining Wall [DIY Guide]

[@craigchatterton4164]

I'm happy to watch a professional do it the same way we did two years ago since I'm just a DIYer. We didn't have the access to the top of the wall like you did - ours was a four foot retaining wall above an eight foot retaining wall on the hill behind our house that went up a further eighty feet. Instead of using a backhoe to dig out the four feet, we did it by hand with shovels and buckets of dirt poured down a chute. Instead of using a front loader to pour all that gravel, we used five gallon buckets carted up the stairs to the upper terrace. Bucket after bucket after bucket... We also carted up each brick by hand up those stairs. It was an entire summer for us and my teenagers refused to even come near it at the end, even when I was offering $100 for two hours work lol. Two years later and it's still standing up; which I consider a miracle.

[@rogueengineer]

Oh man, that sounds like a ton of work!

[@craigchatterton4164]

It was, which is why I'm still looking at videos about the topic two years later lol!

[@PP-gy8gg]

Hope the teens have got over themselves...​@@craigchatterton4164

[@Thehickboss]

Man…… you are very skilled. Along with everyone in this chat really sounds like you guys are artists at this.

[@julietphillips1991]

Looks very well done! The result you want is definitely asking that you be hands-on. Your knowledge and hard work will most definitely pay off!

[@rogueengineer]

Thank you!

[@JT-ir6vw]

Great job! Proper mechanical stabilization with geotextiles, something that 90% of home retaining walls lack and the primary reason for failure. A lot of installers fail to understand the stress of lateral earth pressure.

[@deldridg]

As an engineer once said, underestimate hydrostatic load at your peril! He was referring to an enormous (and enormously expensive) retaining wall near my house that failed after 2 weeks of rain.

[@AndyHasAdventures]

Watching in the UK. Great build and beautiful location for your family to enjoy in the future. Keep up the great videos and take care 👍🏻

[@rogueengineer]

Thank you! Will do!

[@BrottThesail-hb9jz]

You better find thing from a uk construction. Then thank me.

[@mxusa8383]

Couple critical points not mentioned is your toe block being embedded. On a wall that size I would embed at least 8” but 12” wouldn’t be unreasonable. Walls that high should be engineered but I know many just throw them up without it. Bury 2 rows would have been best. Also a face drain for every 20’ is standard practice as well. Pisa coping has only a handful of end caps on a pallet which kind of screws a project up because it’s only splitface on 1 side. I see the ends not finished yet probably because you need a saw. Also it looks more professional if you split your end caps and use corners to end your rows that have split face on 2 sides.

[@KGTiberius]

Any thoughts on deadman/tiebacks, anchors, wall spikes (vs the beveled stack only), poured base/key (vs 1/8th height added below as was done here with ~10”-12” single brick layer over compresses sand/gravel footings)? I also didn’t see the footing pinned with rebar….

[@Andrew8885W]

Excellent points

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

Yep this wall will fail all too soon... Shows little engineering knowledge

[@A4rings110]

@@Johnny-dp5mu what would you have done differently?

[@acat6000]

@@A4rings110 I think the main gripe is not embedding two rows of bricks underground, as well as no face drain every 20 feet (not sure how much that applies here because this doesn't look much longer than that).

[@JoeCooper-b4t]

Man, this is exactly what I needed to see, we have a collapsing retaining wall approx that size, a little longer and curved, and I've learned the important steps, such as preparing a sufficient base, creating proper drainage with gravel and filter fabric, and using geo grid on each course for strength, and you affirmed each of those steps and showed them in action in real time! Thanks for the great video, I'm armed with more knowledge now to consult with the contractors! 🤓

[@mindmineral]

How is it looking now? Any feedback?

[@ThePackDad]

So much more than I need for my 4' tall driveway wall, but still super helpful !!!

[@MilwaukeeMaker]

Thank you for the pointer about putting the mash in to help strengthen the wall when it’s underload. It seems like something that we should already know and yet it didn’t click until you did it. Thanks for the share.

[@franktirelli]

Wow, i didnt realize the engineering and thought process involved. Thanks for the education

[@doctorlagarto1]

You need a plate compactor, that hand tamper will probably cause you having some settling later on, a thin layer of stone dust would help you get better compaction and let you lay those blocks a little bit easier, nice job.

[@Braddy_Daddy]

Looks great! Never realized how much gravel was involved 😅

[@rogueengineer]

Thanks! Yea you only really need 1ft or so but it makes that backfilling process harder if you are splitting it up. More drainage area is better and easier for the little bit of added cost.

[@diamond6256]

AWESOME video. You had a pretty helper. Thank you. I enjoyed the video.

[@rolejarczyk]

Looks amazing, and thank you so much for the guide. Would love to get one of these done (4ft though) and had no idea where to start!

[@frank2134982]

Can you link the retaining wall blocks you're using? Thank you

[@samfrancisco8095]

No issues with hydrostatic pressure from water behind the wall? Hopefully there are weep holes to allow the water to move through the wall.

[@CFLDumpsters]

Nice! Love seeing it done properly, that wall will last for years to Come.

[@joeschmoe1301]

Beautiful work!!!

[@KGTiberius]

❓ Any thoughts on deadman/tiebacks, anchors, wall spikes (vs the beveled stack only), poured base/key (vs 1/8th height added below as was done here with ~10”-12” single brick layer over compresses sand/gravel footings)? I also didn’t see the footing pinned with rebar…. Or the geogrid pined to the beveled fit brick (just sandwiched)… or a double width deep into the cut slope at the foundation (more mass at the footing)… or a vertical drain down to the main drainage and/or water weep at the face… 📍 Just curious when to use these methods.

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

He didn't have any engineer to properly design this defective wall... Looks good on the outside weak on the inside

[@carlaradke4066]

He is an engineer.

[@DavidGonzalez-hy1uk]

Nice wall great work only a few minor things that maybe the homeowner wouldn’t notice I would have made a midas cut end cap to give it the textured face on both sides also a few chipped blocks on there, for a retaining wall like that it would have been good to have left drain ports on the wall as well we know it’s not going anywhere but front drain ports would remove so much more pressure from the wall.

[@ejoe350]

May I know what brand and model of the blocks ? There are key and groove at top and bottom of block. Very well done work. Thanks.

[@Jerichoom]

Loved it, helps with my planning. So how did you approach the quantity surveying, to determine how much material you would need?

[@rostamr4096]

Perfect...very useful..thank you

[@marklanese5594]

As mentioned, because of the height of this retaining wall, the depth of geo-grid should be no less than 6'. Permission from the neighbor should have been requested to achieve this goal. The 4' of geo-grid that was installed is inadequate especially considering that it is sandwiched between all of that round stone which is constantly pushing against the rear of the wall. 12" of crushed stone behind the block and properly compacted soil beyond that would serve as a better anchor for geo-grid. The angle of repose for soil is far greater than that of round drainage stone.

[@michaeladams2077]

So are you saying it fail! Isn’t water the main issue with restating walls? I would think the more drain rock the better the flow of water, the soils will retain water making it heavier/ more pressure than rock ? I’m no pro just. Just asking. Thanks

[@marklanese5594]

@@michaeladams2077 This wall will probably not fail anytime soon. You are correct about proper drainage stone for water to pass through and that the additional weight of the saturated soil putting additional pressure on the wall often will cause a failure.. If the weight of the soil bearing down on the wall outweighs the weight of the block, the wall must be reinforced with the use of geo-grid. When completing the back fill at the top of the wall, it is important that the crushed stone back fill stops about 8" from the top. Place a filter fabric over the stone and continue back fill with impervious fill to prevent runoff water from entering the drainage zone. Also important to grade the soil so that rain water will run off the face of the wall rather than collect behind it.

[@amandalinder1135]

Depends on your soils. If it’s clay or shale, you wouldn’t want to backfill with soil. 4’ grid can work on a 6’ tall wall (total height from first buried course), but unless that is biaxial geogrid, it won’t do anything to benefit the wall. Assuming it’s uniaxial grid, it has to be rolled out from the face of the wall back into the hillside or else it has no strength.

[@marklanese5594]

@@amandalinder1135 Depends on the type of clay. Wet clay definitely not good. Dry to moist clay no problem for back fill. Sometimes a soil correction is necessary. No qualified engineer would design or approve of 4' length/depth of geo-grid for a 6' high wall.

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

​@@michaeladams2077crushed washed stone. At least 6 feet back or anchor screws tied into the block and rebar... This wall is defective and will soon fail!!!

[@cn65666]

Quite a project! I'd probably re-locate that gutter downspout behind the top right of the wall.

[@rogueengineer]

Thanks! That's the plan!

[@M3_86]

Doing this right now but have tree roots leftover from a tree that was removed. How do i prevent those roots from pressing the wall in the future?

[@RafaelSwit]

Great info in your video! Is there any difference in building code or building methods, if your retaining wall is meant to hold back the ground which will have a driveway on top? Not sure how the added weight and movement of cars would affect the ground and retaining wall. My driveway approaches the garage from the side rather then front of the house - I’d like to extend the depth of this driveway directly in front of the garage, but the land slopes right past the edge of the driveway.

[@marytucker9404]

The wall looks great. Really nice job. Forney, TX

[@rogueengineer]

Thank you!

[@cottagekeeper]

Curious what the breakdown of the cost was. There is a local business with lots of hilly land near me and they have this stuff 20’ and 40’ high. I already see mud infiltrating the block. I don’t think they did it right.

[@trinydex]

what do you think of using tire aggregate for drainage fill

[@mjg6966]

Why not a concrete foundation? Looks great.🇬🇧

[@scott5747]

Nice job. I'm also a fan of dead-man systems.

[@joshuarubin9568]

How frequently did you add geo grid? Every three courses?

[@henrykwiecek124]

Good job. Will be better installation the pipe behind the one part of foundation the wall house.

[@Ihopeyoureokay]

How much did this end up costing ?

[@DANIELINTHEDEN-n7d]

😂😂😂😂

[@Lhurtado123]

I’m currently building a wall like this and manufacturer specs also call for 6inches of compacted gravel. However, the contractor making the wall decided to go beyond that and pour a concrete footing. Now the city inspector is stating I need to have an engineer certify that it’s okay to place the wall on concrete instead of gravel. Any cons with pouring a concrete footing instead of gravel?

[@amandalinder1135]

These types of walls are meant to flex with freeze/thaw cycles and the compacted limestone is what is called for. Concrete is rigid and won’t flex. I have seen engineered drawings with a concrete footer, but the footer needs to be deeper in that instance. If you talk to the manufacturer, they don’t recommend poured concrete footers.

[@artistled]

Can someone please explain Why would you not use adhesive or mortar to bond each block to one another, wouldn't the pressure from the backfill push them forward and over with enough pressure? I'm trying to understand the physics or mechanics of this. Just seems that anything not anchored down should push forward. So whats up with that? 🤔

[@artistled]

Was that first fabric for the foundation a woven fabric or non-woven?

[@timbobau]

Not sure if you have a good enough connection between the wall and the mesh you are using into the embankment. There is a chance that this wall may not be able to hold that kind of back-pressure and be susceptible to slip-circle failure due to the thin footprint of the foundation.

[@rogueengineer]

What makes you think that there is not a good enough connection of the mesh to the wall?

[@timbobau]

@@rogueengineerThere didn't appear to be any mechanical or chemical connection between the blocks and mesh. ... But if you found a structural engineer who said that would put their signature on the job based on local knowledge, then cool.

[@rogueengineer]

This is how geogrid gets installed. The tongue and groove in the block and 1000s of pounds of block above it will surely hold it in place

[@mxusa8383]

@@timbobaulip system on block and it batters back 1” per course. Pinching geo grid between layers is the interlock. Never glue srw products except for corners and coping. Hope that helps

[@Adrian-u4n]

Nice work

[@Zulay-z7j]

Great video! How long did the whole process take?

[@simonsun6772]

and is it necessary to put some holes on side of the wall? thx

[@sapelesteve]

Fantastic build! That retaining wall turned out great! Well done! 👍👍👏👏

[@rogueengineer]

Thank you very much!

[@Nurse_Lucy]

Oh man... You started talking about building and didn't mention geogrid for a few minutes. I was super worried!

[@rogueengineer]

😂😂 yea that was a must.

[@mochafoshizle]

Every AHJ will require a structural engineer's stamped set of calculations and detail(s) per IBC 105.2 exception 4. One approved set must be kept on-site at all times for the inspector, residential and commercial alike.

[@flamabl1]

Do you even know what state he is in?

[@mochafoshizle]

Georgia. The IBC is applicable in every state

[@flamabl1]

@@mochafoshizle Thank god that isn't enforced.

[@mochafoshizle]

@@flamabl1 lol, true. Most rural areas aren't even noticed, much less enforced

[@WWYG316]

How many layers of geogrid?

[@ARobb127]

Do you do a geogrid every coarse

[@roybatty2030]

I can’t see what’s stopping the wall rotating, hope I’m wrong. This is very technical work.

[@flamabl1]

lol, he explained it multiple times.

[@mrockefeller10mr]

LOVED this Video. Thanks for sharing!

[@embatbr]

No mortar, rebar or concrete? Only stacked blocks?

[@draketracy6969]

They interlock and with that thick gravel wall they laid behind it. That thing isn’t going anywhere

[@啊啊-f3z]

Could you please tell me where did you get the bricks! They are very perfect!

[@mxusa8383]

It’s unilock Pisa I believe but the design has changed to a larger block currently but still a flat split face.

[@whip205inthebam3]

Using corrugated drainage pipe is a waste of time and money. If it gets clogged cleaning it out is almost impossible without destroying the pipe. Using schedule 40 PVC is worth the little extra and you'll seldom have any problems with it even many years after the project was completed.

[@pre-medlife781]

So nothing bind the blocks??

[@saifsalomy7507]

Does the drain pipe have holes in it?

[@rogueengineer]

Yes

[@IsaiasFlores-t1l]

Hi how much for sq feet???

[@st-dm5mr]

Just kind of wondering...the neighbour allowed you to run a loader through his back yard. Would he have objected to a cutback of 6 feet instead of 4 ft? I don't think it makes much of a difference...but just being nosey. I've done 2 walls similar in size to this one pre-KZbin. I didn't do half the logic you put into this one. As as far as I know, both walls are still standing. One I saw in 2019 (built in about 1984). It's still solid but I didn't backfill with crush like you did nor did I put a sock on the perforated drainage pipe. The result was water weeping out of the wall. But...the owner planted some type of ivy that has completely covered the wall, sucking up the water. I don't know how saturated the ground is behind it but I would be putting an afternoon nap cot under the wall any time soon! Sometimes idiot engineering works out ok. Great video. If I was younger, I'd go out and build a wall like this tomorrow.

[@omerkeshet3902]

One year follow up vid?

[@truthserum5202]

No offense, but I don't see those blocks as being large/heavy enough to hold back the forces of hydrostatic pressure when that hillside is full of water.

[@Susan70003]

That's what the gravel behind the wall does. Let's it drain out.

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

​@@Susan70003gravel attracts and holds water like a pool gets super cold and freezes expands and blows outward! You know what happens then

[@trevorolson997]

@@Johnny-dp5muit has a drain tile pipe to move moisture.

[@JoeCooper-b4t]

@@Johnny-dp5mu that's what the drain pipe is for, mon.

[@vladv.8819]

Beautiful work...God bless

[@joeyoliver579]

Im not sure that block can hold back the weight of the dirt hill over a short time

[@simonsun6772]

no french drain behind?

[@rogueengineer]

3:48

[@simonsun6772]

⁠@@rogueengineerthanks for your reply. 2 quick questions: 1. Does PVC pipes are better than the flexible ones? 2. It’s necessary to put 1,2 drain holes to release some pressure? Looking forward to your reply. Thank you!

[@enchantedseasonslawncare8559]

Looks good, but did anyone see how they ended the wall? It looks like its a open ended wall. Really hope not

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

Yep and that end will fail first winter

[@JonathanWirth-cu7sw]

Have a good day production ideas

[@brianyac1968]

Are you not suppose to add some type of fabric to separate the soil from the gravel so it does not mix and clog? I May be confused. I have seen people add fabric horizontally and some just vertically.

[@HowardTheDork]

Yeah, DIY w/ 9 people and a tractor.

[@michaellowdon2556]

The footings are just not good enough. The wall will simply lean out in a few years once the earth behind contracts and expands through the seasons. The mass below ground is just not enough. The wall is way to high for that footing. I would get the wall removed if i were the home owner. Im in the UK and there is no way building regulations would accept that standard of work.

[@rogueengineer]

I think you are confused. If the footing wasn't good enough, the wall would sink. Footings do absolutely nothing for a wall that would start to lean out. That is all about tying back into the hillside and stabilizing the soil. Which was done in this case. The footing is fine, compacted on good virgin soil and to code.

[@MattFirdous]

well, most of us were born like the crushed gravels that sits underneath everything.

[@davidlloyd8135]

WHAT! No 4' footings with rod iron going up into the wall??? That ain't right

[@rogueengineer]

Seriously? This isn’t a foundation for a house!

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

​@@rogueengineerclearly you are no engineer

[@hamb7260]

Please use protective knee pads, trust me, I have been suffering for years now because of not protecting my knees.

[@FrancisoDoncona]

You didn't take tree growth into consideration. Laid block by its nature is not monolithic. Those roots in search for water will follow the path of least resistance. That wall going to need repair in less than three years and a few winters. Now adhesives, that is just a joke, once they dry out they are done. Rome was built of concrete for a reason. All the Roman plastic, lol, it did exist are just powder today. Sap, shellac, pitch, tar are all natural plastics.

[@togodbetheglory9725]

Man pure a concrete layer then your blocks simple as that,

[@profi1917]

You should’ve pour a concrete footing.. I see this happens all the time in few years wall wall will sagg or come apart,,, it’s not good people paying a lot of money to you

[@silencz1]

Bs that wall is fine

[@Trunks88088]

@@silencz1no it’s not, it’s going to sag

[@jackstone4291]

Especially for a wall that size and height. Dig deep, hardcore packed base, concrete footing on top (which is still below or partially below the lower ground level) then build your staggered and leaning-backwards wall on top of that.

[@WavyArizona]

You must’ve never done retaining walls before? Most states you can’t because the ground freezes boss. I’ll teach you for free, so you use 6-8 inches of MINUS rock, he didn’t tamp anything down correctly, so you’re probably right. It will eventually sag in 10 years. If you put concrete base in Missouri, our cold will crack that base within the first 2-3 winters easily. So in cold states, they use minus & fill rock. This is obviously his first wall.

[@jslabonte1644]

@@WavyArizona1:30 “and off camera, we came back and used a vibrating plate”

[@architectarchitect3106]

Geo Grid

[@saulguzman80]

🙂🙃🙂😎👌👍

[@Mangold2865]

Those are really small blocks for a wall that high

[@secessionnow4133]

Look good. Why no top shot? Why no end wall shot? Why did you skip the grouting? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?!!😡

[@rogueengineer]

Thanks! Yea I’m not done with the landscaping yet but that will all come together at some point. Stay tuned for some more videos of the backyard makeover.

[@emperorsanders5744]

How much should I expect to pay for something like this. Seems like one man landscaper claim what he can do what a proper company with engineers can do which could be far from the truth but they say so they can take more money but be still less than a proper company who knows what they are doing.

[@kayphuquoc]

Too waste of material ...

[@muhammad8970]

You didn't show anything

[@amandalinder1135]

There is a lot to unpack here, but if you are watching this and thinking about taking on a large, structural wall like this, please hire a professional. It’s too big of a risk to DIY something like this.

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

Pay a civil engineer to design and have the engineer oversee the build... Otherwise you have wasted your money and time

[@RolandoJimenez-i3r]

Hahaha all that waste of gravel insted of having like 4 fot of gravel behinde I see like 10 triaxle trucks beeing dumped for no reazon, but great job CAMARRADA IT LOOKS FANTASTIC