This makes MORE walls FAIL than anything.

We find out quick why the retaining wall FAILED and and how EASY it could have been avoided. #retainingwall #construction #landscaping #howto #diy

[@dennislindemann9057]

You know you've hired real professionals when the compactor starts on the first pull.

[@douglasmorton6121]

Gosh I enjoy these retaining wall build videos!!! Thank you Stan and your crew! Stay Safe Folks!!!

[@markashley9955]

I have a wall of shame using that style of block. It lasted around 10 yrs between a car hitting one end a couple of severe cold snaps temps getting below -20 degrees it failed . That style of block did me no favor.

[@rogerozdarski2935]

I total agree with you, clean up your site every night. Looks more professional. Love these educational videos. Keep them coming Stan.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Much appreciated

[@Caf1972]

Thanks Stan and crew!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you!!

[@outdoorsandmuchmore]

Wow, learning more every day. Thanks Stanley

[@Dirtmonkey]

Glad to hear it!

[@outdoorsandmuchmore]

@@Dirtmonkey Stanley , video a master curse, I buy it!

[@brianspurrell3348]

No words. love the honesty.

[@eduardogregori3239]

Thanks Stanley Thank you sooo much God bless you and all your people around, amazing team by the way love it 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

[@brucehollmig4738]

It is so smart to film. Prof job was done correctly and it’s educational for old guys to learn.

[@wesleemiller]

Great video.

[@Papadooskiss]

Sweet format I think the Stan commentary is dope. Well done sir

[@htownblue11]

Sam got to work with his favorite tool the concrete saw! Sam best Stan. Channel needs him more.

[@Dirtmonkey]

This channel is about the entire team and the audience. I try to balance that

[@PAINFOOL13]

Have a Blessed weekend With yur Fam Stan 👍🏻🙏🏻

[@woodyfpv5331]

Alot of these companies (like anchor diamond) actually provide base-course block that comes solid without the lip if you don't want to break them off. I actually just leave the lip on usually if I'm forced to build with that style block. Doesn't seem to take much to compensate by tapping down the back a little more. Also, I think the manufacturer has a lot to do with the end result when it comes to the strength of the block in general. I think the BIGGEST advantage to pin-system over the lap-system is the fact that you get lateral retention as well as the traditional front to back retention. It makes the joints between the blocks much harder to separate.

[@yotasrule2554]

Good man saving that cridder. Kudos to you brother, God bless.

[@tillmannoneya6941]

I used those hollow ones for a wall I did in my backyard. I filled the hollow part with crushed rock. But granite I don’t know what I’m doing. So hope that helped. Was a lot of extra work, but thought it was needed. So far so good.

[@tonynewton7902]

Nice one Stan. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👍👍

[@billvandorn5332]

I use the perforated pipe to carry the excess groundwater away from where I don't want it but I'll use the solid pipe for the downspouts to take the water away from the house

[@brianprater3724]

Love the build episodes! Enjoy Sam's commentary

[@kurtdietrich5421]

I inspected a failed wall one time. It was similar to your wall in the video. The contractor saw a drain pipe and said ' oh, I'll hook up my roof leaders to the drain pipe to get the water away from the foundation. The wall failed after 3 weeks and second rain storm.

[@Dirtmonkey]

holy crap- thats a mistake

[@TheJ4RyD]

I don't understand. Why is drain tile for a retaining wall connected upstream to a inlet in the first place?

[@donaldlee6760]

At 0:34 - if your retaining wall is very short (3 feet or less), then does it matter if one uses the cheap hollow blocks with a "chipping" lip?

[@lanceoa]

There was no gravel and drainage behind the wall…that is the ultimate failure

[@MrNickunis]

Stan are you going to be coming out with any dirt monkey merch? Would really love to snag a hat with your logo...also love the video keep up the good work. I've learned a lot watching them.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Working on it!

[@nathanjamesDewey]

@@Dirtmonkey make sure you have smalls!!!

[@StevenCasper]

Cool beans did not know that about the drainage I'm learning yah man enjoy your day.

[@cc5477]

I’m Happy for your Customer and Your Crew to be allowed to be on the others Neighbors Yard.

[@Dirtmonkey]

Im Happy to get it cleaned up

[@samueljimenez6264]

1:00 we install a similar block but they are the opposite, hollow from the top for core filling and fiber glass pin locking system( no lip) .

[@TheJ4RyD]

Interesting. What's it called?

[@samueljimenez6264]

@@TheJ4RyD The specific block I am referring to is a Belgard Diamond Anchor wall SRW(Segmental Retaining wall System ) .

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

@@TheJ4RyD They make it easy to sort of make a solid concrete wall but it looks like a block wall. Some I have seen have horizontal grooves to hold rebar and then you put vertical rebar in from the top as long as the wall is tall and tie it to the horizontal rebar as you put the blocks into place. Once the wall is finished, except for the cap, you fill the wall with concrete using a vibrator cable to make certain there are no air pockets trapped in the wall. The concrete makes it very solid and the rebar hold every thing together. Which type would be better I am not qualified to say.

[@SpartanZapp]

The way this curves around the back side of the house looks like that wheel loader that the front end pivots. Like where I can dump sideways would actually be really useful. Or even that mini/skidsteer combo

[@m4rcos303]

Every successful company had their "Blaine", that dude right there is one in a million

[@Kushert]

True statement at the end. My thoughts exactly

[@Dirtmonkey]

😃Its simple but works

[@HankinsExcavating]

Another great vid bud!!!

[@crazyd5426]

Great educational videos to help out all us DIYers! Side note, not sure what is going on with Sam's camera/mic, but there is a lot of rubbing noise on the audio.

[@Homesteader455]

What was the cost of this job?

[@brianwilton8555]

great video

[@gamerfarms9362]

we use a block that is hollow like that bit it has a square pice on the bottom that locks into the whole and that whole is also filled with rock

[@deansynan7424]

Great Job!!!

[@CZAnthonyX]

another awesome, educational video! I worked on a wall today, went well! Keep up the great work! Have a great night!

[@Dirtmonkey]

Niiice that is awesome! Right back atcha bud 😊

[@jsuperman7672]

The wall is looking great, I have that Grunt Style shirt to.

[@mauriceryton]

On that drainage T, surely the connect at the T should be over T not inside. At the wall it should be inside the outlet not on the outside of it.

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

I would think that as long as the connection is tight enough to prevent soil from entering it would be good. And like Stanley stated, the entire wall is a drain so the drain tile is just there to impress inspectors.

[@josephrottina1901]

Keep the job site videos come in brother.👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@RDAmidwest]

I'm more fond of precast segmented block than dry cast block. Longevity is far superior and installation labor is lower due to the necessary equipment used to move them into position. Recon has numerous installations around the Twin Cities area that are quite impressive. And water is not a problem, you can build sea walls out of precast segmented blocks. The only thing I've seen that is more durable is boulders but they don't stack as neatly. 😃

[@yardvarkslawncare7866]

You have to do a review on the 37 h.p billy goat debris loader & 37 hp scag windstorm! Our 2 latest purchases. Amazing machinesp

[@tfrogginhfroggin]

That gutter over by the new wall makes me nervous...

[@symons666]

We have them completely hollow in Britain, that way we can put reinforcing bar all the way down through to the footing ( and in it) and also fill with concrete as well for reinforcing !!

[@kellyminnesota]

Although that seems like a super heavy duty way to fortify a wall. That is an absolute no, no (at least here..) So the wall is built on a flexible pad/footing of a gravel base that is meant to move and absorb the movement of the earth, ams soil, but if you core fill with rebar and cement, the whole wall is now one mass with no ability to move and or flex. So now if the wall wants to move in one area but not the other, it will have to break, lift, and crack, but when the blocks are left to move independently, they will absorb the earth's movement with slight flexing here and there. The only way that we can install a wall with cement, mortar, and rebar here is if we build it on a full cement footing that goes way down in the ground. The problem with that however is that it is unnecessary and cost prohibitive in most cases. Regular retaining walls stacked, and pinned, and built on flexible base footings can last decades if installed correctly.

[@arcadia1081]

Hey Stanley sorry for being off topic. I'm a bit concerned for Greg Chism! His last vid was 4 months ago. I kind of owe this year to him as I have 4 big gardens to care for and wished he was still online! Do you know where he is?

[@jackaffeldt]

At what point do you decide to add a setback versus no setback?

[@paulnelson7384]

Stan tell it like it is no grid, poor gravel backfill, and block that is junk! The other walls in the front are leaning too and will be needing to be replaced soon.

[@order6676]

Would hooking up that downspout to the tile then be a good idea or no? I know perforated pipe isn't always the best for that but just curious.

[@deanmeyer1815]

You will be dumping all that water from your roof in that one area and it will soften the ground and, if you live in the northern climates where the ground freezes, that wet area will heave and push the wall. The tile is made to let ground water in, not carry surface water. Run a separate line for downspouts away from the wall and use schedule 20 pvc with no holes. That way, the surface water ALL gets taken away rather than having a chance to soak into the ground where you don't want it.

[@order6676]

@@deanmeyer1815 Cool thanks for the insight!

[@gamerfarms9362]

you can just got to run separete tile that is not perferated

[@JohnR9965]

Good info Stan….

[@2chipped]

It's very hard to see where the wall is weeping too,the patio? And where is the gutter draining into ?

[@stanhensley3082]

What a mess.It pays to get the best people to do your dirt work and wall work.Lets see.Just who might that be??Learned alot watching this one!! Thanks 😊.

[@nashcobb3056]

here to help have the best day you can

[@Dirtmonkey]

Thank you Nash! I hope you have an awesome day as well!!

[@josephdriscoll8527]

I would want another solid pipe in the trench along the wall for the down spout water, maybe it's coming.

[@jackalay23]

I have to disagree with your opinion of hollow retaining blocks. Not sure of the brand you are tearing out but I have built a couple walls with Allan Block. The cores are hollow and the installation requires they be filled with aggregate. This increases the mass of the wall and helps lock the blocks and geogrid together. The blocks are quite heavy at 75 pounds for 1sqft coverage versus a versalok at 82 pounds for .66 sqft coverage. Aggregate is on site anyway so filling the cores requires very little additional labor.

[@paulnelson7384]

Josh the wall removed didn't have open top like Allen Block, other wall stones that are hollow is Keystone, solid walls with out plastic or fiberglass pin are Uni-Lok with their Pisa wall system. But it is a pain to install due to you having to split the face, it comes two units poured into one.

[@donaldlee6760]

I'm curious what is the recommended aggregate to fill the hollow cores. Does is need to be "pack/base" (rocks + crushed rocks + rock dust), 3/4 inch angular drainage rocks, sand, or can even plain dirt from the yard be used?

[@paulnelson7384]

The proper fill material for hollow core block is 3/4" crushed clean gravel, you need the angular surfaces to help lock the blocks. The better part is that you can reduce your clean backfill to 6 inches .

[@toniasalways]

I need to see the big bird!!

[@majorrayn3411]

Crazy that wall build was nothing like how we would build it here it south east Canada

[@lifeofatwindad8700]

No antiweep barrier between base stone and subsoil?

[@matthewjanssen7957]

At the 11:30 mark. you use the perforated 10" tile. Aren't you going to get water into the block? Why not use the nonperforated tile?

[@1020H8]

Why no mortat?

[@davidhoover8877]

Was that your Grey making q back up alarm sound?

[@Dirtmonkey]

yep

[@markhall3434]

Hi Stan.. Doing a "Harry Homeowner" 3 ft. wall using the bigger 16" wall blocks at Lowes. Did a Gravel/Concrete Mix foundation about 3 in. thick.. Block placed when still wet, and leveled as placed. Filled a vertical line of Block voids w/1/2" rebar every other block, 6" of drain Aggregate behind then backfill w/dirt. Point is, I use the PL500 Landscape adhesive between blocks which I think is flexible enough yet strong enough to work well. You Opinion of block adhesive?

[@markhall3434]

Stan.. One more thing.. I'm looking at Skid Steer Backhoe Attachments.. Wow.. for Harry Homeowner stuff that looks the Perfect attachment. Several made, a great compromise for doing ditches/holes/trenches. Might be worthy of a D.M. review?

[@kellyminnesota]

Hi Mark, I hope you & your wall are doing well. I don't want to pick on you but in the spirit if preventing someone else from making the same mistake that you did, I wanted to mention that you should never put a cement foundation underneath a retaining wall. The nature of a SRW (segmental retaining wall) is that it moves with the earth to absorb the energy of the soil around it, and/or under it if it moves. The cement can not move unless it all moves as one unit, and so it cracks, and breaks under the wall and causes lift in certain areas that distort the wall. This is especially true if you are in a climate that freezes. So instead of cement, an SRW should be set on a flexible pad of the appropriate gravel, sand, binder mix appropriate for your area. In most cases we are using a class 5 gravel. Hope this was helpful as it was intended. BTW, I get the logic. Logically the cement seems like a super, duper, over and above option, and you were actually trying to do a great option that was even more work , so I can definitely appreciate that, but in this case it actually went against the integrity of the wall. Thanks and take care, Kelly

[@kinze2010]

How come your blokes aren't using water suppression when using the circular saw?

[@thebad300]

what type of wall would you recommend for a pond edge

[@LGRCustoms01]

Pile Retaining walls.

[@vinnyhern]

those cheep blocks are decorative only! if you stack more than 3 tall your asking for trouble!

[@handyscapersllc]

Paver Pete claims that water is not suppose to drain through the face of a wall.

[@cliffpalermo]

Do guys let the concrete saw idle a bit after cuts to cool? Steves small engine salon made a video on burned up chainsaws on construction sites do to cuts being made then saw being turned off without a cool down cycle.

[@Around_The_Home]

I am a DIYer and just finished building a short (less than 4') retaining wall on my property. I had a professional tell me I did not need the drainage tile. I said I am adding it for the simple reason that sometime in the future my house will be sold and I did not want a home inspector freak out because they didn't see any drain outlet in the retaining wall. p.s. I watched a lot of your videos to learn how to build my wall. The wall has two 90 degree outside corners so getting the base course level all the way around and ensuring I still had true 90 degree corners took me a better part of a week.

[@huckster66]

That is a crappy block. Here in Wisconsin, any block like that near road salt used in winter will actually crumble blocks to SAND in a few years! A country club near me has a HUGE LONG wall made from those and a few years later now it looks like deteriorating mess!

[@WildXNatur]

If what you said is true. That if your drain tile is working then the rest of the wall is failing. It's not really any type of insurance is it?

[@josephdougherty2399]

Nice edjumakashunal content

[@Dirtmonkey]

😎👍🙏 Thank you sir.

[@OuryLN]

Aren’t you suppose to fill the void with cement and reinforcement bars?

[@christopherclink6931]

Weren't you guys the ones that installed that wall?

[@nathanjones5653]

Curious, do Blaine and Sam get along as good as it seems in the videos?

[@creeplife2802]

#1 Rule, don't buy chicken lip blocks

[@robertvannicolo4435]

Stan once again poor workmanship= failure not the blocks fault those pins have no support just makes easier to line up face.of blocks its all what type of blocks you are comfortable working with

[@phillyfanist]

Stan, would that same rule about drainage aggregate apply in warmer areas that dont have a freeze thaw cycle? im kind of wondering how much local climate plays into the design and construction methods of two otherwise identical walls, just one being up north where you are and the other being down south somewhere where its typically so warm in winter that temps rarely dip below freezing

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

It is not about temperature it is about moisture. If you used a mortared block wall it would be necessary. With none mortared walls it would not be necessary because the entire wall acts like a drain. You do not want water or soggy soil putting pressure on the wall.

[@prvllc]

It doesn’t help the wall isn’t core filled or back filled, never had a problem with block like that

[@Onhereforfun85nodrama]

I was wondering if you started to use that alkaline fuel for your equipment yet

[@onemansvideos2134]

Won't the stuff that goes down the down spout build up over time cause he used a blocked off T with a tied off sock instead of a 90?

[@deanmeyer1815]

They didn't tie in the downspout.

[@onemansvideos2134]

@@deanmeyer1815 in the video it looks like they are if you look at the part where they were ground pounding you can see the pipe will connect to the down spout...cause he said the down spout caused it that it drained all the water right there and ate away at that area

[@deanmeyer1815]

@@onemansvideos2134 Look closely at the end of the tile where it starts at the house wall. You will see the filter sock is tied closed over the tile. I'm sure they will run the downspout away from the wall with the proper grade to keep as much water away from the new wall as possible.

[@onemansvideos2134]

@@deanmeyer1815 just watched the new one and seen that they didn't do it..but I think they should have cause it would make sense to help remove the water that caused it

[@uncivilengineer]

Oh man, water always finds a way. Billion dollar project tunnel, we're chasing water for months !

[@alexdonnelly9821]

Think it’s time for a new bob cat lol

[@fuzion430journey3]

I don’t like how you build that wall right up against the siding on the house that’s gonna cause issues with water rotting away that wall

[@ethanwimer8487]

It’s a cinder block wall you can see it in the new video that he posted today I’m assuming they are going to stop at the siding.

[@masternoremac3738]

We call that block here allan block. Its ugly, it has no real strength, you can't have a nice straight face look, and stair designs etc are harder to do. I've always used Basalite valley stone and always well...

[@keithengelmeyer842]

If the blocks are so bad then why are they allowed to be used and above all manufactured.

[@alexthomas637]

😎😎😎👍

[@bozowinslo]

woah .... put some water on those cuts ..... yall giving everybody in the whole neighborhood silicosis

[@michaelwillcutt2619]

Why you supposed to put in drains in walls like two inch pipes through walls six to eight feet washed rock fabric to protect rock an pipe from dirt clogging

[@imchris5000]

it seems like the whole wall could of been eliminated with a little grading

[@TheJ4RyD]

Customers hate slopes.

[@MrsShanonBrown]

Can’t you just drill the rest of the way thru the block and then put rebar and cement?

[@GoCoyote]

Nice to see the "wildlife" rescue. I have always enjoyed rescuing moles, voles, shrews, gophers, mice, rabbits, snakes, and once a hummingbird nest. The humming bird nest was on a bush that jutted out into a seldom used road that was to be used for equipment access. I trimmed the branch under the angry eyes of a dive bombing parent (thank you hardhat and safety glasses) and zip tied the branch to another one a few yards off the road. The next day the parent was back sitting on the eggs. While I never got to see the babies, I heard they fledged pretty quickly. Nothing makes the hardest hearted equipment operators melt like baby hummingbirds.

[@tisch1235]

Saying the cement lips are inferior to the plastic pins is silly to me. Show me a wall that has failed because of it. Show me a wall that has failed because of salt, then I'll eat my words

[@Dirtmonkey]

I hope your hungry then.

[@kylekroschel3879]

Well your not from the Midwest then! Salt eats everything in Minnesota except plastic! And those cheap hollow blocks with those shitting lips fail so much in Minnesota here it's unbelievable! We get tons of water and snow and those 2 hand in hand destroy those blocks before the salt ever does! Versa Lok block aren't just held in by plastic, they weigh a hell of a lot more and so the weight plus plastic lockers make it bulletproof!

[@Ray00069]

Haha! Eat my shorts. 🤣🤣

[@brianhanley12]

Those blocks are garbage and always have been. The lips are the failure point, and here in Massachusetts they fail 100% of the time. As a landscape professional myself, tisch123, you should do a bit more research about versa lok walls and the blocks themselves. Only choice for me 👍🏻. Keep up the great work Stan!

[@63jeepj20]

The freezing and thawing of the ground alone could cause them to fail. Pressure on the back plus the freezing ground lifting up on them.

[@mophuck]

Im in the process of a massive retaining wall at my house. I've been watching your videos religiously for information. Ive been following all your recommendations, except I did not know that you are not supposed to backfill the base layer with drainage rock. Is it a major problem that my base row is also backfilled with the drainage aggregate?

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

He did not say it would be a problem, just that it was not necessary. Of course if you had a retaining wall that used mortar to hold all of the blocks together then there would be no place for water to flow out of the face of the retaining wall. Then the drainage aggregate and a drain tile would be critical to prevent the water from putting pressure on the retaining wall and blowing it out. The nice thing about the none mortared blocks he uses is that the entire retaining wall is a drain and it helps keep the soil next to the wall drier and drier soil does not swell up and put pressure on the retaining wall.

[@diegomontoya796]

Bird people are not worth dealing with. Shows poor decision making.

[@charlesviner1565]

👍

[@mannyarchibald5752]

hey stan do yourself a favor and buy the boys a hilti laser

[@vFAITHv87]

I'ma brick block stone mason.. just hire a professional to build a real masonry retaining wall ;)

[@grantmeyer6097]

Comment

[@Original-Yellow]

Algorithm

[@mib20000]

moe than one way to GUT a dog

[@pkrent3461]

Dude please buy a noise cancelling mic I cant stand the pet noise

[@Dirtmonkey]

Agreed- my bird even annoys me at times

[@jesusnarez4202]

"pwease dawdee 🥺🥺 mi eres fweel😥 Oowiee bwoo hoo😓🥺😭 dawgie huwt me"😖🥺

[@gm08351]

audio pollution. unwatchable