anyone done there own retaining wall?

[jeff262]

I am doing my first retaining wall and just curious if anyone has suggestions on what mistakes i can make. I am using these heavy suckers they are 80 pound locking pavers i think they are 15 inches by 8 inchs and i am building it 30 inches high with a 90 degree bend in it, well its actually 38 inches but i have buried the first set of pavers so it is 30 inches above ground. just though i would ask what mistake others have made. so far i have used 4 inches of paver base rock and the first row is level. do you fill the 2 middle holes with rock or just leave them hollow?
thanks jeff

[eflightray]

Not knowing what a 'paver' was, I Googled "building a retaining wall using pavers", Ah ha, bricks with less fattening centres.

Sorry Jeff haven't a clue, but if you were considering a Balsa retaining wall........... :D

[eflightray]

Though no experience other than walking past retaining wall, lot's of those in the UK stopping peoples front gardens fall out on to the pavements.

Biggest problem seems to be what they're retaining still pushing them over, the strongest ones seem to have a additional pillars or abutments, (correct word?), at regular intervals for additional strength, (plus very good foundations, usually of concrete over here).

[Bill Ervin]

Jeff, I built a wall a couple years ago using bricks similar to the ones you describe. Looks like you have the most important thing taken care of which is to get that first course of bricks perfectly level. I used a 4' bubble-level and spent an entire day just getting that first, base row absolutely dead-on.

Another thing is that a curved or undulating wall is stronger than a straight wall. You're putting a 90 degree turn in yours, that's good.

At work right now but if you want I can send a picture of it tonight when I get home. (5:00 PDT).

Bill

[Bill Ervin]

Here it is.

[CoastalFlyer]

Getting the first course level is one of the most important things to do. You're on the right path. ;)

Work slow and keep each row level.
Be certain to backfill it with gravel at least a few inches so pressure doesn't buildup behind it from trapped water - you want it to have easy run-off.

Do you have any pics to post?

[BuzzBomber]

6-8 inches of crushed stone for a base would've been ideal, but as long as you thoroughly compacted the stone before laying the first course of block, I think you'll be fine. Make sure the first course is dead-nuts level, use a 4-foot level and a heavy rubber mallet to whack down any high spots. Filling the cores with gravel isn't critical, but won't hurt anything. Make sure you backfill 1 foot behind the rear face of the block with crushed stone for drainage - 3/4" clean stone is good for this. Fill the gravel up to the bottom of the capstone and just use topsoil on top of that. Are these Keystone blocks or a similar product with a fiberglass pin locking the blocks together, or do the blocks have "tails"? At thirty eight inches high, you may want to consider adding a layer of geogrid to be on the safe side, but check the manufacturer's design charts.