Building an Easy and Inexpensive Retaining Wall 

You did a fantastic job with an affordable cost. As you have inspired others, you have inspired me to do the same. People like you deserve a big round of applause. Thank you.

You might not be a pro but did an outstanding job. It was a great how-to video.

I've been wanting to comment on your video for the past year. Now is the most appropriate time. Its the best design I've seen. And the most professional. You're too modest on its simplicity, technical application, and sophistication without taking credit where its rightfully due. It's the best non-bearing aesthetically-pleasing wall on You Tube. I will use your design for my current retaining wall project. I've scrapped my own design for yours since its beautiful and simple yet cost-effective. Thank you for sharing your ingenuity and talents with the world.

I have a retaining wall built with ground contact 2x12 that is 18 years old. No sign of rot anywhere. We put gravel behind the wall when we built it, and drilled some weep holes in the bottom. I expect to get another 10 years, or longer out of it. Seems the key is drainage. Good job.

UPDATE: Check out these follow up videos! Same Wall One Year Later: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fQRKOCXHhOw.html Staining the Wall After 2 Years: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HuKiNkg2Uzo.html Here are some Amazon Affilliate links you can use to purchase materials shown in this video. Premium Deck Screws - amzn.to/2LI9xLO Dewalt Impact Driver - amzn.to/2FY2xX9 Ridgid Impact Driver - amzn.to/2S5oeJV Makita Impact Driver - amzn.to/2xD1xn4 Kapro 4ft Level - amzn.to/2Xzhuow Kapro Speed/Torpedo Level - amzn.to/2XyO6nw

I'm going to attempt to do this on a smaller scale. I've never done anything like this before, though. Wish me luck!

Fabulous idea and low cost. Great job too. I might even copy what you did on the one I'm building. The only improvements you could do is you can spread roofing tar on the back and bottoms of the wood and stain the front too if u want. I do that on the part of fenceposts in the ground. They last forever that way.

I'm thinking of doing something similar but likely heavier lumber in my application. Looks good. I'm now just currently browsing around to see what other folks have done.

Superb craftsmanship, thank you for sharing!

This was extremely helpful for this diy mom! Thank you!! Doing this to retain my gravel patio

Once again, I really appreciate your explanation. As a very "rough" weekend carpenter/landscaper, I needed good visuals and a breakdown of each step which was provided in "laymans" terms. Maybe a reminder that a fence post hole digger will save on time and your back? Once last question, if my wall is 20 feet long, and I have 2 posts (2x6 and 2 x8 together) at each end, do I only have to bury the posts on each end of the 10 foot (2 x10x10) which means a total of 3 buried -16 inches deep for the 2 x 10's as well as support boards on the outside, or do I need additional holes for support? Thanks, Unclebuck

I hear ya when it comes to cost of materials with a limited budget. I'm also doing something very similar to your project. Using 2x8x8 for both support and wall. Only difference, as you've mentioned you didn't do, is that I'll be using some bags of quickrete that I have in the shed. Sort of a switch-a-roo with your gravel, I have lots of concrete, just no gravel. Also considering purchasing perforated landscaping drain pipes, just not sure if I need them for a wall that's about 1.5 feet high. Overall, I have to say it looks great and you did a great job putting it together.

Amazing!!!! This is what I had in mind for my small retaining wall/planter box. My backyard is build in a weird way and it came with the house in that manner too. I want to make minor changes and this works super well.

how's it holding up now?

Can I get a pic of that retainer wall you did in 2017 or 18. You used cheap products like to see condition now

I like it...it gives me a good idea....Thanks!

Bro this was great

looks great, will put this on our to-do-list. Great job and video

I know this is a very late comment/question, but I'm just this year (2024) needing to find out about possible remedies for a rotting, crumbling landscape timber retaining wall with a relatively low height (varies from about 1 to 2.5 ft tall). You mentioned in the video that yours is "not a load bearing" retaining wall. Do you mean that the wall is not holding back the dirt in the bed from falling or washing down with rain showers? I usually hear the term "load bearing" to mean supporting a vertical load, not a lateral load. This is confusing to me. So I always thought all retaining walls were there to counteract the tendency of soil to wash or erode to lower levels over time. Anyway, the wall I have is rotting away and I have noticed some metal "straps" coming out of the dirt wall where some of the timbers have fallen away. I'm guessing that they were originally placed there to help hold the timbers in place when the soil put pressure on the wall as it settled. In other words, to keep the wall from falling over. I didn't hear you mention any steps you took to prevent the new wall from leaning over due to pressure from the soil it was retaining. That makes me wonder how does one know when or if features need to be designed into the retaining wall to address the leaning of the wall due to soil force. Any light you or anyone else could shed on this issue is much appreciated.

I know this is an old video, but curious if the gravel has held up the boards in the ground? I have a very similar height I need to build and wondering if I should use some mixed concrete in the holes. Curious if the wall has started to lean at all with gravel holding those? Great video! Appreciate it, I will be using the same setup

It's a how to video as far as I'm concerned. Because I'm going to build one just like it. Thanks for sharing. Looks great.

You are a life saver !!! As a single woman with a huge back yard and not a lot of money. I’m going to follow along making a few adjusts; like preserving the wood with “forever” wood. You mentioned 30 yrs, but you give it 10 and I agree, I’m thinking maybe the forever wood paint would extend the longevity. Will send you a pic in the fall!

What a magnificent job you did, man! Yo top it off, I had no idea there was ground contact lumber. I only knew of "pressure treated wood". Thanks again. You got a like and a new subscriber

I consider myself a seasoned DIYer and I found your video to be extremely helpful. I just build a gravel pad for a shed that will be on a slope and I could not wrap my head around what's the best way to reduce soil erosion. Thank you for this video!

What is the spacing between the 2by supports?

I highly disagree with putting fabric. That has proven disaster, long term. Many videos proving so. Good video over all though

Amazing job! Well done! I am going to do it the same way next spring. How much did you pay for all the material in total? What is the total length of the wall? I want to build a wall about 10 meters long... Thank you!

Good job, mate. You know someone is eventually going to ask you for the how-to step-by-step. That's me! I gotta know.

Great work. Very beautiful. I'm worried about the treated wood leaching chemicals into the soil, though.

doing my retaining wall now, making it like yours. i think yours ls better, and is cheaper than using the 6 x 6 beams. i think yours is awesome.

Just curious why most of these walls have the posts on the outside and not inside? Is it for support reasons, looks or what? Looks great!

I'll be building a little wall based off your video, much appreciated!

You build an earth retaining wall with bare wood and how long do you expect it to last when the wood soaks up all the rain. I stained mine (two coats) and it'll outlast me.

I agree with Jr., you might not be a pro but it was extremely informative. Also, I could follow everything that you did. I can't wait to do mine. Thank you for the video. Thumbs up!

Did you attach the top boards first and then add down to the ground? Or start from the ground up?

I think you did a good job. I have a slightly taller area to do. 6x6's aren't cheap. Well, not as cheap as me anyway! I might use a variation of your idea. 6x6 posts with 2x8, or 2x10, in between. Fasten a "Deadman" here and there. I like the deck board on top.

You mentioned the posts are down 16" that's not a lot but still quite deep, how did you dig those holes

really nice job, thanks

Looks great, thanks for posting. How far apart are the posts? Planning to try this method for 40" long, 2" high straight wall.

This looks good i like that idea thanks for sharing

Hey question. if instead of fixed soil that's being retained, do you suppose a free standing (rooted like yours of course) can support just gravel ? Essentially building gravel a car pad , with the walls (retainers) built like yours?.. thoughts?.. size would be prolly 12-15 ft long and possibly 7-8 ft wide.. 🤷🏻‍♂️.. what cha think?.. possible? Or will the weight of the gravel and the car blow out the sides?

Hmmmm.. I like this! I'm prepping now for railroad ties. I think I'll do this instead.

Great job looks good. What was the overall length and cost?

How deep are the holes that support the posts?

16” into the ground (w/o concrete). Is that enough?

Looks great brother, good to the point video.

2022, not so inexpensive today

Perfect video I have a similar project thanks for taking the time to make the video.

Great video, just wish would've shown how u put the wood in the ground etc for the 1st ones

What was the cost of the new while you put in

hi, that's great. I havent seen how did u fill the holes with drainage material? What did u use below soil level?

How is it holding up with Winter’s?

I need to do a 2x6 wall for playground area, do you have any idea about the stakes i would need ? I'm thinking 2x2'' stakes in corners and 2x4'' stakes in the middle of each edges. What do you think?

This is exactly what I was looking for!

ich finde das aber gar nicht gut... nein

I bought a house that has tie rods that are old now. Wood Attracts termites when it gets old.

Beats a 5k retainer wall

Top job mate

Great job look goods keep up the good video , and info

Nice job✋🏼😎👍

looks pretty good to me!

doing this around a pool what was your distance between posts

Could you place more posts in between than what you have[I'm overly cautious]? Or too much? Main question, can you have too many posys? Thank you!

Was t hu inking of using block but this may have changed my mind. Would nails work instead of screws...or is one better than another?

Stop saying go ahead and criticize , it came out excellent. It doesn't matter if your not a so call professional. Why make a video and worry what people say .. Just keep making them .. thanks

How is it still standing at current stage? Does it wobble since you only used gravel? I’ve seen people used cement for each post. Great job I want to do something similar. Let me know about the post thanks!

You don't have deadmen to prevent the wall from falling or tilting outward. It's been two years. How is the wall holding up?

Thank you for this video! It was short, sweet, and to the point. I appreciate how you disclosed what a contractor would do vs. what you did, discussed the differences between the two, and explained why. This was a great video!

Love the wall - how did you connect the 2x6 to the 2x4 you cut at a 70 degree angle??? Thanks

good morning did you put plastic on the wood?

Nice job!

Looks good brother

GO DAWGS!

Why remove the old timber, rather than just building the new wall in front of the old timber?

Just by the way, that fabric is going to make that wall fail, the dirt packs up against it and water can’t seep out there for the pressure builds and wall explodes

Where’s the drainage pipes or at least stagger the boards that way the slope stays in tact instead of trying to build a dam...looks good but not to pratical..skim all that top layer of dirt and replace it with one big flower pot

Thank you for posting your video. I did not see drain Pipe in your video. Did you use it behind the wall?

Ha, this didn't age well with wood about 300% higher than usual.

Great job!

Did you use concrete to set the posts?

Thanks a lot for this overview! Would you change anything in sandy soil? Maybe a concrete base for each board that goes into the ground?

Looks nice.

That is a great job I am gonna do that instead of using the blocks. Did you put concrete in the ground to hold the post or dirt and gravel. Amazing wall thank you.

How did you get the framing wood 16" into the ground?

Nice job. Was looking for something just like this. Thanks

Best thing to use to avoid rot is rock gabion walls.

Why not use stone????? Wood isn't going last very long

So it’s cheaper than using bricks 🧱?

You have snow in your area? Thinking about your design, but four feet of snow on top might be too much for it.

Nice job.

How deep are the 2×4 and 2×6 you said about 3 feet above, but how deep did you put them

Bonfire and beerfest.

Shouldn’t have rotted that fast. I have some of those in my garden and they are over 20 years old. Makes me wonder if there was something wrong with the wood(not treated properly) or maybe it’s the area. I live in a warm area.

Do you not need a drainage pipe behind the wall?

I noticed you attached the boards to the posts with screws from the front. What are the pros/cons of doing it this way versus screwing them from the backside?

Looks great..don’t sell yourself short!

Please could you tell me did you gravel as deep as the post / wood you put in the ground ? Also was it just gravel you used to hold the posts ? Thank you stay safe london uk

Looks good

Very nice. Gave me good idea how to plan mine. Thanks.

Great Job. Planning similar retaining wall. How long was the screw drilled to the 2x4 and 2x10? and Did you also screw the two 2x10 which is stacked vertically?