With Bryan's engineering and building skills and family as crew, I would have no worries about structural safety of any of your builds! Can't wait to see the pine trees and more wildflowers and plants in place. Your shed will be a game changer for your projects. Awesome job!
Hi Amy and Bryan, Thanks for the update. I remember following along when all that work was being done. It has paid off with great looking landscaping. The shed will look nice once the roofing is installed. Both of you stay safe.
an idea for you, we have a 38 foot retaining wall at the base we added a border of granite ruff cut bricks and in that we added tons of white quarte, then potted multiple ever green plants and flowers... we were going to use crushed slate in the middle but the wife wanted crushed quarte looks good against the dark oak sleepers and the granite bricks.
@@ColoradoMountainLiving we placed a 1m wide weed barrier down right size for what we needed, place a few marble and other stone statues along it to give it some perspective works well, only issue we have is deer walking along at night knocking them over so we blocked each end off with a tree stump, i did have two large geode formations with lights at the bottom lit it up really good like a fairy door way until the deer broke them... now they just crushed up and added to the indoor planters
Beautiful job. Since your home is close to a wall, id say you did it correctly. If the wall was 50 feet away, I think the outside post would be sufficient. Plus, you mentioned problems cutting. Chainsaw or sawsall will work well . Not sure why your dulling blades. Unless the wood is petrified.????
What are your wildfire mitigation plans? Your trees look pretty far away from your structure, but you mentioned planting new trees. The grasses and weeds left to grow “armpit tall” are a huge issue too. Please consult the experts!
So funny that folks think hand built rock walls wont last! We have thousands of miles of them here in Vermont that have been here for 200 - 300 years!!!
Are you not concerned about how the planting of trees near the wall ,what damage the root system could do? I’ve had roots destroy a concrete slab that the trees looked to be far enough away.
Your stacked rock walls are better the way you built them. The holes allow water and loose “ soil” to come out so there is no back pressure on the wall. Concrete mortar would end that drainage and eventually lead to cracking and leaning.
Railroad ties have been used the past few decades as a cheap solution for retaining walls in residential homes and commercial properties. What homeowners don't realize, is that these cross ties are not only harmful to the environment, but they pose a huge health threat! Ensure they've been responsibly sourced and properly treated for residential use, particularly if you're planning to use them in a vegetable garden or close to water sources. The risk of using railroad ties, treated with creosote, a known carcinogen, primarily comes from direct contact, inhalation, or ingestion. Here are the precautions that should be used when handling railroad ties: Handling: When handling creosote treated wood, wear gloves and long sleeves and try to minimize time spent working with ties. Work in well ventilated areas and avoid working in hot conditions when vapors are most potent. Children: If children play on or around the ties they may get creosote on their skin and clothing and could subsequently ingest small amounts. Exposure to skin can cause irritation and rashes. Ingestion in small amounts while not life threatening, is a health concern. Gardens: Plants have shown only limited potential to take up creosote but some compounds have been shown to attach to roots, which could lead to elevated creosote levels on tuber vegetables. For this reason, it is advisable not to landscape with railroad ties directly in contact with vegetable gardens. Water Table: Some components of creosote are very sticky and not water soluble and will stay on the ties; however, other chemicals are water soluble and will dissolve and move with water. In areas where moisture levels are moderate, these chemicals may wash into surrounding soil with rain, but will likely decompose with time. However, in areas where the water table is very shallow or where a lot of surface water is present, there is more potential for transport of the chemicals into groundwater. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid using railroad ties for landscaping in very wet or shallow ground water areas. Disposal and Fire: Creosote treated wood should not be burned, since burning volatilizes hazardous chemicals in the smoke. One currently suggested disposal method for treated wood is in sanitary landfills. However, check with your landfill first to inquire about local policies. Another currently suggested method for disposal is burial. However, if this option is chosen it is critical to consider surface and ground water movement in your location to minimize the possibility of creosote getting into water supplies.
Thanks for the info. They were purchased from a local landscaping company, and our vegetable garden will be inside our raised bed greenhouse we plan to build this summer. Stay tuned!!
Strange, the ties were in place for years under tracks. If we put them in our yard, the whole world is going to die from chemicals. I say paranoid delusional worrying.
Hey Guys I have cut those railroad ties with my chainsaw. Check at the ends to see if there is a piece of metal to keep from checking. Chalk a line and only use the tip of the saw . U tube has videos on freehand milling . Craig Pa Watch every video
If you are going to be planting trees near your retaining walls, you should put them about 4-6 feet away from your walls so that the roots don’t upend your walls.
FREEZE /THAW - Is the Threat to All Retaining Walls, also Posts / Footings Proper Drainage around Footers/ inside Walls is the Solution. Cheers. Also .. 8 +Mil thickness Plastic/Vinyl Lining inside Walls will help Prevent Wood Rotting, whether they’re Treated or not.
RR tie retaining walls are a nightmare here on the east coast. They eventually rot or get eaten. Then you got to replace. Not easy or cheap to dispose of rotted RR ties either.
It looks pretty darned straight for surviving a couple of Colorado winters and summers! You can't overbuild a retaining wall. You might cut in a set of steps in the middle of that back wall to avoid having to go around to the ends all the time. Like Vermont, if you want any level ground in Colorado you have to build it yourself.
I see someone else made a comment about this… You HAVE to watch your fire load around your property! It is now not a defensible place for wild land firefighters. Keep trees, bushes, weeds, sheds, brush, and wooden retaining walls WELL away from your house. As we venture farther into nature, we can’t become complacent with our own safety. You need to be responsible for your own protection. I’m sure you have seen how fast fires in your area can move (especially in hilly terrain). Creosote is VERY combustible, you have literally made a blowtorch aimed right up hill to your house.
@@ColoradoMountainLivingsure, a new chain is like $30. Easy to replace. Just make sure to buy one made in Canada or the US as they last much longer and cut better. You can also buy a sharpener. I haven’t used one so don’t know how well they work.
You should have done a soil nail retaining system with standard bearing plates on the main wall to increase the lateral loads. You could have skipped all the extra rock nonsense. The pressure treated posts look ridiculous. And they will eventually fail. Spend the money to hire an engineer to have the wall designed properly. It would have saved you time and money over the long term. You get what you pay for when you do it yourself. In 10 years it will all have to be redone. Good luck selling the place without engineering certification. A perfect example of what not to do.
