We always use crushed gravel for the first course. Hit it with the vibe plate until it's nice and firm like concrete and level which is always important. Once you get that first course in its easy street until you get to that cap course. Straighter the better but everyone loves a nice radius these days. Nice work as always.
I just finished building my first retaining wall. It’s 130ft long and I did 95% by myself. Rented a dingo for 1 day, and hand shoveled the rest. I estimate hand shoveling approximately 50 tons of material since the start of the project. The wall turned out nice, straight, and level, but I’m definitely getting a leveling laser or zip level for the next one I do to speed up the process, and the next one I do won’t be by myself. 😮💨😮💨😮💨
@@thy6889 yeah, that’s the low estimate. I know this because I ordered a total of 22 tons of base, drainage, and decorative landscape rock, and I know I hand shoveled an additional amount that was at bare minimum equal to the amount of material that I ordered. 😉
I did a nice retaining wall last season with a 6” base i always stick with 6”. But i learned afterwards that its smart to run square flagstone as your first row to avoid tipping or dipping. Ill never build another wall without that step.
Every retaining wall needs minimum 4” of crushed stone. Taller walls 6-8” if you’re going over 4 feet. Not to mention you should have an entire course buried under the grade of the soil.
Quick small tip to knocking off the lock lip on base blocks... I use a hammer and chisel to laterally knock the lip off. Makes for nice clean removal. I also use crushed limestone for my base and plate or hand compact.
I work landscaping and we are currently do a huge retaining wall 2 teir som 3 high we dug it down pretty good then used crusher run and sand and put stone behind the wall covered it and put dirt behind the wall the fancy stone and caps on the wall
sometimes if your lucky youll get dirt that has properties just like road base and you wont need to buy it. You will know it by not being able to dig it by hand even after soaking, its hard as stone and has variable size rocks. use a jackhammer to dig it, spray it with water; then plate compact it level.
have a 3-foot high area where I want to build a retaining wall right behind a poured slab room can I use garden block 6 inches high by 12 inches by 12 inch
Around 5:50 wouldn't it be more convenient to just dig out a tiny bit for that lip to lay so the bottom layer blocks are still level? Or couldn't you even just buy blocks for the bottom layer without those lips?
At 4:56, why take that lip off, from the first row to keep it level, when the lip can be inserted in the ground and and still keep it level with the lip gripping at the ground as the lip is meant to do????
We are doing a walkway around the house and the slope is so odd and I'm such an amateur im having so much trouble with the ground and where all I should dig out. I wish I could send someone photos to I've an understanding and get some suggestions
I'm having trouble navigating if I should use road base or some other small aggregate with fines as you did or use 3/4" crushed rock like the sand and gravel company suggested. They said the small gravel with fines won't drain like the 3/4" crushed. Any suggestions? The wall will be 3ft tall. Thanks in advance!
I used the 3/4 at the back 1/3 up and topped it up to finish with road base and a layer of top soil. 15yrs on and still bloody awesome. I was looking 4 a cure for my sick orchid and ytube has led me down this rabbit hole haha. Nice to meet you, cheers from this aussie chick, and good luck with your 'Great Wall'
6:02 you mention knocking out those lips help keep that angle against the wall versus it being straight, but when we build the wall, the blocks are angling back towards the wall regardless, not straight up, so this part confuses me with the whole "structural integrity" .. seems like you are weakening the blocks and decreasing the overall structural integrity by knocking out those bottom lips as opposed to just digging a little where the lips will sit in the ground.. or am I missing something?
Digging out tiny holes for that will mess up the prep and will be hard to compact that dug out section. The blocks don’t angle back their just set back. That lip catches the back of the block below it
Videos like this make homeowners think they can do stuff themselves and take business away from companies. Only to cost them twice as much later when not only do we have to install a retaining wall but we have to scrap everything they just did.
Can confirm title. I asked a landscaper about retaining walls and he instantly started running away and said, “you’ll never get me lucky charms.” Thank you for bringing this information to the public!
I wonder how many of Stanley Genadek's "dirt monkey' videos you watched to better understand retaining walls. If not him who did you learn retaining walls systems from?
It’s Crazy because I’ve learned a ton from Stanley also. He’s Very good at explaining to a novice the technical stuff and makes it’s very understandable!! “THANKS STANLEY”
Very enthusiastic, however not very helpful overall. Show some science and techniques vs lots and lots of talking. Also helps to exactly what you are talking about be on-screen.
