Interlocking retaining wall blocks are good for building a solid wall without mortar.
The flanges angle the wall back into the slope for additional strength.
Save the topsoil and use any extra as fill elsewhere in your landscape.
Expect to spend 10 to 20 hours laying a 3x16-foot wall.
You’ll need tofeel comfortable digging, designing a layout, leveling, and laying brick.
Before you begin, call your local hotline to mark any underground utilities.
Put stones on the top to hold the fabric in place.
Overlap the fabric edges by 6 inches.
Tamp 3 to 4 inches of gravel into the trench and back to the bottom of the excavation.
The first course blocks are set backward for many styles.
Set each interlocking retaining wall block with a rubber mallet.
confirm each block is level front to back and with the adjoining blocks.
Use a4-foot levelto checkshorter levels are not long enough to ensure accuracy.
Precast block is trimmed the same way other masonry materials are trimmed.
Repeated blows will split the block.
Hollow-core blocks don’t break cleanly.
Buy half and smaller blocks to fit where you need them, or cut them with a masonry blade.
As you work, check the blocks for level.
Shim the low end of a block with a small piece of cedar shingle.
Some blocks have pin-lock systems (see illustration, above).
One of the most common employs vertical and horizontal pins.
Blocks fit over the vertical pins as you lay them.
After laying each course, horizontal pins lock the blocks laterally.
Lay in a perforated plastic drainpipe on the gravel (holes down).
Let the pipe reach beyond the edge of the wall, or run it into aFrench drain.
Cut half blocks and alternate them with whole blocks as shown, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Chisel off the lip of the block if it gets in the way.
As you place the block, strengthen the bond with a bead of construction adhesive.
Tamp the soil lightly with a garden rake and replace the sod.
Prepare the next-to-last course by applying a bead of construction adhesive on the surface of each block.
Tamp the soil and replace the sod.
Water the sod frequently until it is well established.
you might install a pergola to add shade to your seating area in a weekend withthis DIY project.
For a larger outdoor space, agazebomakes a pretty destination spot for quiet relaxation.
Designate a garden spot for growing vegetables with adecorative fencesurrounding raised beds or in-ground plantings.
Credit:Erin Kunkel
