Retaining Wall

How to Build a Retaining Wall

The simplest, cheapest, back-friendliest retaining wall in history

Next Project›

Instead of using stone or timbers, make an attractive, long-lasting retaining wall from pressure-treated 2x4s, plywood
and trim boards. Construction is fast and simple, and the materials are much lighter to work with.

Find a buddy

You’ll need to find a guy like my friend Brad to help. He doesn’t need tons of carpentry savvy, just the willingness to
work for doughnuts, pizza and beer.

I needed a retaining wall. But I didn’t want to abuse my back by schlepping around landscape blocks. Plus, I didn’t want
to bust the bank buying good-looking blocks. So after accessing my internal carpentry database, I came up with a
solution: a wood foundation built as a retaining wall. I’ve built dozens of wood foundations (yes, made from treated
wood for real basements under new homes), so this was a no-brainer—super easy, attractive and cheap.
This 32-in.-high, 32-ft.-long wall was built in one fairly laid-back day by me, Brad and another friend of mine named Bob
Cat (meet him in Photo 7). The materials cost $500, plus another $500 for Bob and his operator, who supplied gravel and
some extra topsoil for fill.

Having Bob involved meant there was very little shovel work. And Brad appreciated having Bob there almost as much as
I did.

The skeleton of the wall is a treated wood, 2×4 stud wall clad on both sides with 1/2-in. treated plywood. It’s held in
place with 2×4 “dead men” assemblies buried in the backfill. The dead men are 2×4 struts bolted to the wall studs and
anchored to a perpendicular 2×4 sleeper (see Figure A). The weight of the soil on the dead men anchors the wall against
the backfill pressure. It’s important to locate the bottom of the wall below grade a few inches so the earth in front of the
wall will anchor the base in place.

Get the right stuff

Ordinary treated wood will last a good long time depending on soil conditions, although wet sites with clay will shorten
the wall’s life somewhat. I used ordinary treated wood from the home center, and I figure the wall will last at least 20
years. To build a wall that’ll last forever, use foundation-grade treated wood, the material used for basements. It’s
usually Southern yellow pine, a very strong softwood that accepts treatment better than most, and contains a higher
concentration of preservatives. You may find it at lumberyards where contractors shop. Or you can special-order it from
any home center or lumberyard, although you’ll pay a premium.

Choose nails rated for treated wood: 16d for the framing and 8d for the sheathing. Use 3-in. construction screws for
standoffs and dead men connections—again, ones that are rated for treated wood. You’ll also need a box each of 2- and
3-in. deck screws for the trim boards.

Figure A: Wall Anatomy

No matter how large your wall is, it should have these basic elements.

Cross section

Prepping the site

I had a gentle slope to retain, not a huge hill. This 32-in.-high wall is designed to hold back a gentle slope and is good for
walls up to 40 in. For walls 40 to 48 in, place the studs on 12-in. centers and keep the rest of the wall the same. Don’t
build the wall more than 48 in. high—a taller wall requires special engineering.

Do the digging with a shovel if you wish. The trick is to dig halfway into the hill and throw the soil on top of the hill. That
way you’ll have enough fill left for behind the wall. The downside is that if you hand-dig, you’ll also need to dig channels
for the 2×4 struts and sleepers (see Photo 5).

It’s much easier to hire a skid steer (Bob) and his operator to dig into the hill and then cut down a foot or so behind the
wall to create a shelf for resting the dead men. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars for skid steer services. The operator
can also scoop out the 12-in.-wide by 10-in.-deep trench for the gravel footing, and deliver and dump a 6-in. layer of
gravel into the footing. Then you’ll only need to do a bit of raking to level off the trench. A yard of gravel will take care of
50 linear feet of wall. If you have extra gravel, use it for backfill against the back of the wall for drainage. Have Bob and
his operator return to fill against the back side of the wall and do some final grading.

Get the footings ready

Photo 1: Level the gravel base

Lay the 2×6 footing plates on edge and use a 4-ft. level to level the gravel. Pack the gravel with the footing plate to drive
it down until it’s flat and level.

Fill the trench with gravel. Any type will do, but pea gravel is the easiest to work with. Roughly rake it level, then tip one
of the footing plates on edge and rest a level on top to grade the footing (Photo 1). Use the plate as a screed, as if you’re
leveling in concrete, and you’ll get it really close, really fast. Try to get it within 1/4 in. or so of level. Offset any footing
plate joints at least 2 ft. to either side of wall joints. To drive down the plate until it’s level, stand on it as you pound it
into the gravel with another board, occasionally checking it with a level. If you can’t drive the board down to achieve
level, scoop out shallow trenches on either side of the footing plate with your hand. Then there will be a place for gravel
to flow as you drive down the plate.

Frame and set the walls

Photo 2: Frame and set the walls

Frame the walls and stand them on top of the footing plates. Snap a chalk line on the footing plate 1 in. from the edge
and then screw the bottom plates to the footing plate even with the line.

Frame the walls in your driveway or on the garage floor. The walls are very light, so you can carry them a long way if you
need to. Build them in sections, whatever length you like, and screw the end studs together at the site. Leave off the
sheathing for now. Snap a chalk line 1 in. in from the outside of the footing plate to align the walls (Photo 2). Place them,
screw the joining studs together with four 3-in. construction screws and screw the wall plates to the footing plates in
every other stud space with 3-in. construction screws.

Plumb, straighten and brace the walls from the front side and then add the tie plate. Make sure to seam the tie plate
joints at least 4 ft. away from the wall joints.

Sheathe and waterproof the walls

Photo 3: Brace and sheathe the wall

Plumb and brace the wall, then screw down the tie plate. Dry-fit the plywood to the back of the framing and mark the
strut holes and cut out the holes. Then nail the plywood to the studs.
Photo 4: Waterproof the walls

Clad the back of the wall with ice-and-water barrier and cut out the strut holes with a utility knife.

Set the plywood panels in place one at a time. Draw and cut 1-5/8-in. x 3-5/8-in. openings spaced 6 in. down from the
underside of the top plate and directly next to every other stud. Nail each panel into place with 8d nails spaced every 8
in. before moving on to the next one. Cover the outside with ice-and-water barrier (Photo 4). The adhesive won’t hold
the barrier in place, so staple it as needed. Cut off the excess at the top and cut out the strut openings with a utility
knife.

Add the struts and sleepers

Photo 5: Assemble the dead men

Poke the struts through the holes and screw them to each stud. Roughly prop up the struts and secure a continuous 2×4
sleeper to the end of each one with two 3-in. screws.

Slip the struts through each hole. Prop them up so they’re close to level, either by piling up dirt or supporting them on
chunks of scrap wood. Screw each one to a stud with three 3-in. construction screws. (Predrill the holes to prevent
splitting since it’s so near the end.) Screw the sleeper to the other end of each strut with two more screws.

Skin and finish the front

Photo 6: Add the trim

Nail vertically oriented plywood to the top and bottom plates and to the front of the wall. Make sure to seam plywood
over studs. Screw a 2×8 top cap to the top plate, hanging it over the front of the wall 1-1/2 in. Fasten vertical 1x6s to the
sheathing with 1-1/2-in. spaces between boards.

Before you can finish the front of the wall and backfill behind it, you’ll have to remove the front braces. So prop up the
dead men to keep the wall near plumb while you finish the front. Cut the plywood and nail it on, orienting it vertically to
the front so the exposed grain will match the 1×6 boards applied over them. Add the 2×8 cap, keeping a 1-1/2-in.
overhang at the front. Screw it to the tie plate with 3-in. deck screws. Screw the 1×6 treated boards to the sheathing
with 2-in. deck screws. We spaced our boards every 1-1/2 in. using a scrap 2×4 as a spacer. Don’t trust the spacer for
more than a few boards at a time. Occasionally check a board with a level and make any necessary adjustments.

Backfill and finish

Photo 7: Time to backfill

Plumb and brace the wall from the back. Backfill, starting at the sleeper, to anchor the wall into place as you continue
filling the space behind the wall.

Plumb and brace the wall from the back by nailing braces to the top cap and staking them on the hill. Prop up every
other strut and the sleepers with scraps of wood or the fill falling on the struts and sleepers will force the wall out of
plumb. Backfill first against the front of the wall over the footing to lock the wall base into place, then fill behind it. Then
fill over the sleeper, working your way toward the wall itself. The object is to lock in the sleeper before the fill pushes
against the wall. Once the backfill is in place, it’s a good idea to run a sprinkler over the fill for several hours to make it
settle before you remove the braces.

If you like the look of your wall, you’re good to go—no finish required. The treated wood will weather from green to
gray in a year or two. We applied two coats of exterior butternut color stain to ours.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

Air compressor

Air hose

Chalk line

Circular saw

Cordless drill

Hammer

Hearing protection

Jigsaw

Level

Miter saw

Safety glasses

Spade

Stapler

Utility knife

For large walls you’ll need to rent a bobcat

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list.

(For a 32-ft. wall)

1 50' roll of 4" drain tile

1 Roll of ice-and-water barrier

16d galvanized framing nails

2 – 2 x 6 x 16' treated (footing plates)

2 – 2 x 8 x 16' treated (top cap)

2" deck screws

20 – 1 x 6 x 8' treated (trim boards)

20 – 2 x 4 x 8' treated (studs and struts)

3" deck screws

8 – 1 x 4 x 8' (braces)

8 – 2 x 4 x 16' treated (sleeper and wall plates)

8 – 4 x 8 x 1/2" treated plywood (sheathing)

8d galvanized framing nails

Drain tile

Exterior stain

Gravel

Ice and water barrier

Topsoil
 Varies

How soil ‘pushes’ (and how to build a retaining wall that pushes back)
When you contemplate how to build a retaining wall a retain wall design, you may imagine how firm and solid it’ll appear from the
front, or how great the new garden will look above it. But unless you give serious thought to what goes on behind and below the wall,
it may not look good for long. A poorly built wall can lean, separate, even topple—and it’s out there in plain sight where all your
neighbors can point and snicker. You don’t want that!

Lots of people think a retaining wall needs to hold back all 6 gazillion tons of soil in the yard behind it. It doesn’t. It only needs to
retain a wedge of soil, or elongated wedge of soil, similar to that shown in Fig. A. In simple terms (our apologies to all you soil
engineers out there): Undisturbed soil—soil that has lain untouched and naturally compacted for thousands of years—has a maximum
slope beyond which it won’t ‘hang together’ on its own. This slope is called the failure plane. If left alone, the soil behind the failure
plane will stay put on its own. But the soil in front of the failure plane—the natural soil or the fill you’re going to add—wants to slide
down the failure plane.

Gravity, along with the slope, directs most of the weight and pressure of the fill toward the lower part of the retaining wall. Since soil
weighs a beefy 100-plus lbs. per cu. ft., you need some pretty heavy material—large retaining wall blocks, boulders, timbers or poured
concrete—to counteract the pressure. Just as important, it needs to be installed the right way. Here are three key principles in building
any solid retaining wall:

 Bury the bottom course, or courses, of the retaining wall one tenth the height of the wall to prevent the soil behind from pushing the
bottom out (Fig. B).
 Step back the blocks, rocks or timbers to get gravity working in your favor (Fig. B). This lets the walls lean and push against the fill.
Walls built perfectly vertical (Fig. C) get gravity working against them the second they start leaning outward even just a bit. Most
concrete retaining wall block systems have some kind of built-in lip (Fig. D) or pin system (Fig. F) that automatically creates the step
back as you build.
 Install a base of solidly compacted material (Fig. B) so your wall stays flat. A level wall provides modular blocks, stone and timbers
with more surface contact with the courses above and below them. They fit together more tightly. The more contact, the more friction
and the stronger the wall. Apply these three rules, and you’ll create a strong wall. But even a well built wall won’t survive unless you
take care of two troublemakers: water and uncompacted soil.

Figure A: What a retaining wall retains

A retaining wall needs to retain all the material that fills the space between itself and the failure plane—the steepest angle at which
existing soil can hold itself together before caving in.
Uncontrolled water weakens walls
Water can weaken retaining walls by washing out the base material that supports the wall (Fig. E). But far more frequently, it causes
problems by building up behind the wall, saturating the soil and applying incredible pressure. That’s when walls start leaning, bulging
and toppling. Well built walls are constructed and graded to prevent water from getting behind the wall and to provide a speedy exit
route for water that inevitably weasels its way in.

Take a look at the well-drained wall in Fig. D. The sod and topsoil are almost even with the top block, so surface water flows over the
top rather than puddling behind. Just below that is 8 to 12 in. of packed impervious soil to help prevent water from seeping behind the
wall. The gravel below that soil gives water that does enter a fast route to the drain tile. And the perforated drain tile collects the water
and directs it away from the base of the wall, escorting it out through its open ends. There’s nothing to prevent water from seeping out
between the faces of the blocks, either; that helps with the drainage too. The wall even has porous filter fabric to prevent soil from
clogging up the gravel. What you’re looking at is a well-drained wall that will last a long time.

Now look at the poorly drained wall in Fig. E. There’s a dip in the lawn that collects water near the top of the wall. There’s no
impervious soil, so the water heads south, slowly waterlogging and increasing the weight of the soil packed behind the wall. The
homeowner put plastic against the back of the wall to prevent soil from oozing out between the cracks—but it’s also holding water in.
Yikes! There’s no drain tile at the bottom—the trapped water can soak, soften and erode the base material. Not only that, an excavated
trench that extends below the base lets water soak into the base material and weaken it. You’ve got a retaining wall that has to hold
back tons and tons of water and saturated soil—and when that water freezes and expands in the winter, matters get even worse.

Figure B: A Well-Built Wall

A strong retaining wall design features well-compacted base material, compacted material in front of the wall to prevent kick-out, and
stepped-back materials.
Figure C: A Poorly Built Wall

A wall that has an uneven base, no compacted material in front of it and no step-back to the materials will eventually fail.

Poor compaction adds pressure to walls

Even if you have only a small wedge of soil to retain like that shown in Fig. A, compaction is important. If your failure plane is farther
back so your wall needs to retain more fill, weight and pressure, then compaction and a reinforcing grid become critical. These two
things help increase internal friction and direct the pressure of the fill you add downward (Fig. F), rather than at an angle pushing
against the wall. Good compaction doesn’t mean dumping a couple of feet of fill behind the wall, then jumping up and down on it in
your work boots.

Nope, good compaction means adding 3 or 4 in. of material, compacting it with a heavy, noisy vibrating plate tamper from your
friendly neighborhood rental yard, then repeating these steps over and over. Your landscape supplier or block manufacturer (if you’re
using modular blocks) can tell you whether you need to install reinforcing grid, and at what intervals. The taller the wall, the more
likely you’ll need reinforcing grid.
When building a retaining wall, never backfill with, or compact, topsoil; it will break down and settle, creating a water-welcoming
trench behind your wall. Use sandy or gravelly materials, which compact much better. And always make certain you don’t become
overzealous and compact your wall outward.

Figure D: A Well-Drained Wall, and Figure E: A Poorly Drained Wall

From top to bottom, a well-built wall either prevents water from getting behind the wall or ushers it away quickly when it does.

Water trapped behind a wall pushes against it and increases the weight of the soil, which also pushes against it.

Timber walls, tall walls, building codes and other stuff

By themselves, landscape timbers and a railroad tie retaining wall lack the weight to hold back soil. To make these walls strong, you
need to add “deadmen,” anchors that lock the wall into the soil behind them (Fig. G). The same pressure that’s pushing against the
wall pushes down on the deadmen to keep them (and therefore the wall) in place. The principles of stepping back, installing good
drainage and compacting also apply to timber walls.

Walls of any material that are taller than 4 ft. play by the same rules—it’s just that the wedge of soil is too big and heavy to be held in
place by the weight of the materials alone. Some communities now require building permits and construction details for walls
exceeding 4 ft. in height. We think that’s a good idea too. Many modular block manufacturers can supply printed sheets of structural
information.

For tall slopes, a series of tiered walls is a good substitute for a single tall wall. But an upper tier can apply pressure to a lower tier
unless it’s spaced the proper distance—you know, behind the failure plane. The rule of thumb is to set back the upper wall twice the
height of the lower wall.

Figure F: Compaction and Reinforcement

Compacting backfill in 3- to 4-in. layers and installing a reinforcement grid directs pressure downward, rather than against the wall.
 Figure G: Deadman not Walking

A “deadman” helps anchor a timber wall in place when building a retaining wall. The same pressure that’s pushing against the wall is
pushing and holding the deadman—and therefore the wall—in place.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY how to build a retaining wall project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

 Hammer
 Level
 Rubber mallet
 Spade
 Tape measure
 Utility knife

Compactor, If you build a timber wall, you’ll need a circular saw to cut the timbers to length.

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time for this how to build a retaining wall project. Here’s
a list.

 Drainage tile
 Gravel
 Impervious soil
 Landscape fabric
 Masonry block system
 Reinforced grid material