A. Yes! Just as you wouldn't build a house without a foundation or leveling pad, the base and the buried portion of the blocks is crucial to the integrity of your retaining wall. The base provides a level of support for your wall and the buried portion of the base course prevents the wall from moving, all of which are crucial to the longevity of your wall.
A. One of the key factors to building a long-lasting retainging wall is leveling. More than just making your wall appealing to the eye, levelling maintains the batter (angle of the wall) which provides strength and prevents that wall from tipping forward. Levelling is not as difficult as you may think. If you start with a level base and continue levelling each course as it is installed, building your retaining wall will be much easier. If the wall is left uneven at the base, the error will grow dramatically with each course that is added. It is much easier to make the correction early on, than to try and correct it later.
A. To properly level your wall you will need a carpenter's level. Lay the level across your base and check for level both front and back (to keep your retaining wall from tipping backward or forward) and side to side (to make sure your wall is not going uphill or downhill). Start by levelling your base and continue levelling as you lay each course of block. If you find an area that is not level, be sure to correct it before adding additional courses.
A. Water is one of the greatest forces your retaining wall will face. Protect yourself from future disappointments of wall failure by installing your wall properly the first time, which means including the drainage aggregate behind your wall. All retaining walls will encounter the force of water at some point, whether it is from heavy rains or some other unforeseen event. Adding proper drainage will prevent water pressure from building up behind the wall and forcing it to collapse. In addition to building your own wall properly, remember to keep gutter downspouts pointed away from your retaining walls. Retaining walls and water pressure don't mix.
By following these key steps, you can build a retaining wall with confidence.
Once it's built, you'll enjoy your new landscape for many years to come.
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