Table of Contents
What is the cheapest way to build a retaining wall?
What Is the Cheapest Type of Retaining Wall? The cheapest type of retaining wall is poured concrete. Prices start at $4.30 per square foot for poured concrete, $5.65 for interlocking concrete block, $6.15 for pressure-treated pine, and about $11 for stone.
How deep should footings be for a concrete block wall?
Normally a foundation wall with seven rows of blocks will be 24 inches wide and 12 inches deep and should have a footing 30 inches below grade. Remember to build a leveled footing where the cinder block will be placed.
How thick should a concrete retaining wall be?
Base width = 1/2 to 1/3 of the height of the wall. Base thickness = 1/8 of the height of the wall but not less than 12 inches. Stem thickness = 6 inches + ¼ inch for each foot of wall height.
Can you use concrete blocks for a retaining wall?
Add style and support to your yard with a concrete retaining wall. You can build one in just six steps. Concrete blocks are ideal for building walls to hold back the soil after you dig into a slope for a pathway, patio, or another landscaping project. Retaining walls must be stronger than freestanding walls.
Do you fill cinder blocks with concrete?
Whenever you are working with cinder block, you can strengthen them significantly by filling them with concrete. Cinder blocks are less expensive to work with than poured concrete in home construction projects, but they are not as strong.
Can you build your own retaining wall?
Choose a DIY-friendly building material. Retaining walls can be made from wood, bricks, natural stones or concrete blocks. For DIYers, it’s best to use concrete retaining wall blocks, which can be interlocking and are heavy enough to stay in place without cement or other adhesive.
How much does a cinder block wall cost?
While some capstones can cost as little as $0.95 apiece, the average cost of a cinder block is $1 to $3 each. The total cost of building a cinder block wall ranges between $9 and $12 per square foot with labor, so an 8 x 15-foot wall would cost between $1,080 and $1,440.
Does a 2 foot retaining wall need drainage?
These walls need a drainage system regardless of the wall height. If there are poor draining soils such as clay behind the wall, there needs to be drainage incorporated the wall system. Clay when wet is very weak, so it is essential to provide a way for water to escape from behind the wall.
Do you need rebar in a block wall?
Wall Size. A freestanding garden wall or block privacy fence will require less reinforcing than a basement or other load-bearing wall in a house or other building. An 8-foot-high wall will obviously require more rebar than a 4-foot wall. Very short walls, under 4 feet and laid with mortar, may not require any rebar.
Does a block wall need a footing?
All concrete block walls—both structural and non-structural—require a solid, poured concrete footing. Standard 8” x 8” x 16” blocks would require a 16” wide footing. Make sure the footing depth extends below the frost line, and check local building codes for construction requirements in your area.
How thick should mortar be between blocks?
Mortar and mortar joints The mortar joints used in concrete block and brick construction are usually 10 mm thick. For AAC block construction, a special type of mortar is used (2-3 mm) and this is a pre-mixed cement-based product with higher quality than normal mortar.
Are poured concrete walls cheaper than block?
Is a poured concrete foundation cheaper than a block wall foundation? Usually, the cost of construction varies from place to place. But as a matter of fact, poured walls cost about 20% less than the block foundation walls.
How do you rebar a concrete wall?
Rebar Placement in Walls Rebar is placed horizontally and vertically in the wall, in a grid pattern. As a minimum, #4 rebar (1/2 inch) is spaced vertically at 36 inches on center, continued to within 8 inches of the top of the wall, placed on the tension side — the inside face — of the wall.
Can you use sand as a base for a retaining wall?
To keep the blocks on your retaining wall level and structurally sound, you need a base layer of several inches of well compacted, sharp gravel. Be sure to use coarse builder’s sand, and tamp it down firmly to keep the sand from shifting and settling after the wall is built.
WHY DO retaining walls fail?
A retaining wall will fail when it is unable to withstand the force on it created by the soil behind it. Water is heavy, and as it builds up in the soil behind the wall the force acting on the wall dramatically increases. At some point, that force may exceed the capacity of the wall and cause the wall to fail.
How many bags of cement does it take to fill a cinder block?
Fill Volume for Various Block Wall Thicknesses Block Wall Thickness Blocks Filled per Cubic Yard Concrete/Grout per 100 Block 6″ 120 .83 yd 3 8″ 100 1.0 yd 3 10″ 80 1.23 yd 3 12″ 65 1.54 yd 3.
What kind of concrete do you use to fill cinder blocks?
For cinder-block walls (and brick walls too), choose QUIKRETE® Mason Mix Type S. Forgiving to those who are not experts in masonry projects, the QUIKRETE® preblended mix remains workable for a long period of time, with no sacrifice of the high-bond strength that yields a successful project.
What is the difference between a cinder block and concrete block?
Cinder block is made of concrete and cinder. Concrete block is produced from steel, wood or cement. Cinder block is lighter than concrete blocks. Concrete block is heavier because it contains stone and sand.
What do you put under retaining wall blocks?
Use crushed gravel to fill in the back and sides of your blocks. Backfill helps with water drainage. Compact the backfill before starting on the next row of blocks.
How do you build a retaining wall step by step?
Follow these steps to properly install a retaining wall. Dig a level-bottomed trench wide enough for the base stones to fit into. Compact the bottom of the trench with a hand tamper. Lay landscape fabric in the trench. Start the wall’s second layer using a staggered pattern. Make sure the wall is level.
What is the easiest retaining wall to build?
For the average do-it-yourselfer, building a retaining wall is easiest when using masonry blocks that will be stacked no taller than three feet, with no mortar binding the stones or concrete members.
