How to Rebuild a Concrete Block Retaining Wall | Ask This Old House
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- Опубликовано: 20 янв 2018
- Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough rebuilds a retaining wall that was stacked with the wrong material.
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Time: 2-3 days
Cost: $4000
Skill Level: Moderate
Tools List for Rebuilding a Concrete Block Retaining Wall:
Shovels [amzn.to/2mQYAwP]
Wheelbarrow [amzn.to/2mv6dco]
Tamper [amzn.to/2mo5iKB]
Rubber mallet [amzn.to/2mwVVrT]
Level [amzn.to/2mZkdv9]
Wet saw [amzn.to/2lhfVPm]
Shopping List:
Tarp [amzn.to/2lhb4O6]
Gravel [amzn.to/2mQJw2e]
Concrete blocks [amzn.to/2mXvzzM]
Channel connectors
Fabric liner [amzn.to/2ls9sky]
Perforated plastic pipe [amzn.to/2lik1Xt]
Construction adhesive [amzn.to/2mZ2rbn]
Steps:
1. Remove any plants lining the retaining wall with a shovel. Dig deep to give the plants a strong root ball.
2. Transfer plants temporarily to a tarp for safekeeping.
3. Remove the pieces of the old wall.
4. Dig a few inches back and deep along the location of the old wall.
5. Lay a thick base of gravel along the trench. Pack it down tight with a tamper.
6. Lay the first course of blocks about halfway deep in the trench. Lay one block every six feet or so along the length of the wall, level those to one another, and then fill in the rest of the wall. Use the rubber mallet to secure the blocks in place.
7. Lay a fabric liner along the back and base of the wall.
8. Backfill behind the first course with more gravel.
9. Lay the next course of blocks. Line up the channels using the channel connectors. Be sure to not overlap face joints.
10. Lay the perforated plastic pipe behind the wall and backfill with gravel.
11. Install the next course of blocks the same as the second. Backfill with gravel. Repeat until the wall is at the desired height. Some blocks may need to be cut with a wet saw to ensure an even fit on each course.
12. To secure the top cap for the blocks, add construction adhesive to the top course of blocks. Then add the cap pieces. Even it out with the rubber mallet.
13. Return any plants back to the wall if needed.
Resources:
Mark used Mini Creta 6” landscape blocks in the color sandlewood, manufactured by Techo Bloc (www.techo-bloc.com/en/).
To join the top cap to the blocks, he used Gorilla Construction Adhesive, manufactured by Gorilla Glue [amzn.to/2mvcUew] (www.gorillatough.com/).
Everything else he used, including shovels, landscape fabric, and gravel can be found at home centers, landscape and masonry supply stores.
Expert assistance for this project was provided by MJM Masonry (www.mjmmasonry.com/).
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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Rebuild a Concrete Block Retaining Wall | Ask This Old House
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The finished product looks fabulous.
Didn't realize how much went into putting up a retaining wall! Such a physical job! This looks fantastic!
Awesome job and I love the the new stone with the double row of locks, I did not notice the showing of how to connect more drainage pipe and the end caps which are important to keep things from accumulating over time. Keep sharing, may everyone prosper from this kind of stuff, I know it has helped our family over the years, a great blessing.
The retaining wall came out so classy looking, very nice.
Where did the perforated drain end?
Man, the finished product looks fabulous.
This is the quality that I like to do for my landdscaping business startup. I am still learning where I am at in Seattle.
I bet there's a lot of business for walls there.
Wow huge improvement .. looks amazing.. great work ❤❤
Looks good. How do they exit the drain pipe neatly?
New wall is a huge improvement! Nice job!
The new wall looks great!
Where is it draining to?
Those stones are from TechoBloc - MiniCreta 6" - Champlain Grey.
With Escala Coping
They did a decent job installing. If anything I would recommend excavating more dirt from behind the wall to allow for more gravel. Approximately 1'-2' would help the wall drain better and last longer.
The most important steps with retaining walls are making sure the base and back of the wall have sufficient gravel and cloth to reduce sediment from clogging the gravel.
Jake Weykamp Awesome thank you so much for posting the details!!!
What is the tallest height this method should be used to build?
@@finkthreely7089 3 feet.
Rhetorical question: Why are there so many people posting criticism of the engineering on this when the guy doing it is a pro, and, unless we missed it, none of them have engineering or landscaping degrees that indicate they know better? This is no different than some bullshitter from Queens, who's never served a day in the military, saying he knows better than the generals. Really, WTF?
I wish I could give this more likes. Thanks for sharing
I live these DIY videos by these guys....great information...
Nice catchy music especially at 2:48
Thanks! Our composer is Jordan Critz
The rock is a foot for the wall. Gravel or crushed rock tamped down is like concrete. It gets more stable the more in compacts down. That’s why they call it a base rock material at the home improvement store.
How far below my level line should I allow for two rows of 8” block 2 rows high. I’m at 1” 1/16 now
What do you do with the top of the fabric before laying the capstone? Just fold it over or leave it pulled back?
Cut it 3'' below the top of the dirt.
Who provides the soundtrack to all the montages?
Where is the drainage pipe dumping the water to? I don't see any veep-holes between the concrete blocks of the 1st course.
You can also use 1' X 2' blocks of concrete 2000 lbs each to build a retaining wall. It requires no mortar and no back fill. It need not be anchored to anything.
That’s significantly better. Wow!!
Does anyone have a link to those those blocks used? Been looking for big ones like that...
Nice job.for this old house..
I like watching these videos with the 'lets get to work' songs ha ha...pretty good job
curious what is on either end of the drain tube that was inserted. Open at either end (allowing dirt to fill the tube)? Closed at either end? Hummmm
its probably closed on the end by the house and open sticking out a little towards the end of the driveway towards the road. Watch a guys youtube channel called "Apple Drains" He is the best drainage person out there with decades of experience
rbeck3200tb40 Chuck from Apple drains is awesome but rarely shows a retaining wall.
What did they do about that big piece of rock? There seemed to be a large rock when they were putting in the gravel (3:00)
Leave it alone, just work around it.
Great Scott!
For a retaining wall that isn’t on a hill, is it necessary to put in that perforated tubing? We want to replace the old large rocks that act as a retaining wall in front of our house that edges up to the sidewalk. It’s not downhill. Just wondering if that would be necessary?
Excellent job beautiful
4:45 her eyes LOL
Crystal Meth ?
She's creepy, with a manly stance and looks like she never laughed a day in her life
wow, looks great!
That is really nice.
Its look good but theres 2 problem that i didnt see.
1 where did he connect the pipe .
2 the gravel need to be open the water can run tru the gravel.
Do you start the wall at the highest or lowest point?
Where did you source the block from? I'm not finding any that stout that have that level of interlocking.
its teco block
Check out Versa-lock. Similar, but with pins instead of those sliders.
Look at all that nice soft dirt...
what kind of blocks are these? I am trouble finding on my local box store website
What happened to Roger he's supposed to explain it to us
Tom took him to the hardware store to source more caulking
funny
james w cccCCcc. B.B. bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb My. 3AWZ
This wall didn't need any mortaaaa so Roger said no dice
Hes in someone elses yaaaaaaad planting bushes three and a quaaaata inches apaaaaart
perfect. built to last
Good job
Who is the manufacturer of this concrete blocks? I would like to build one myself. If I have a slope at the highest point (from bottom to top)about 4 feet and from this 4 feet high slope extending 40 feet to the other end (right to left) with the height of about one feet, would this concrete blocks on the high end side strong enough to support the dirt?
Does the perforated drain pipe empty anywhere? They didn't show where it emptied to. Or is it supposed to act as a seep reservoir?
aquariuswithfire There is a major void in most videos to provide guidance as to how to properly arrange the drainage pipe. Do you cap it? Do you have it pitched? Do you wrap it with a landscaping fabric sock? Do you lay it level? It’s odd that this topic is so commonly passed over in retaining wall videos.
Would it be good or bad to use the sock to cover the perforated pipe?
Wouldn't hurt; more the merrier.
good job.
Can I use a retaining wall on a driveway that has a drop off? The drop off is right outside the garage so if I back up too far I’ll fall in the ditch 🙄
*Imgur* is your friend. Upload a pic.
If the drainage pipe is perforated how does water run through it to the end. Can anyone explain? Like if there are so many holes I don't get it?
The perforations on the drain actually allow water to GET in and carries the water away from where it is rising or puddling
That was quick.
Hey I like to know where can I buy does bloks? Thanks 👍
I just love your channel and content! keep it going guys! :0)
Does it matter what size stone you use and why ??
It depends on the height and type of application.
And thank you, this is a great video! Are there any rules/guidelines that a homeowner should follow to help choose the best material for a retaining wall? Brick, boulders, wood, etc.
Pressure-treated timbers with deadmen are the easiest and cheapest to use in retaining walls. However, the chemical starts to leave the timbers after about 10 years. And the carpenter ants love to move in, chew on the wet wood, and expand their colony to your house. I have an exterminator now treat my timber wall annually and it still standing--holding back 4-feet of earth--going on 22 years. When constructing a wall, you have to look at design and height. Any wall approaching 3 feet or higher is usually called an engineered wall and will fall over if you don't know what you are doing. Stone or block is the way to go if done right. However, it will be the most expensive.
@@AStanton1966 I'm watching this video because I'm about to replace my wood wall with something else. Versa-lok probably. Anyway, it's 6 years old and falling apart because of ants. I didn't know about this problem and didn't do anything to prevent it. Live and learn.
@@steelyspielbergo I learned from my elderly neighbor. He had a wooden retaining wall up against his house which gave the carpenter ants a highway right into his house and wooden structure. I would never recommend butting a wooden wall against a house or building made out of wood.
@@AStanton1966 I worry about that too. My wall is against a basement wall. It's brick so I can't tell if anything got in there. I sprayed a bunch of poison into the weep-holes hoping that might work.
@@steelyspielbergo If you don't see any ants, you are probably good. You can always call a professional and have him give the area a quick spray. Just don't get involved with any of those big named-corporate chain exterminators.
Where can i get these blocks?
Base under wall should be 3/4" minus compacted gravel, not 3/4" clean gravel as it does not compact as well and you wont have a solid base to lay your first row of blocks. 3/4" clean gravel is fine behind wall for drainage but seems like they cut a corner by not using minus on the base.
Was hoping to see Roger on this one.
How much do you charge for feet!!!
I had understood you should NOT place landscape fabric behind the wall as eventually, that fabric will clog with soil and actually prevent proper water drainage through the gravel. Any input on that?
T Randall Depends on the fabric. Certain fabrics are meant to do exactly what you are worried about so soil doesn't get into the gravel channel. If soil builds up there it won't drain.
What a difference when things are done correctly
Can someone explain why he put fabric behind the wall? Seems like it would trap the mud and push the wall over instead of letting the water drain through
My take is that cloth is porous.
Excellent video- helped us envision what it will take for our wall. But I have to say "Preforated"? maybe "perforated". lol.
That drainage zone should be at a minimum 12 inches behind the wall I only saw maybe 4-6. The two most important aspects of a retaining wall is the base and the drainage. They are the difference between a good construction and one that fails in 2-3 years
If that wall was over 3 feet high, I would agree. However, that wall is hardy holding back anything--so no biggie.
@@AStanton1966 - 12 inches is a good rule to follow, but yeah, the wall is so short and hardly holding anything back so I agree it's a "no biggie" too.
Don't really see the point with the drainage pipe, what was the fall across the length of the retaining wall?
How is the dirt going to be washed out of it over time so it can continue to function?
Awesome video. Well explained and looks like a quality job.
Surely the fabric should have been under the gravel as well? Just from my experience of septic soakaways that gravel under there will fill with mud then you're back to square one.
I think the fabric is removed. It was just there to keep stuff out of the way. Fabric would stop water and fill with mud and stuff and cause it to fall.
@@mattt555 There are fabrics that are very water-permeable called "Non-woven geotextile fabric". Standard "landscape fabric" you use to keep weeds out would not be used here, since that blocks water like you said.
@@mae2759 so he puts the permeable textile to keep mud at bay but let the water drain out? cool!
Great video
There you go Donald!
after digging out for the first gravel, why wouldn't you put fabric first, then add the gravel for the base? Why would you add gravel then the fabric?
The fabric is there to prevent dirt from filling the voids in the gravel.
+Clickety Clack
"The fabric is there to prevent dirt from filling the voids in the gravel."
What prevents dirt from filling voids in the fabric? And if that happens how is that different from filling voids in the gravel?
@@dialecticalmonist3405 There is a space between them. It would have been better to have more clearance from the fabric and the block. The space prevents the fabric from loading up.
Roots grow!
I come to the ATOH comment section for all the armchair contractor “you should of done it like this” comments
68CamaroRS/SS qqqqq
Same here.
@@LuggageStardate except at 0:55. And 2:30-2:45. And 5:49.
I come to the ATOH comment section for all the "they are on TV so they must be right and I am morally superior because I pretend like I know more about this topic than anyone else in the comment section" comments
@@joncrosby8988 Boom
Who manufactures the blocks used in this episode?
Looks like Unilock
Techo-Bloc Mini Creta Wall System WWW.Techo-Bloc.com
Won't stacking the geo tarp vertically like that create a barrier for the water causing the same issue they already had?
there is a lot of drainage behind that wall, it would take 20 to 25 inches of water coming down at once IN WINTER to cause the same issue (water getting into cracks > freezing > thawing > bigger cracks > repeat), basically overwhelming the ample drainage, and this would have to be repeated a lot times before any evidence of the issue occurs. The show is film in North America, thus the chances of that much rain in winter is low and snow stays where it lands until it melts. There main issue was with the mud (dirt) behind the wall getting hard and moving the wall. French drains (the piping) are also very effective.
@@MoneyAndPeople yeah but the tarp is placed behind the drainage, how is the water supposed to get through that into the drainage material?
@@ericcarlson6815The tarp is very thin (see around 4:10 ) it is like a screen on the windows, except much thinner.. ie if you had it on top of a glass, you can poor water through it, just much slower - another name for this product is landscaping tarp (google image search "landscaping tarp" )
@@MoneyAndPeople oh ok, I had assumed it was like a polyethylene tarp
"it'll look nice with our house too..."
"Yeah.. Good, okay.."
Aka: Shut up and let me do my job
Aaaalright great scott
hahahahaha
Beach&BoardFan aaaaaalright
Great Scott! That turned out nice.
LOL!
Beach&BoardFan I was waiting for it and finally heard it at the end lmao!
Beach&BoardFan 10/10
Hi matey sorry to tell you Need to come round to our house
^^ these stones are overkill but are pretty good.. but the old once would suffice if the wall was built properly.
Maybe two courses high, no more. There is no weight in those small bricks to hold anything back if used on a wall even this low - looked about 24-30" tall.
Nice how much?
Man I wish my walls was this easy... 😅 😅 😅
He did so much in under 6 minutes
Why is everybody having so nice dry and sandy earth? I have to battle with hard loamy earth all the times.
How much can I charge for doing this job
@4:52 Preforations?
Perforations is the word. New England accent garbling it into what you heard
Beautiful thumb nail
How much would it cost me a wall like that if I'm a home owner?
Figure about $500 for materials alone.
What you need are tiebacks
How did he cut the stones in half?
Kung fu. Every good mason needs a black belt.
The list of tools says wet saw.
Ahh memories I would watch this like in the morning when I was like 10 and just putting this out there I would make me sad if anything happened to the original cast like Silva and the other guys. I've watched them since I was young
If that retaining wall is supporting the neighbours property then there is a very unusual soil friction angle...
Filter fabric is a no. It gets clogged eventually and then does not let the water through.
I am just trying to quote Dirt Monkey on this one. I would take his opinion above others. I am not a contractor so please explain if I’m wrong or misunderstanding The Dirt Monkey videos.
I think it was removed after it served it's temporary purpose during installation... but idk..
At the 5.46 mark that chick pulled away like she got slapped. Hilarious
The OS i
Something invisible happened
Where's the water draining to?
Into the Earth as it should. I just watched another vid on Mike Hadducks channel he explained/demonstrated the same thing. ruclips.net/video/5fndKimsWnE/видео.html
Let me be more specific...where are the ends of the pipe leading to? If they are just capped, during periods of heavy rain, that pipe will just fill-up completely with water and may not drain anywhere because the ground is so saturated. There needs to be runoff or catch basin somewhere.
It's draining into the homeowner's eyes as tears.
@@cup_and_cone The pipe is covered with small holes, this is not a solid drainage pipe channel that will be directing water to one area. Water that gets in can drain from all those holes the entire length of that pipe.
Probably drains out of the end of the wall towards the street. Just let it run out.
Wow that’s a hell of a lot of work.
P r e f e r a t i o n s
Ya lo hize,PL that set.
Would you ever come to WI?
We were in Milwaukee this past year. The tankless water heater video that we just uploaded was shot there!
This Old House what type of projects are you looking showcase?
Darby? From SOA?
The best repair to fix a failed block retaining wall, use solid concrete.
Joe Stacks I couldn’t agree more. A failing leaning pieces of block wall looks atrocious.
Solid concrete walls are the way to go.
$4000?!?!
@Marcus MöllerStay poor and broke my friend.
4K? Where you getting that from?
For really good explanations check out Stanley "Dirt Monkey" Genedak. He explains it all very well.
This guy did a good job too. Looks good.
Stanley says not to put vertical fabric behind a retaining wall, but that's what this video shows along with almost every other how-to out there.
@@ClarkJohnson Stanley says to not put it immediately behind the wall. Here they put it back a few inches away from the block with stone in between. (One foot away would have been better) Also, this is a very short wall, designs for anything over 3 feet are much different.
$4,000???? Screw that, I'll get Mexico to pay for mine
jajajaja no quieres ayuda con tu vieja igual lol
@Real McCoy build a wall around your mom.