As a soil inspector I really appreciate this video. It’ll be a must see for the new people I train !!! So many half ass walls out there especially on the residential side. Keep up the great work !!!!
I've watched all of your retaining wall videos. And built my own 4 for wall with a layer of geogrid. The only thing you haven't shown is how to actually test the soil for silt. Idk what that entails but I'm sure you have some tips on testing the soil or bad vs good soils! Thank you for all the amazing videos!
Another thing to add to the equation is the necessity of soil compaction between grids. The issue of the wall blowout in your video is from poor compaction between grids behind the wall. That's why that grid had dropped.
Stanley, check out Practical Engineering's video on engineered soil. He literally dropped a wheel of his car on a pile of sand and I think just paper towels. It is very well done and shows how strong engineered soil is...
You explain things well my RUclips friend. Do it yourself people don't always have that trade like mind that we have learnt over decades. That's why are so varied in trade skills. For example I replaced 65% of double glazing in a ski resort because a carpenter thought he knew everything about glass and timber frames. Love your work. Aussie Jeff
Thank you so much I have decided at age 35 that I want to build retaining walls for a living ,I have had success 10+yrs and still standing, before and now I'm getting an education ..you are awesome I use your channel to help me study I love to build walls .I want to do this for a living I live in Alaska. Can I call you sometime?
I have seen glue injection used to hold a sand bank behind walls. It can keep ground water from bleeding through the blocks, together with a bubbler drain behind the glued sand. Very good video on how to stabilize with geotech materials.
Good video and great point about the geogrid. You should do another one on the issue of hydraulic jacking and proper drainage of a retaining wall. I've seen many walls fail due to lack of a drainage system to remove water (pressure) from behind the wall. Also, for any home-gamers...use a stamped drawing by a licensed engineer for any wall over 4' tall. Most reputable suppliers will provide one for you at little to no charge. If you build a wall improperly and it fails and god forbid someone is hurt or killed, you may be held liable.
Looks like Mike Holmes built that wall at 10:00. I have never seen him use Geogrid, but preaches a lot about how much he knows. The difference between him and you. Thanks Stanley.
Geogrid is great I love it. Great for roads. Problem with geogrid and why it is not specified for retaining walls generally (MSE) walls excluded is you have to excavate significant amounts of soil from behind the wall to construct. This normally is cost prohibitive in most cases.
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna have to rebuild a retaining wall where I work at soon and I'm gonna be able to take the info from this video and build a better wall
I would think a curtain drain along the base of the wall with stone and fabric would really help in lessening the pressures as well. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for posting, we're going to have to build a retaining wall soon, probably 8', with a surcharge of a parking lot, I want to make sure it does not move! ;)
@@kurtdietrich5421 I was planning on it, we have to get it approved by the city anyway for the building permit (because it's over 3' in height). At minimum I'll be observing the installation, or actually helping construct it. Either way, I need knowledge of how it should be done, as opposed to how it shouldn't be done. ;)
I was helping my papa build a wall when I saw your first video on doing retaining walls right and then told him we need to change some things and he said he didn't want to. That wall is a ticking time bomb unfortunately
We put in stuff, for a building where they’re going to be doing blast testing, we did 6 tiers each about 18 to 20 inches in height, we had metal racks in each tier set across and stone went into those racks, we had at least 3 feet of sand past the racks and put in what I think is called dead men, I’m not for sure if this is the same, mainly this was for the percussion wave from the blast
An important point with a pinned connection wall block....DO NOT USE SOFT GEOGRIDS LIKE STRATAGRID. THE PINS WILL TEAR THROUGH IT, AND THE WALL WILL FALL DOWN. STRATAGRID is fine for tongue and groove blocks, but not pinned blocks. Use a rigid geogris, like Tensar, for pinned blocks.
Great video. Thanks for the clarity. I would also like to hear your thoughts on drainage for a retaining wall and if there are times when you would backfill with a column of gravel behind the wall.
Can you do a video showing when to implement terraced retailing walls and how to do it correctly. Also how you could do that to steep land that is right next to a steep driveway where the seating walls would have to run perpendicular to the driveway.
If you want the science behind how geogrid works, practical engineering has a great video - Sand Castle Holds Up A Car! - Mechanically Stabilized Earth
rzl dzl would you say he stole it? Or that he’s putting that information out there for others to have another place to find it? I wouldn’t say anything bad like stealing when he’s just trying to help ppl out right?
@@naz7493 I shouldn't have said he stole it because I dont know if he got the identical idea from his own mind or from practical engineering *without giving them credit*. I absolutely do believe if you take somebody's idea and dont at least give them a shout out, you are stealing their idea. It's not the worst thing in the world, and that's just my opinion. Your suggestion is also a valid way to look at things
Is 2-3 foot wide geogrid halfway up a 5 foot high by 30 foot long retaining wall (repair) between the gravel better than no geogrid? Wall has bowed 2 inches and sagged 2 inches … tilt is half inch max. Wall has popped in one area, but wall is still very solid (about 11-14 inches wide masonry) Adding drainage at base of existing old retaining wall (do it yourself project) in Texas. Thanks
@@Dirtmonkey None of the retaining walls I had to redo had grid or drain pipes. No wonder they collapsed. UGH! When I spoke to my pals who also are DIYers, they had no clue what I was talking about. It is def worth the few hundred bucks and install time for the grid and pipe
Can you make a video on how to replace a retaining wall that does not have geogrid and show how to install the geogrid into the existing hill. Sorry if that's confusing, contact me for clarification if need be.
when building a boulder retaining wall with non silty soils how do you use both geo grid and fabric with out having to cut the fabric to slip in the geogrid and therefore losing some of the strength/purpose of the fabric?
Probably a silly question, but am curious... Is it possible to increase the height of an existing retaining wall? Or to build on top of an existing retaining wall? For example, instead of Terrace wall, just remove the top terrace and build on top of the lower wall. Thanks
What if your taking down an eroding wooden wall that hasn’t been pushed out but when you put up a paver block wall you can’t get down into the dirt to put Geogrid down without excavating 6ft down and 6ft back?
Hey Stanley, I’ve watched a ton of your videos and I love them. So informative and super helpful. I’m starting a project for my sister who wants to build retaining walls on the side of her property that’s at approx a 50 degree slope. Height of the hill is approx 25-30 feet and hypotenuse of the hill being 65 feet. Could you give me your thoughts on how you would tackle this? Mind you she would like usable seating or planting areas on the terrance’s I front of each retaining wall built and doesn’t want any walls over 4’ tall. After watching your videos I do feel a lot more comfortable doing this project but would love your ideas on how to make sure this project will not fail and last for as long as she owns the home or longer. I do plan on putting in geo grid, using Versa lok and 24” of angler 3/4” stone/gravel behind each wall. Geo grid would would need to be at least 4’ in length for each 4’ retaining wall built. Am I missing anything? Would I start with 12” down for drainage on the first row of blocks? This area gets a ton of water during the rainy seasons which makes me anxious on the proper way to do this. As far as surcharge, at the top of each 4’ retaining wall there will be a min of 8’ of flat area to minimize the load. Minus the seating/tables etc... that she plans to put there.
There were some wall units that didn't need grid, They were based on reversed slope or setting back on themselves at about 45 degree. Boulders walls with the same slope set back I have never seen a Landscape Architect or Engineer require grid.
In several videos you've said not to use fabric between a wall & the fill aggregate, how about between the undisturbed earth & the aggregate? Was considering doing this to keep the earth out of the gravel fill. I'm working in Missouri clay, and have been at this a while, solo & all by hand. 3' deep & the unsupported ground has stood firm for months now with no collapse. (lots of delays) Base course is in, 2nd course shortly, then start backfill before adding - so if the fabric as described is advisable, now is the time. Should I, or not? BTW, using Versalok std block. And yes, I know I'm working slow. 62, health conditions, and grandkids living here will do that to ya!
What happened to using mortar or cement to bind bricks or stone blocks to build a retaining wall? Also, shouldn't you lay down a footing before building a retaining wall?
I'm about to have a wall built by a contractor. After watching your videos, I've said versa block and no fabric on the back side of them. Also said I want Geo grid. What I'm not sure about is what to backfill behind the blocks with. The soil here is high plastic clay. It expands a lot when wet. Wall at highest point 5'. Holds soil back, and is a half circle about 12' radius open on inside of circle. What do you suggest for backfill? Respectfully, Kevin
Now I am worried! We bought our property just over a year ago. There were existing stone retaining walls that are decades old. We placed our home on cinder block pillars on top of the clay soil. There is a hill behind it with no retaining wall, a hill in front with a partial retain wall. Do you know of anyone in eastern Kentucky that I can contact to check this out and see what I need to do? I wouldn't even begin to know who to contact. 😱
My home was built in 1964 in an area with large slopping hills. Most of my retaining walls have failed =(. Some of them have fallen over, while others have split and cracked due to the amount of pressure of the hills they are retaining. Could I send you some pics so you can help me assess how screwed I am? It seems like the walls directly in front of our house are fine, meaning I dont see any leaning or cracks, but I am hesitant to do any work to this home knowing that our retaining walls we built without proper drainage or geogrid.
I am currently in the process of building a small retaining wall up against a hill. 25' long, 24" high. Is geogrid neccessary for such a small wall? We will be back filling with rock for drainage and soil on top for planting.
What happens when a wall has geogrid every two feet, but it doesn’t go back on a 1:1 ratio to the height of the wall. What if it only goes back on a 2:1 ratio? So on a 10’ wall the geogrid is only 5’ deep. Does geogrid need to go into native soil or just recently placed backfill? Is proper 1:1 geo grid depth more important towards the top of the wall of bottom of the wall?
With the one linear foot of grid per foot of height of the wall rule you mentioned, it the measured from the front face of the wall, the back of the block, or the front face of compacted base material behind the drainage stone?
Hey, just started watching your videos because I have a wooden beam retaining wall I need to start looking to replace at a home I moved into where I pulled out an above ground pool that was level with the wall but below ground floor level of the house (there is about 9.5 ft wide strip of earth between house and retaining wall and the wall stand maybe 3.25 ft at its highest point above ground; we're also thinking of altering a basement window to become an egress window within this area) ... this is probably a numb question and will probably get a chuckle coupled with a set of side eyes with raised eyebrows... is the stacked bags of concrete a complete joke and a for sure futue failure or is it possible to make it effectively work?
Do you reccommend putting in drain pipe s on taller walls perforated pv. Built a wall 15 years ago using geogrid and interlocking blocks still dead on level
So nothing over 4 feet. I had a drive way retaining wall built about 2-3 feet but I have noticed when it rains the concrete looks wet from the inside and I have a top on it. French drains connected. Any idea what could be wrong? Thank you
Should you use adhesive on every block or just the caps? I have been watching your videos about retaining walls and am about to tackle my own (3ft tall) wall. I remember seeing in one of your videos about using adhesive on the blocks but can't remember if you said for the caps only or all blocks. I think water would have a hard time getting through the blocks if used on all blocks.
I know i am watching a guy that can show you Facts * In Hands on Knowledge in all aspects * Knowledge of Quality products * Highly Skilled Pro * Means he stands behind the products he installs & warrants his workmanship* This video is only minutes of quality knowledge he is sharing He may talk a lot But just imagine how many jobs his company has completed & how many projects he set the expectations & exceeded them. Going back to jobs to correct items is a killer. Walking up on a job & knowing what EXACTLY needs to be built or EXACTLY what failed is time & money! Happy Customers come from Done right the first time Exactly how you bid the work And many years of going by many jobs ,,,STILL STANDING! (=SKILLS={++++++++++÷÷~ ROCK 🤘 ON! *
Certainly it would - truck itself may not be heavy, but it's weight is distributed to four points, not quite big themselves. Also it is not a static weight - when you move out, and especially when parking, when you apply brake, dynamic pressure increases. It may not be after the first parking, but few months and you may see results.
Stan, I was just wondering about joint filling on a boulder wall where you said that matting is used behind the wall to stop soil leeching through. i had seen your pool man using a spray foam to seal between rocks on a pool installation. Would that product work on a boulder wall or would it be too expensive
I beg to differ on sand binding properties... Sand will bind under moisture encapsulated sand bag, baked in sun and becomes a brick... not a firm brick, but it does hold its form until other properties take place... The sand bag is this theory innovated... same concept without the baking... I built a house out of sandbags I'm now on my second using tires and sandbags... I know about dirt for sure, this product would coexist in earth building if its cost effective
@@chuckbailey6835 yes... Look up Mike Reynolds, he's using rammed earth in tires, and I've used them myself and they will not move, but using a traditional product along with thermal mass it could be probably the best structure one can build... and it will last 5 life times if not longer... The tire acts like this product because it's a steel belt rubber encased brick.
Stan thank you for all the good info. The explanation on geo grid thumbs up. Question are there any other applications for geo grid ? Like under a steep 30°+ lawn or hillside without a retaining wall.? Thanks again.
Hey Stan,Is there a way to use the geo grid on a poured concrete wall? My thought would be to put it in the gap between forms and cast it in, flap it up out of the way until backfilling (in layers) so it acts as a deadman as well as a stabilizer. Would it just be overkill?
A poured concrete retaining wall has a keyed foundation that goes into the retaining side of the wall. Normally going under the retained earth 1/3 the height of the wall. Have it engineered for your soil, load and earthquake zone.
I appreciate your input.This was a hypothetical question... no plans on building a wall right now. Would it be belt and suspenders, and elastic waistband maybe. how about geo-tech fabric unattached? Seems stabilizing the backfill would do more good than harm as long as drainage isn't effected... if no one ever questions current technique, innovation never happens... I'm a seasoned heavy equipment operator, and I often have to deal with engineer induced problems...I try to learn (thus watching Stan and others) So I'm not just a dumb stick monkey seat warmer.
@2:10 I have to say, Not my walls. I've built wall way before that grid was even a thought. They will not fail if designed properly. Grid not required. Start with an engineered solid reinforced buttressed concrete wall and your done For Life. the Backside BUTTRESS is the Key. Expensive? No. It's way more expensive to pay for a replacement in 15 years. Its always expensive to pay twice for anything.
Great video. I have a question for you. I plan on building a short retaining wall (28" high including cap) using versa lok standard blocks. The wall is 14' long and is holding back a small slope. Do I still need the geo grid? Thanks
Geogrid will help enourmously to reduce the lateral loading on the wall. Don't forget to add drainage behind the wall and install weep holes to reduce hydraulic pressure. You will get to design the as a gravity wall system so the footprint will be at least 10 foot wide.
Ya I am curious about this too, since mine as well won’t be more than 3 ft. Hate to say I am on a budget that doesn’t allow me to afford Geogrid. But it is not supporting a house as well
As a soil inspector I really appreciate this video. It’ll be a must see for the new people I train !!! So many half ass walls out there especially on the residential side. Keep up the great work !!!!
Thank you , I appreciate you watching !
Love this, I am in the construction industry and videos like this are super beneficial. Thank you for taking the time to break it down!
I've watched all of your retaining wall videos. And built my own 4 for wall with a layer of geogrid. The only thing you haven't shown is how to actually test the soil for silt. Idk what that entails but I'm sure you have some tips on testing the soil or bad vs good soils! Thank you for all the amazing videos!
Another thing to add to the equation is the necessity of soil compaction between grids. The issue of the wall blowout in your video is from poor compaction between grids behind the wall. That's why that grid had dropped.
Stanley, check out Practical Engineering's video on engineered soil. He literally dropped a wheel of his car on a pile of sand and I think just paper towels. It is very well done and shows how strong engineered soil is...
You explain things well my RUclips friend. Do it yourself people don't always have that trade like mind that we have learnt over decades. That's why are so varied in trade skills. For example I replaced 65% of double glazing in a ski resort because a carpenter thought he knew everything about glass and timber frames. Love your work. Aussie Jeff
Thanks Jeff, I appreciate the comments !
It definitely surprised me when you were able to stack all those weights. Excellent demonstration of geogrid.
Thanks Ryan !
Thank you so much I have decided at age 35 that I want to build retaining walls for a living ,I have had success 10+yrs and still standing, before and now I'm getting an education ..you are awesome I use your channel to help me study I love to build walls .I want to do this for a living I live in Alaska. Can I call you sometime?
I have seen glue injection used to hold a sand bank behind walls. It can keep ground water from bleeding through the blocks, together with a bubbler drain behind the glued sand.
Very good video on how to stabilize with geotech materials.
Good video and great point about the geogrid. You should do another one on the issue of hydraulic jacking and proper drainage of a retaining wall. I've seen many walls fail due to lack of a drainage system to remove water (pressure) from behind the wall. Also, for any home-gamers...use a stamped drawing by a licensed engineer for any wall over 4' tall. Most reputable suppliers will provide one for you at little to no charge. If you build a wall improperly and it fails and god forbid someone is hurt or killed, you may be held liable.
Thanks for watching and for the suggestion!
This is one of the best videos on retaining wall design that I've come across.
Thank you Donald, I appreciate that !
Great video. Building one now and am doing it exactly as you discussed.
Awesome & don't forget to have fun with it too 👊
Practical Engineering aka Grady, did a great video on engineered soil. Opened my eyes!
Looks like Mike Holmes built that wall at 10:00. I have never seen him use Geogrid, but preaches a lot about how much he knows. The difference between him and you. Thanks Stanley.
In another country. It really helps to get a little knowledge. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome Brandon, thanks for viewing !
I learned about this concept on an engineering RUclips channel a while ago. Sure seems like a simple and very effective method of strength. Thanks!
Thank you for watching !
Geogrid is great I love it. Great for roads. Problem with geogrid and why it is not specified for retaining walls generally (MSE) walls excluded is you have to excavate significant amounts of soil from behind the wall to construct. This normally is cost prohibitive in most cases.
i come for Frankie's insightful commentary
Thanks for being here James!
Mr Stanley i love watching your videos. You are a fantastic teacher. Bravo
Thank you Jared !
Thank you a lot for this very helpful video. Good combination of theory and practice real world jobs. I wish you a happy new year from Germany
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna have to rebuild a retaining wall where I work at soon and I'm gonna be able to take the info from this video and build a better wall
That's awesome Justin, thanks for watching !
@@Dirtmonkey i love your videos I try to watch all your videos and take in all the info I can
Can you do a video for retaining wall with vinyl fence on top. Vinyl fence would have post embedded in the wall.
Thanks for the suggestion Daniel !
Thanks Stan for the great details and an actual example of how effective geogrid is, cheers
I know it’s off topic but are you going to post the video about STIHL pressure washers?
No
Europe 2018Fifa nah brah,,,
Great video but on you wall tour the camera was so shaky maybe see if you can get a gimbal for the next one.
Or maybe some geogrid
I would think a curtain drain along the base of the wall with stone and fabric would really help in lessening the pressures as well. Thanks for sharing
No problem Kevin, thanks for watching !
Great explanation of the GeoGrid and of filter fabric use. Thanks!
No problem, thank you!
Thanks for posting, we're going to have to build a retaining wall soon, probably 8', with a surcharge of a parking lot, I want to make sure it does not move! ;)
Hire an engineer to design it correctly. Please. I've seen too many failures as a forensic engineer.
@@kurtdietrich5421 I was planning on it, we have to get it approved by the city anyway for the building permit (because it's over 3' in height). At minimum I'll be observing the installation, or actually helping construct it. Either way, I need knowledge of how it should be done, as opposed to how it shouldn't be done. ;)
Thanks for watching and I hope your wall project works out well !
I was helping my papa build a wall when I saw your first video on doing retaining walls right and then told him we need to change some things and he said he didn't want to. That wall is a ticking time bomb unfortunately
We put in stuff, for a building where they’re going to be doing blast testing, we did 6 tiers each about 18 to 20 inches in height, we had metal racks in each tier set across and stone went into those racks, we had at least 3 feet of sand past the racks and put in what I think is called dead men, I’m not for sure if this is the same, mainly this was for the percussion wave from the blast
we use geogrid when paving, it helps with future voids and whatnots esp in unstable terrains. i learned so much at a competent company, miss that job.
An important point with a pinned connection wall block....DO NOT USE SOFT GEOGRIDS LIKE STRATAGRID. THE PINS WILL TEAR THROUGH IT, AND THE WALL WILL FALL DOWN. STRATAGRID is fine for tongue and groove blocks, but not pinned blocks. Use a rigid geogris, like Tensar, for pinned blocks.
Great video. Thanks for the clarity. I would also like to hear your thoughts on drainage for a retaining wall and if there are times when you would backfill with a column of gravel behind the wall.
Im pretty sure has a really good video somewhere about how far back and deep to go with the gravel for drainage.
Yeah u shot that bro, didn't even know what geo grid was ir that i needed it. Thank you..
W/R Cory D.
Can you do a video showing when to implement terraced retailing walls and how to do it correctly. Also how you could do that to steep land that is right next to a steep driveway where the seating walls would have to run perpendicular to the driveway.
Thanks for the suggestion Keith, I will keep it in mind
If you want the science behind how geogrid works, practical engineering has a great video - Sand Castle Holds Up A Car! - Mechanically Stabilized Earth
My dude! I was just gonna say Stanley stole this concept from practical engineering lol
Yeah, and at the end he had a similar sand column hold up his car!
rzl dzl would you say he stole it? Or that he’s putting that information out there for others to have another place to find it? I wouldn’t say anything bad like stealing when he’s just trying to help ppl out right?
@@naz7493 I shouldn't have said he stole it because I dont know if he got the identical idea from his own mind or from practical engineering *without giving them credit*.
I absolutely do believe if you take somebody's idea and dont at least give them a shout out, you are stealing their idea. It's not the worst thing in the world, and that's just my opinion. Your suggestion is also a valid way to look at things
@@piepang7323 ok there bud
Man, I'm glad I happened on this channel. Much appreciated !
Wulfy
Is 2-3 foot wide geogrid halfway up a 5 foot high by 30 foot long retaining wall (repair) between the gravel better than no geogrid? Wall has bowed 2 inches and sagged 2 inches … tilt is half inch max. Wall has popped in one area, but wall is still very solid (about 11-14 inches wide masonry) Adding drainage at base of existing old retaining wall (do it yourself project) in Texas. Thanks
Another great video, Stan (and Frankie).
Thanks Don !!
Excellent presentation.
Thanks man 👊
@@Dirtmonkey None of the retaining walls I had to redo had grid or drain pipes. No wonder they collapsed. UGH! When I spoke to my pals who also are DIYers, they had no clue what I was talking about. It is def worth the few hundred bucks and install time for the grid and pipe
Can you make a video on how to replace a retaining wall that does not have geogrid and show how to install the geogrid into the existing hill. Sorry if that's confusing, contact me for clarification if need be.
Thanks for the suggestion Logan !
when building a boulder retaining wall with non silty soils how do you use both geo grid and fabric with out having to cut the fabric to slip in the geogrid and therefore losing some of the strength/purpose of the fabric?
So it is basically like rebar for soil.
Great analogy!
Probably a silly question, but am curious... Is it possible to increase the height of an existing retaining wall? Or to build on top of an existing retaining wall? For example, instead of Terrace wall, just remove the top terrace and build on top of the lower wall. Thanks
What if your taking down an eroding wooden wall that hasn’t been pushed out but when you put up a paver block wall you can’t get down into the dirt to put Geogrid down without excavating 6ft down and 6ft back?
Hey Stanley,
I’ve watched a ton of your videos and I love them. So informative and super helpful. I’m starting a project for my sister who wants to build retaining walls on the side of her property that’s at approx a 50 degree slope. Height of the hill is approx 25-30 feet and hypotenuse of the hill being 65 feet.
Could you give me your thoughts on how you would tackle this?
Mind you she would like usable seating or planting areas on the terrance’s I front of each retaining wall built and doesn’t want any walls over 4’ tall.
After watching your videos I do feel a lot more comfortable doing this project but would love your ideas on how to make sure this project will not fail and last for as long as she owns the home or longer.
I do plan on putting in geo grid, using Versa lok and 24” of angler 3/4” stone/gravel behind each wall.
Geo grid would would need to be at least 4’ in length for each 4’ retaining wall built.
Am I missing anything?
Would I start with 12” down for drainage on the first row of blocks? This area gets a ton of water during the rainy seasons which makes me anxious on the proper way to do this.
As far as surcharge, at the top of each 4’ retaining wall there will be a min of 8’ of flat area to minimize the load. Minus the seating/tables etc... that she plans to put there.
There were some wall units that didn't need grid, They were based on reversed slope or setting back on themselves at about 45 degree. Boulders walls with the same slope set back I have never seen a Landscape Architect or Engineer require grid.
In several videos you've said not to use fabric between a wall & the fill aggregate, how about between the undisturbed earth & the aggregate? Was considering doing this to keep the earth out of the gravel fill. I'm working in Missouri clay, and have been at this a while, solo & all by hand. 3' deep & the unsupported ground has stood firm for months now with no collapse. (lots of delays) Base course is in, 2nd course shortly, then start backfill before adding - so if the fabric as described is advisable, now is the time. Should I, or not? BTW, using Versalok std block.
And yes, I know I'm working slow. 62, health conditions, and grandkids living here will do that to ya!
What happened to using mortar or cement to bind bricks or stone blocks to build a retaining wall? Also, shouldn't you lay down a footing before building a retaining wall?
I'm about to have a wall built by a contractor. After watching your videos, I've said versa block and no fabric on the back side of them. Also said I want Geo grid. What I'm not sure about is what to backfill behind the blocks with. The soil here is high plastic clay. It expands a lot when wet. Wall at highest point 5'. Holds soil back, and is a half circle about 12' radius open on inside of circle. What do you suggest for backfill? Respectfully, Kevin
Great information thank you for sharing what about heavy rain situation how to deal with drainage pipe
Now I am worried!
We bought our property just over a year ago. There were existing stone retaining walls that are decades old. We placed our home on cinder block pillars on top of the clay soil. There is a hill behind it with no retaining wall, a hill in front with a partial retain wall. Do you know of anyone in eastern Kentucky that I can contact to check this out and see what I need to do? I wouldn't even begin to know who to contact. 😱
Keystone install instructions says geogrid is required when you have a 3h:1v backslope. Would you advise geogrid for a 6h:1v backslope on a 3' wall?
My home was built in 1964 in an area with large slopping hills. Most of my retaining walls have failed =(. Some of them have fallen over, while others have split and cracked due to the amount of pressure of the hills they are retaining. Could I send you some pics so you can help me assess how screwed I am? It seems like the walls directly in front of our house are fine, meaning I dont see any leaning or cracks, but I am hesitant to do any work to this home knowing that our retaining walls we built without proper drainage or geogrid.
What about rock walls boulders... mine just has dirt in between the boulders
Very great topic. Keep up the great vids!
Will do, appreciate that James !
Honestly I was hoping the table was going to collapse. Great video.
Thanks Dennis !
With the sand still standing.
I am currently in the process of building a small retaining wall up against a hill. 25' long, 24" high. Is geogrid neccessary for such a small wall? We will be back filling with rock for drainage and soil on top for planting.
What happens when a wall has geogrid every two feet, but it doesn’t go back on a 1:1 ratio to the height of the wall. What if it only goes back on a 2:1 ratio? So on a 10’ wall the geogrid is only 5’ deep. Does geogrid need to go into native soil or just recently placed backfill? Is proper 1:1 geo grid depth more important towards the top of the wall of bottom of the wall?
With the one linear foot of grid per foot of height of the wall rule you mentioned, it the measured from the front face of the wall, the back of the block, or the front face of compacted base material behind the drainage stone?
From the back of the drainage layer.
Any tips if the wall will be in water like a seawall the lake does freeze
When was goegrid started to be made. And when was that wall made. Just wondering if it was around when that wall was put up.
Duder that wall has Geogrid in it
What was used for Geogrid before there was geogrid?
Excellent content. 👍
Hey, just started watching your videos because I have a wooden beam retaining wall I need to start looking to replace at a home I moved into where I pulled out an above ground pool that was level with the wall but below ground floor level of the house (there is about 9.5 ft wide strip of earth between house and retaining wall and the wall stand maybe 3.25 ft at its highest point above ground; we're also thinking of altering a basement window to become an egress window within this area) ... this is probably a numb question and will probably get a chuckle coupled with a set of side eyes with raised eyebrows... is the stacked bags of concrete a complete joke and a for sure futue failure or is it possible to make it effectively work?
ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
Could this work for real?
Can't wait to see the next video
More to come Bryan, thanks !
Do you reccommend putting in drain pipe s on taller walls perforated pv. Built a wall 15 years ago using geogrid and interlocking blocks still dead on level
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE AWESOME VIDEOS!!
How about a wood retaining wall on a slope behind the house?…is 3 feet high enough for that?
So nothing over 4 feet. I had a drive way retaining wall built about 2-3 feet but I have noticed when it rains the concrete looks wet from the inside and I have a top on it. French drains connected. Any idea what could be wrong? Thank you
Concrete is a porous material. Your wall is soaking in water from the ground.
Is geoGrid a brand name?? What are the right brands of geo-grid??
Awesome insights!!!
Thanks and thank you for viewing !
Geo grid is like having a bunch of little finger to help but for a homeowner to build 14ft wall that's guts if he's never done. It before.
Should you use adhesive on every block or just the caps? I have been watching your videos about retaining walls and am about to tackle my own (3ft tall) wall. I remember seeing in one of your videos about using adhesive on the blocks but can't remember if you said for the caps only or all blocks. I think water would have a hard time getting through the blocks if used on all blocks.
Excellent video thanks
What about train tie retraining walls?
joshua barba I have a large one of those and it’s not going to last much longer😬
Good video. I like the table top demo... maybe more if those... now a question about surcharge... is the a distance when the surcharge is neglected.
As a rule of thumb......the surcharge is negligible at a distance of 2 times the height of the wall.
@@kurtdietrich5421 thank you. I'm planning a wall for family.
I know i am watching a guy that can show you Facts
* In Hands on Knowledge in all aspects
* Knowledge of Quality products
* Highly Skilled Pro
* Means he stands behind the products he installs & warrants his workmanship*
This video is only minutes of quality knowledge he is sharing
He may talk a lot
But just imagine how many jobs his company has completed & how many projects he set the expectations & exceeded them.
Going back to jobs to correct items is a killer.
Walking up on a job & knowing what EXACTLY needs to be built or EXACTLY what failed is time & money!
Happy Customers come from Done right the first time
Exactly how you bid the work
And many years of going by many jobs ,,,STILL STANDING!
(=SKILLS={++++++++++÷÷~
ROCK 🤘 ON!
*
Would a light duty pickup truck on a 4ft wall constitute a surcharge and require geogrid?
Certainly it would - truck itself may not be heavy, but it's weight is distributed to four points, not quite big themselves. Also it is not a static weight - when you move out, and especially when parking, when you apply brake, dynamic pressure increases. It may not be after the first parking, but few months and you may see results.
Stan, I was just wondering about joint filling on a boulder wall where you said that matting is used behind the wall to stop soil leeching through. i had seen your pool man using a spray foam to seal between rocks on a pool installation. Would that product work on a boulder wall or would it be too expensive
@@xenonram Thank you Andrew
How do you lay the foundation for armour stone wall with geogrid if your base is clay to being with (Think river front)
I beg to differ on sand binding properties...
Sand will bind under moisture encapsulated sand bag, baked in sun and becomes a brick... not a firm brick, but it does hold its form until other properties take place...
The sand bag is this theory innovated... same concept without the baking...
I built a house out of sandbags I'm now on my second using tires and sandbags... I know about dirt for sure, this product would coexist in earth building if its cost effective
So your saying you can build a 14 foot retaining wall without using the geogrid
@@chuckbailey6835 yes...
Look up Mike Reynolds, he's using rammed earth in tires, and I've used them myself and they will not move, but using a traditional product along with thermal mass it could be probably the best structure one can build... and it will last 5 life times if not longer...
The tire acts like this product because it's a steel belt rubber encased brick.
Great job!!!
Thank you Chance !
stan, so for that 14' wall, would you install geogrid extending 14'out?
Yes, 1:1 ratio
Great info! Thank you!
Thanks Blair!
Great content!
Thank you Travis!
my grandfather built a stone wall 65 years ago with NO geo grid... & wall still looks like new....
Segmented block walls are garbage......
Stan thank you for all the good info. The explanation on geo grid thumbs up. Question are there any other applications for geo grid ? Like under a steep 30°+ lawn or hillside without a retaining wall.? Thanks again.
Hey Stan,Is there a way to use the geo grid on a poured concrete wall? My thought would be to put it in the gap between forms and cast it in, flap it up out of the way until backfilling (in layers) so it acts as a deadman as well as a stabilizer. Would it just be overkill?
A poured concrete retaining wall has a keyed foundation that goes into the retaining side of the wall. Normally going under the retained earth 1/3 the height of the wall. Have it engineered for your soil, load and earthquake zone.
I appreciate your input.This was a hypothetical question... no plans on building a wall right now. Would it be belt and suspenders, and elastic waistband maybe. how about geo-tech fabric unattached? Seems stabilizing the backfill would do more good than harm as long as drainage isn't effected... if no one ever questions current technique, innovation never happens... I'm a seasoned heavy equipment operator, and I often have to deal with engineer induced problems...I try to learn (thus watching Stan and others) So I'm not just a dumb stick monkey seat warmer.
@2:10 I have to say, Not my walls. I've built wall way before that grid was even a thought. They will not fail if designed properly. Grid not required.
Start with an engineered solid reinforced buttressed concrete wall and your done For Life.
the Backside BUTTRESS is the Key.
Expensive? No. It's way more expensive to pay for a replacement in 15 years. Its always expensive to pay twice for anything.
what brand of truck do you own
Great video a information. Thanks
Thank you David !
Isn’t drainage also just as important as Geo grid ?
Great video. I have a question for you. I plan on building a short retaining wall (28" high including cap) using versa lok standard blocks. The wall is 14' long and is holding back a small slope. Do I still need the geo grid? Thanks
Geogrid will help enourmously to reduce the lateral loading on the wall. Don't forget to add drainage behind the wall and install weep holes to reduce hydraulic pressure. You will get to design the as a gravity wall system so the footprint will be at least 10 foot wide.
@@Hitngan thank you for this information. I plan on using 3/4 gravel to about 23" high so I can plant grass on the last 5" thank you
He Blinded Me With Science.
We are getting ready to put in some retaining walls but they won't be over three feet tall. Do we need geogrid?
Good question
Can't hurt I guess. 1:1 ratio
Ya I am curious about this too, since mine as well won’t be more than 3 ft. Hate to say I am on a budget that doesn’t allow me to afford Geogrid. But it is not supporting a house as well
@@joshr19821 he said to use it on walls 4 feet or above.
I don't know why I love retaining wall😍
2:55. Ma is wandering away from the home again. Ma, get back here!
Do you use g o grid on concrete retaining walls?
He not gonna answer u because he doesn't know much
Would you use Geogrid with a concrete wall?