log retaining wall behind round pen

[AD18]

I assume that since you have alder and cedar you're on the west side of the Cascades too. My experience with alder will be simular to what you will be dealing with, i.e. If it is in contact with the soil you will see the bottom log rot within a year. Fungus will sprout and the bugs move in. If used for fence rails, mounted on pt posts, treated with preservative after the bark peels you can expect to get several years of service. My nieghbor has this setup around his garden to keep the deer and elk out. Any river rock in your area? Good luck with whatever design you choose.

 

[bigballer]

thanks for all the replies and ideas - yep i'm on the west side of the cascades 40 miles west of stevens pass on hwy 2 right in the middle of alder/ceder/fir/hemlock country. i don't have access to affordable river rock but i do have a local quarry that sells 1/2 man cut basalt at a decent price ($26/ton) so i've decided to go that route. i'll need about 10 ton for the 100sqft face which will mean alot of trips to the quarry but building out of rock means no need to worry about replacing in 5-10-20 years so once it's done, it's done.

thanks again for the input - i figured i saved myself alot of future headache by using this great resource of experienced folks!

 

[EddieWalker]

Building with rock sounds like an awesome idea. Like you said, it will last forever, but it will also add value to your place!!!!

Post some pictures when you start it, rock walls are always allot of fun to see being built.

Eddie

 

[bigballer]

yes eddie, i too believe the rock walls are a thing of beauty and stand the test of time. a couple years ago i built a similar wall to protect my barn but used large 1 man rocks.

well here is the beginning stages - the wall is cut back and the trench is dug for the perfpipe which will drain into the swale. i have a load of washed 1-1/4" being delivered this morning so a few trips to the quarry should get me started - will post more pics as things progress - not much to look at right now..

 

[bigballer]

update on the progress of this wall, it's mostly completed now, 7 ton of rock and about 5 yards of 1 1/4 washed rock behind it.. i didn't have time to get my backhoe on the tractor this weekend so i still need to finish extending the outlets to the swale. we had a good soaker last weekend and it was pushing water out both ends of the pipe so looks like it's going to do the trick..

 

[RedDirt]

That's a beautiful wall you are building. I like the curve and the battered face. The curve and angle compliment each other nicely. This was a much better choice than the alder logs! It will be appreciated for decades, long after several alder walls would have rotted.

For others doing such projects and using corrugated perf pipes. Take care to grade your bedding layer of gravel as close to flat as possible. Forensic engineers here have found a large number of failures due to dips in the pipe. This aspect is of much less concern for a dry laid rock wall like bigballer's but becomes critical in an impermeable wall installation. Most civil engineers I have dealt with in the past ten years have ceased specifying corrugated perf all together and have gone back to rigid perf or slotted pipes. In critical areas like basement foundations it is also a good practice to place a layer of filter fabric between the earth cut and the gravel. We normally run the gravel up to 18"-24" below grade, run the filter fabric over the top of the gravel, then compact a moisture conditioned soil cap above the gravel. The higher the clay content of the cap the better. The fabric keeps the gravel clean and the cap keeps the subdrain system from being over charged with surface runoff which should be led away from the building at at least 1/4in/ft.

For corrugated perf I'd use a tool similar to a long concrete float but hinged longitudinally to flatten the bed before pipe installation.

Another practice that that used to be common and is now frowned upon is the wrapping the perf pipe itself in filter fabric. We used to call these "Burritos". These drains have a high rate of failure due to the fines clogging the perf holes relatively quickly.

 

[EddieWalker]

bigballer,

Thanks for the update. Your wall looks amazing and I'm sure you've increased the value of your land tremendously!!! Definately a project to be proud of.

RedDirt,

Thank you for the information. What you say makes allot of sense, but it's stuff I hadn't considered or thought about. If you only do a few or less walls a year, it's not something that I keep up on.

Would similar advice would apply to french drains? Solid pipe and no burrito wraps?

Eddie

 

[RedDirt]

bigballer,

Thanks for the update. Your wall looks amazing and I'm sure you've increased the value of your land tremendously!!! Definately a project to be proud of.

RedDirt,

Thank you for the information. What you say makes allot of sense, but it's stuff I hadn't considered or thought about. If you only do a few or less walls a year, it's not something that I keep up on.

Would similar advice would apply to french drains? Solid pipe and no burrito wraps?

Eddie

Eddie,
French drains should get the same attention as retaining wall and foundation drains for the best results. But a french drain failure rarely carries the same implications as a leak directly into the basement from built up hydrostatic pressure and a clogged foundation drain. None-the-less, rigid pipe is better than flex pipe if you can spring for the extra bucks. If you still want to use flex, fine, just pay special attention to preparing the bed flat. And I wouldn't use a burrito wrap on ANY perf drain pipe anymore.