Retaining wall

[DiskDoctr]

Well, got my retaining wall up and starting to level yard.

I used my new Mahindra 3510 to dig back the edge of the yard, then to both fill the back with 2B gravel and the base and front with 2A modified.

It is much smaller than the big backhoe, so it takes longer, but man- you can get within about an inch or so of exactly where you want to put the material or dig. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Just thought I'd share. This took a full day, then about an hour the next, after getting more blocks.

-JC

 

[DiskDoctr]

Here is another picture.

-JC

 

[DiskDoctr]

And one more...

-JC

 

[cperky]

Looks Nice!

Wish I had a FEL!!

 

[GerardC]

Nice work. Looks professional /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif. G

 

[deere_x475guy]

Sure does look professional. I will have some retaining walls to build myself next spring. Don't think I can afford the blocks though. I have about 1000' total varying in height from 18" to 4 feet.

 

[DAP]

Who threw that tomato at you while you were snapping that pic?

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[herdfan]

That looks nice.
That's looks like a lot to accomplish in that short time period.
How many people were on the job?
I need to put in something similar, but don't know about the time budget.

 

[Typhoon]

That looks really sharp!! Just curious, but when you build a wall like that, do you use a level for each brick to keep the whole thing level? And did you use sand as a base?

 

[Phred]

JC,

Looks sharp.

Sounds like several of us have a similar project in mind.

Can we talk you into a pictorial step by step?

Fred

 

[DiskDoctr]

Fred,

Thanks for the compliment!

Sorry, can't do a pictorial- already have the wall up! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

But, I can put together what I did fairly clearly when I get back. I will be out of town a few days and have to finish some paperwork now.

I'll be back Thurs or Fri. Maybe I'll get some time on the road to work something up...

-JC

 

[tracdoc]

JC,

Very nice job, indeed. Did you use the Pavestone Anchor Diamond blocks for your project? As neophytes, we found them to be quite easy to work with when we built a retaining wall when we were living in AZ. Our wall was on average 4-6 feet high, fronting a waterway through the community, and provided the border for our tumbled paver stone patio behind the wall. We leveled and set the first course in sand, and the remaining courses simply locked in place.

We got all our materials from Pavestone in Phoenix, but they have nationwide production and distribution. We found prices direct were far better than H-D or Lowes. For the patio part of the project, we had Pavestone tumble our pavers (for a small charge) to give them that softer "Old World" look. Neither H-D nor Lowes could offer that service. For anyone interested, you can see their prodcut lineup, etc. at:
PAVESTONE

When we were preparing, we found a couple of other manufacturers who offered similar products. We went with Pavestone since their production facility was local, and delivery charges were nominal. Readers may find one of these other companies closer to them:
BELGARD

ANCHORWALL

Again, congrats on a fine, well-done project.

 

[DiskDoctr]

Tracdoc,

I used Garden Wall interlocking block (with the lip on the back of each block)

They are really only supposed to be used for about 36" or so, since they are designed to lean backwards and after that many courses (4" per block), the weight would be unbalanced.

We completely burried the bottom course to prevent kickout and put the gravel behind the wall to support it forward and to prevent the clay and dirt from pushing the wall.

I got the stone from a local supplier, at just under $2/ea. It wasn't cheap, but it's permanent.

I'll post a new picture as soon as the weather clears up. We added a top ring to encircle the tree and step the ground for a better to level.

Sorry I didn't notice your post earlier, else I would've responsed sooner.

Thanks to all for the compliments.

-JC

 

[DiskDoctr]

Here is a new picture with the top ring around the tree.

You can see that we have started to level the ground above the ring.

We will shortly fill in the tree area with gravel, then some sort of decorative stone. We're planning to put some potted bushes or other plants/flowers into this area.

Figure avoiding dirt will prevent weeds, and the poison ivy that continuously grows on that tree /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-JC

 

[herdfan]

More sunbathers in the background? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[DiskDoctr]

Herdfan,

Yeah, guess nobody got the joke last time. Must've figured I was serious /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Those are some "unimproved" areas I haven't gotten to yet and didn't want to show until fixed up.

-JC