Building retaining wall?
Question:I am doing my first wall...never did this before.smile. My question is, if I am only going 2 rows high with castle wall do I still need to put first row underground? They would be going around a pre-existing garden that has that plastic stuff as edging...I won't even be adding any dirt behind this wall. Then I was gonna come out in front of that wall with a 2'x3' section to put annuals only making that 1 row high...for different level effect. Is it ok to only put block only 2" under...I will be putting dirt in this one thou. I look around at houses that have 1 row and they really don't appear to have another row under them...plz help, you people on here are great! I will say Thank You So Much now and have a great day.smile.
Answers:
You don't need to put the first level under.. I built mine 3 ft high and I didn't do that and the wall still holds. So 2 levels should be fine.. The weight of the wall will push down on the bottom row and it is not going to go anywhere... If you want, you can leave the tab on the bottom on and that will give you a little more 'bite' into the ground
You can put the first course only half in .Just on the surface, for what you are doing, will be OK , but will probably look better, and be more stable, if you put something in the ground . Couple points to remember , start at the lowest point , and knock the lip off the blocks , on the bottom course .
Depending on the size of the blocks you are going to use you do not need to put one row underground. I put large bricks around my vegetable garden and just put them under about 2 inches. Make sure they are level and I do suggest putting sand underneath them so they do not adjust over time. Stamp the sand down good before putting the bricks in. Then make sure they are level before you put another layer on top.
I have been doing this stuff for years and if anything is strong enough to knock down your wall then forget about the wall .Keep your eye on the house.You can build another wall at a reasonable price.Go for it.You sound constructive and i admire that in a person.
I would dig it in partially, maybe half way for the taller wall and a third of the way for shorter wall. Then put sand down before you place the blocks. This will do two things: 1) help with drainage, and 2) keep the blocks level over time (ground tends to shift due to moisture content fluctuation.
It's gonna look great!
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