Retaining walls have found their place as one of the most common additions and inclusions in both professional and do it yourself landscaping projects. For creating raised beds, retaining slopes, creating focal points, and a list of other landscaping applications, the concrete retaining wall block is an easy to install cost effective element.

Besides being easy to install, pre fab concrete retaining wall blocks are available in a variety of colors and styles that will go with the exterior and style of most homes. And while the styles and mechanics of blocks will vary by manufacturer, the basics of installation and construction are pretty much the same for all of them.

Retaining Wall Ideas And applications

Most applications of retaining walls have a purpose such as terracing a slope or creating raised planting beds. And while building a wall for such a purpose seems pretty straight forward, there are endless creative ways to do it. The first directory of retaining wall ideas and pictures that we created has hundreds of pictures of retaining wall projects designed by some of the most talented landscaping contractors and designers in the business.

See Retaining Wall Ideas.

Excavation And Preparation

Taking an assessment of your work site, digging your footing, and preparing your base might require a little thought and simple engineering to ensure your walls are stable and level. The following videos will lead you through the steps while also making some good points for thought in your landscaping project.

Again, while these videos may be from specific manufacturers of varied types of wall blocks, the principles of construction are basically the same. And regardless of many variations in block types, they all have basically the same shape and mechanisms for locking together. Keep that in mind while watching the videos.

Designing
Planning
Retaining Walls Building Materials
Project Preparation And Layout
Creating A Level Base Course

Construction

This first video is of a complete raised flower bed project from start to finish using the type of retaining wall blocks that are most commonly found at your do it yourself or home center. While the other videos in this directory cover a lot of details, this video shows how to build walls in its simplest form. It may be the only tutorial you need. See How To Install Retaining Walls.

Another one of our earlier directories is a collection of step by step instructions for building walls and raised planter beds. See step by step wall building instructions to get a good education on the basics of building and construction. And along another path but worth mentioning here is the option of building walls from natural stone. See Rock Garden Walls if you may be interested in creating a retainer from natural stone.

Additional Support

Using Geogrid For Added Wall Support

Backfill And Finish

Back Filling And Compacting