Retaining walls are not just for aesthetics, as they have a significant and crucial role in your home. A retaining wall can

1. hold the soil behind them;

2. add curb appeal;

3. provide more usable flat space for you;

4. manage your water runoff by slowing down the flow of rainwater; and

5. prevent erosion.

Your retaining wall can be built using different materials, such as wood timbers or bricks. But on this guide, you will know how to build a retaining wall with blocks and build a retaining wall on a slope. A heavy retaining wall block does its job at keeping the soil at bay perfectly by relying on its weight. And a retaining wall on a slope helps a lot to prevent erosion.

Here is your complete guide for wall building!

Can you build a retaining wall yourself?

Of course, you can! However, such a wall installation project may demand too much attention and time, so if you have a lot of time to do the retaining wall yourself, you are good to go! Here are some tips you can read if you are pushing through with this DIY retaining wall.

If you are aiming to have something lightweight, you can go for the small garden walls. They are very light since they are less than 8 inches high, so the blocks you will be using will be smaller and easy to move.

On the other side, if you are eyeing tall walls, you can go for a more enormous retaining wall about 3 feet tall. They are affordable to build, and the materials are highly accessible; this is why it is the most common DIY project to homeowners.

However, if you want taller walls higher than 3-feet, you might need to get building permits and talk to a professional structural engineer.

Materials and tools for building a retaining wall

Your materials will depend on your chosen type of wall and the total of money you will spend. This guide will totally help you with your wall projects.

Tools

  • Metal rake: this is used for leveling out the base rock.
  • Round point shovel: When you are a plant person and have plants to move, you will need this tool for digging and starting a footing.
  • Square blade shovel: Helpful for putting in gravel or sand.
  • Digging bar: You need to excavate or break up soil, rock, or concrete, and a digging bar is your friend in this kind of situation.
  • Level: Knowing if your work area and retaining wall rows are leveled is a must, so you will need a level for it.
  • Measuring tape: It is used to measure the site you will work on. Getting the measures correctly will help you build your retaining wall properly.
  • Caulking gun: This is an optional tool; however, this item will be helpful if you want to stick to finishing caps.
  • Hammer: It helps with driving stakes into the ground.
  • Hand tamper: It is used to compress ground and gravel.
  • Hose or rope: You are going to use this for outlining the shape.
  • Safety gear: To protect yourself from any unexpected accident, you should use safety glasses, gloves, a dust mask, ear protection, and knee pads.