How to build a retaining wall.

[LEXi73]

Looking good!

 

[Guest20182]

I'll be over about 10:30-11am.

EDIT: 1,000th post on my 1 year anniversary of joining the site FTW!

 

[Rosshole]

I have to run home and change ofter work, and then I will zip over there... I should be there around 5:45 - 6:15 ish...

 

[ecniemann]

I'll be over about 10:30-11am.

EDIT: 1,000th post on my 1 year anniversary of joining the site FTW!

I have to run home and change ofter work, and then I will zip over there... I should be there around 5:45 - 6:15 ish...

Noted.

 

[Rosshole]

Here is a quick update for what I helped with tonight (Carl... take pictures of all of the silly hard work that you guys have done!)

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I'll shoot some pics tomorrow when hopefully theres something to show. Taking pics of a trench isn't my cup of tea... and the wall work we did on the side was 99% E.

 

[ecniemann]

Pics look good Ross!!!!!!!!

I'll post an update of what we all did today in a bit. Haven't even eaten yet. Basically Carl and Brian (Zoom) busted ass on the back wall, while I did the tedious leveling of the side wall.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

busted ass? you mean busted concrete. lol

that was seriously random...

 

[Guest20182]

Not to mention the steel pipe going through your yard!

 

[ecniemann]

busted ass? you mean busted concrete. lol

that was seriously random...

Not to mention the steel pipe going through your yard!

LOL! Yeah, that s*** was messed up. I'll take some pics of that stuff tomorrow before we get started.

 

[Rosshole]

I'll shoot some pics tomorrow when hopefully theres something to show. Taking pics of a trench isn't my cup of tea... and the wall work we did on the side was 99% E.

Just bring your camera to show how much work you guys have got done...

 

[ecniemann]

So yeah, yesterday was mostly digging a trench for that back wall by Carl and Brian. 3 ft. in from the left hand side, Carl and Brian uncover an 8 in. diameter concrete post or something, that will be in the way. They later smashed it down a bit with a sledge that Brian had to go home and get. It had a huge eye-hook in it. No idea why that was there. Then mid-way down they uncover a cast iron pipe running perpendicular to the wall trench. It was not in the way though, as it is deep enough. My neighbor tells me that the original property owner behind us had a well there, but they condemned it, before he switched to city water. That land was then sold and partitioned off into 2 new lots, around 1997 or so, one of the lots being ours. Hopefully no more surprises like that occur.

I mostly finished up that side wall that Ross took pics of. I'm worried about the potential rain tomorrow. I'm thinking we HAVE to finish that first course today, if not higher.

 

[sanblaster]

pics!

 

[ecniemann]

pics!

Ross posted them. We'll take pics today before we get started of what Carl and Brian did yesterday, along with that concrete post and steel pipe.

 

[sanblaster]

We'll take pics today before we get started of what Carl and Brian did yesterday, along with that concrete post and steel pipe.

Yeah that is what I want to see.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

Didn't go for anything artistic like ross (Nice work btw), but here they are:
Weird things discovered and prior to todays work:

chunk 1 we cut off:

Side wall done:

As we were finishing up the back wall base (oh look its brian):

 

[sanblaster]

haha.

P.S. I don't like the little part of wall on the other side of the fence. I would have told you no E.

Don't forget to dig up that tile E, to see where and how it should get connected.

 

[Rosshole]

It looks like you guys got a ton of work done again today!

 

[Wagonbacker9]

It looks like you guys got a ton of work done again today!

I think we actually got more done yesterday, but today it started to look like something. before, it was just a trench. lol

 

[ecniemann]

haha.

P.S. I don't like the little part of wall on the other side of the fence. I would have told you no E.

Don't forget to dig up that tile E, to see where and how it should get connected.

Yeah, yeah.......

It looks like you guys got a ton of work done again today!

Yep. Brian and Carl busted ass again on the remainder of that trench. We filled it slightly with clay, to level it, using my "shavings" from the edger shovel that I used to even out the front edge along the line. We tamped that down solid, then put in around 3 inches of paver base all around, tamped it, and put about 2 more layers in, tamping both, for a fill volume of approximately 5 inches deep compacted. We got this nice and even/level using two 10 ft. conduit pipes and a screed. Carl and Brian had to leave, but I got 10 blocks laid on the base before softball. While Carl was working on that back wall, I finally completely finished the side, including putting the fence back up.

When Carl was just here, he uncovered 2 more concrete/re-bar posts that must have been used for reinforcement/guide of the timber base. We had to cut two of the re-bar rods sticking up, burning through 3 sawzall blades. That s*** had to of been hardened steel. It took 10-15 min. each cut for approximate 1/2 in. diameter re-bar. Carl posted pics of the re-bar sticking out of the ground, as well as one of the cut pieces. In his first pic, you can see that pipe in the ground running perpendicular to the trench.

I'm up early today to finish most of the wall before it rains tonight.