How to make a retaining wall with your own hands?

Smooth relief on the site where the garden will be is the owners' dream, but reality sometimes collides with other circumstances. If the territory is hilly, there is no need to despair: the garden can turn out even better. There is no need for maximum alignment, laborious and costly. In the landscape design on your own site, you can introduce something more interesting, for example, a retaining wall. And you can do it yourself.

Before you roll up your sleeves and get to work, you need to "study the materiel", namely: to understand how the structure itself works. This will plan the work and give some guarantees of the success of the enterprise.

The retaining wall consists of:

• a foundation that is underground (almost completely) and takes the load;
• bodies - this is the basic part of the structure, as a rule, vertical;
• drainage: due to artificial drainage, the probability of wall destruction from moisture is low.

The next stage is the calculation of the structure. On the opposite side, ground pressure acts on the wall, so its design must be careful. At the dacha, walls are usually erected, the height of which ranges from 30 cm to 1.5 m. These are small structures, therefore, in performing calculations, you can do without specialists.

The exact dimensions of the structure will be determined by the topography of the site, its steepness and the length of the slopes. With a slight and even slope, it is possible to organize stepped terraces with not very high supports (30-50 cm). In this case, even a foundation is not needed: the walls are installed in shallow trenches, the bottom of which is covered and compacted with sand. If the ledges are high (up to 140 cm), a recessed base is necessary.

Calculations for the depth of the foundation are as follows:

• 15-30 cm - low ledge;
• 30-50 - medium;
• 60-80 - walls with a height of more than half a meter.

The depth will also depend on the type of soil: whether it is prone to landslides, frost heaving. And, of course, from external forces acting on the capital structure.

Retaining elements are made to hold ground masses on them and prevent them from slipping. Such installations must be reinforced so that the soil does not crumble. The wall must clearly withstand the expected load, which means that the main properties of the retaining structure should be stability and strength. The wall can be made by hand, and it is often cheap, because the choice of materials is variable.

Let's consider what materials can be suitable for creating a structure.

• Stone. If they do not build from it, then they are revetted with it. Retaining wall is often associated with stone, as it looks most convincing in such a structure. A solution can hold the stone together, but the option of dry masonry is well worth considering. If such a solution seems complicated and expensive, it is possible to cover the object with an artificial stone.

• Brick. If you want conciseness, neatness and at the same time expressiveness, brickwork is ideal. You can use both solid brick and clinker. Such designs will look especially harmonious together with a brick house.

• Wood. To decorate with the help of a wooden wall the height differences are usually "entrusted" to a log or a bar.But if the wall is small and low, a board will do. Such an installation will definitely require waterproofing, gravel.

• Concrete. And this material is the most plastic, in terms of the shape of the structure and size, it gives the greatest spread. You can use concrete as a self-sufficient material, or you can combine it with subsequent decorative cladding.

• Metal. Inclined metal sheets with reinforcement are not such a frequent solution, they are not suitable for all areas. But it can also be considered.

If something is not on the farm, you can rent it. But first, it is worth deciding what the wall will be made of, and understanding how to organize it technologically. Sometimes the first step is to read the instructions for each material: then it will become clear which option is more advantageous in a particular situation.

The construction itself is a well-defined technological process. It is not enough to be a decorator or a designer, because you still need to follow all engineering requirements in your work. They are different for each material. Let's get acquainted in more detail with the methods of erecting walls.

Most often, the owners decide to use logs: this material is strong and thick, and will last a long time. The bar is also used. Boards, as already noted, are chosen less often.

In the instructions for the construction of a wooden wall, the main points are as follows:

• the diameter of the logs should not be less than 25 cm;
• each log must be dug into the ground 40 cm (minimum);
• the constituent walls are installed extremely tightly, otherwise the support will not be reliable;
• fastening is carried out using clamps or fittings;
• the first stage is laying the foundation, the second is drainage, and although a simple gravel cushion is necessarily created, the tree is thoroughly processed with all impregnations that increase the efficiency of its operation;
• on the reverse side, you must not forget to fill in a layer of any material for water drainage.

This is a wonderful material and the retaining wall comes out very beautiful. But it is sometimes difficult to work with a stone, therefore this option is considered only by the most daring. Work begins with the formation of drainage and foundation, which fit into a pre-created trench. The foundation must be reinforced with reinforcement or wire. After the foundation has solidified, you can proceed to the laying itself.

Granite, quartzite, diabase - this is what is used most often. You can also see limestone, limestone, cobblestone, sandstone. The type of masonry is always individual, you can do it in the classical way, or you can dry it. The preference for the classic masonry is understandable, since any owner will find something to fill the voids with. This can be, for example, a soil in which the same flower, moss or grass seeds are pre-mixed.

Experts warn: it is very important not to make cruciform joints in the process of laying a stone. They affect the strength of the entire structure, and have a negative effect. But the chess scheme will always save you from force majeure.

It seems that even step-by-step instructions are not needed here. A retaining brick wall is erected in the same way as a house from the same material. The solution is mixed and brickwork is done.

Attention should be paid to the following points:

• a low wall up to half a meter - there is enough masonry in half a brick;
• a wall up to a meter high requires a width of 1 brick;
• between the wall and the foundation, it is imperative to lay a drainage system that will protect the material.

A reliable wall will be made of concrete. Enough strong dressing, competent laying of drainage, formwork, waterproofing and drainage and, finally, correct mixing of the solution. Those who have worked with concrete at least once will definitely not be confused. But concrete can only be the base of the wall. Decorative materials will make it finished to the end.

Retaining walls are also made from:

• slate;
• professional sheet;
• tires;
• branches;
• metal;
• any available materials: the design can be combined.

The principle of manufacturing almost always implies the scheme "foundation - waterproofing - drainage - reliable masonry or other building of the wall - decorative completion of the work".

Not everyone fully understands what opportunities the construction of retaining walls opens up. And there are really a lot of them.

The retaining wall can perform the following functions.

• Form a terrace. It's easy to see how popular terracing has become. Recreation areas, sports grounds, swimming pools are arranged there - and all this can be done even on steep slopes.
• Decorate the slope by strengthening it. The wall helps to create a clear cut of the slope. And he will not be afraid of crumbling. This factor is decisive if it is decided to equip paths, flat areas on such relief areas.
• Set up a vegetable garden in difficult conditions. At a high level of groundwater, it is impossible to break a vegetable garden otherwise. The solution is this: to organize a local filling of imported soil, to form fertile terraces.
• Zoning the territory. The delineation of individual areas will be clear, the selection will be accentuated. The plot can even be divided into levels.
• Arrange the built-in hardware. For example, put a bench there, repeating the shape of the wall. Construction for years, because the wall itself is capital.
• Decoratively enrich the site. Retaining wall is a good engineering trick that landscape designers actively use. It emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the site. And you can play around this theme indefinitely: think over the style, plantings, plan the type of wall, which will be all-season.

Near the high retaining walls, vines will look beautiful, hugging the structure with a green canvas. Clematis, maiden grapes and aquilegia look great at the base. Hops and simple sweet peas are also in harmony with the retaining wall.

Even if the wall is very small, it will make the landscape attractive, perhaps become its "highlight". It seems that the construction will take money, effort, time. But often the remnants of building materials are used, ideas grow out of nothing, and the structure becomes multifunctional and beloved by the owners and their guests.

How to make a retaining wall, see the video.