Retaining Wall Using Landscaping Blocks

[jimiz]

I am planning to replace an old cmu block retaining wall that is leaning and about to fall over. The retaining wall seperates my front yard and drive way. The wall starts at 18" and reaches a heighth of around 9'. I thought that landscaping blocks would be good to use because I could lay them myself to save a large cost on labor. I also thought they would match the brick better than the ugly cmu.

Has anyone built a wall of this height using the landscaping blocks? Are there any tips for someone that hasn't laid block before? Any suggestions or advice concerning the choice of materials for the wall?

I appreciate any help in this. Thank you.

[Stonehenge]

Moved to homeowner forum.

[HardDaysKnight]

Originally posted by jimiz
I am planning to replace an old cmu block retaining wall that is leaning and about to fall over. The retaining wall seperates my front yard and drive way. The wall starts at 18" and reaches a heighth of around 9'. I thought that landscaping blocks would be good to use because I could lay them myself to save a large cost on labor. I also thought they would match the brick better than the ugly cmu.

Has anyone built a wall of this height using the landscaping blocks? Are there any tips for someone that hasn't laid block before? Any suggestions or advice concerning the choice of materials for the wall?

I appreciate any help in this. Thank you.
Hello and welcome to GTX. A red flag goes up when you asked
about landscaping blocks and also a 9ft finished ht. It tells
me that this project is NOT for the homeowner or handyman
to even consider tackling. If you sensed gas fumes , would you
consider replacing the furnace or even a valve to save labor costs?
A 9ft wall has mandatory engineering specifications and this
project must be done by a lic./ins. professional. I applaud you
for your determination in thinking about taking on this wall,
but I can't stress enough how qualified you HAVE to be to
build that wall correctly, safely and to code.

[Bill Schwab]

Anything over 3' in 99% of the counties around the country requires a permit. Anything over 6' in height requires engineering. In order to get an accurate installion drawing you first have to order a soils report in order for the designer to create that working drawing. In some cases, location specific, the engineer may require a gloabl stability analysis.

Any block that you would buy from a place like Lowes or Home Depot for example, is not going to be a block designed for installations over 3' tall, simply because those suppliers don't want to assume the liability of walls built over 3'. What they sell is going to be tagged, labeled and disclaimerized in any form you imagine.

The previous advice that was given was not only excellent, but right on the money. Lets say you had the working drawings and permits necessary to build the wall you want. Chances are, you don't have the right compaction equopment to get the soil back to 90% after you install the Strata- Grid. And, if you rented the right stuff, there is a pretty strong chance those costs and time taken away from your family would not pencil out.