Building a Retaining Wall - Video

Sloped laws are good for a number of things, but gardening is not one of them. If you want to turn your slope lawn to a flat area, your best solution is to build a retaining wall.

If you want to build your own wall, just remember it's a lot of work. So be prepared to spend a lot of time and energy to get this done. Otherwise, hire it out. Before you begin, make sure you have a building permit. You'll also want to make sure that you won't run into any pipes or wires when digging.

To build a low retaining wall, start by digging the trench a little wider than the stones, and a few inches deep. The higher your finished wall, the deeper you'll need to make your trench. For example, if you decide to make that retaining wall that's four feet high, you'll need a trench that's at least two feet deep. The idea is to make sure that the wall is firmly seated below ground, on a firm foundation that can withstand the pressure of the dirt and water behind the wall.

Make sure the bottom of the trench is as level as possible, and fill it with stone dust, or in deeper trenches, with concrete. Lay the stones in the trench, and make sure they are level. For the second, and all following layers, cut a stone in half and interlock it with an end stone on the bottom level. Continue laying down the stone, until you have reached the desired height. Be sure to interlock all of the stones.

When you have finished building the wall, put some landscaping fabric down behind it to keep the soil from working its way through the cracks. Finish off with topsoil, and level everything off. Then you can enjoy your new retaining wall.