The Ultimate Guide To Retaining Wall Construction In Your Garden

Moving into your first home is an exciting experience. You are making your way in the world, and life is good. A brand new property will feature everything you need to live comfortably, but the developers often leave the backyard untouched. They understand that it is an area that people enjoy designing and transforming themselves. If the contractors were to place grass and flower beds there, the new owners will probably dig them up and make alterations.
When you design your backyard, you should change the levels in places to add an extra dimension. Take a look at all of the best gardens in your area, and you will see it is a fantastic way to add interest to the landscape.

To raise the level, you must construct a retaining wall. There are several ways to do it, but we are going to examine the use of bricks today. There are plenty of DIY tips out there to help you create a magnificent and robust feature that should last for the lifetime of your home. As it weathers, it will blend in and become an attractive addition. The material is vital. Use a hard product to prevent damage from frost and water. Blue bricks will last forever.

Here is a guide to building a wall; it isn’t as hard as you think.

1. Dig a trench for the foundation. It should be at least twelve inches deep and wide. If the ground is hard, you could get away with one that isn’t so deep, you must judge by the conditions.

2. Use a rammer to make the base of the trench firm. The more time you spend doing this, the less chance there is of the wall subsiding.

3. Place a layer of sand and hardcore in the trench. Make it half the depth and pound it until it is solid. The strength of the world depends on its foundation, so take your time. If you made the trench wider, you could use a vibrating compactor to do the work for you. It does a superior job and would be my first choice every time.

4. Fill the trench with concrete to just below the surface. The mix should be one part cement, three parts sand, and two parts gravel. Use an electric or petrol mixer because it is extremely hard work if you do it by hand.

5. When the concrete is hard, start laying the bricks. Make the mortar from one part cement to five parts building sand. Check the levels of the brickwork regularly with a spirit level to make sure the wall is vertical.

6. If the wall is to be above four courses high, I recommend that you make it double thickness.

7. Use the same mortar to fix capping stones to the top of the wall.

I suggest that you place a waterproof barrier behind the wall before you fill the area with fresh soil. It is a project that you might only need to do once during your time at the house. Pay for the best bricks and don’t skimp on the foundation. When the garden is mature, you can appreciate your hard work every time you look out of the window. I bet you never thought you could do it; now you know you can. That is a fantastic result.