Temporary fix completed for unstable retaining wall on Notre Dame Academy's property. Part of a mid-hillside retaining wall came tumbling down into Victory.Broken Concrete for retaining wall. I am working on a project that sounds similar to what you have in mind. Sorry, I have no camera, so words will have to do. My yard is a long narrow valley, 3. X 8. 0 wide, whose sides are three to six feet above the ground level in the center. There are high wooden fences along the crest of the hill on each long side. Last summer I arranged to get broken- concrete chunks from a paving company working in the area (I paid about $5. I saved him the cost and gas of making dump runs) and used the three truckloads I thus obtained to make the first/outermost level of three terraced rows of beds I plan for the two long edges of my backyard. This first level consists of about 7. These upper beds vary from four to twelve feet in width. I laid out hose to determine the curves (wider is always better!), used a Mantis tiller to dig foot- deep foundations, which I shoveled out and lined with landscape cloth and 6. I was careful to slant the walls back into the hillside a bit, maybe six inches for every two feet of height. I have a plan, to use broken concrete in several terracing retaining walls. This is located on a slope of aprox 50 ft in elevation, and 100+ ft in length. I used no mortar or other leveling gravel; instead it was important to me not to move on to the next stone until the one I was working on was well- balanced and unwilling to shift. If it wouldn't fit, I used a different chunk, or tried that chunk elsewhere. I was also careful to look to establish smooth linkages between stones on the face of the wall folks would see, even if there were jagged backsides. Whenever there was an available crack in the face of a row I was capping I tucked in an egg- shaped local stone or two, mostly stained orange by the local clay, for contrast with the rough rectangles of the grey concrete. I also built a wide flight of broken- concrete steps to climb the slope from the back yard to the side of the house, with a paved slope adjacent to allow wheelbarrow access to the side- yard beds. Once the beds were built, I filled them lasagna style: layers of leaf mulch, well- rotted horse manure, local clay tilled up with sand and leafmulch, and so on, tamping them down a bit every couple of feet of depth and making sure to fill the beds a foot or so above the walls to allow for further settling. It took an amazing amount of stuff to fill those beds, and about 2/3 of it was free for the hauling! I have planted the top row already: several flowering trees I got in the fall sales (purple plum, crepe myrtle, tree lilac, a Briotia horse chestnut) and tall shrubs like lilac, eleaginus, kerria and the like, shorter shrubs like goldmound spirea and dwarf blueberry in front, and all underplanted with lots of shade- lovers like hellebores, gentians, ferns, hostas. And bulbs, especially along the walls themselves. There are clumps of various daylily planted hard against the walls too. This summer's project is the next row - - 1. I have to be done by May 2. Oh yes. To cut the recurrent labor of edging/weedwhacking lawn along all those beds, I plan to plant a foot or so swathe of ajuga against the lawn- edge of the bottom- most walls. What d'you think? Does this help any? The purpose of a brick retaining wall is to keep soil that is sloped and elevated from collapsing like a landslide. These walls are built to withstand a lot of pressure. How to repair and build a brick garden wall - B&Q for all your home and garden supplies and advice on all the latest DIY trends. A wood retaining wall is a nice addition to your property to create a terraced area. The problem is over time maintenance is needed due wood rot. Began work to fix the retaining wall. Turns out there is enough good concrete for me to attempt a patch, and if it works we will have saved thousands of. How to Repair a Brick Retaining Wall. The purpose of a brick retaining wall is to keep soil that is sloped and elevated from collapsing like a landslide. These walls are built to withstand a lot of pressure. Unlike a solid concrete wall or even a cinder block wall; a brick retaining wall typically needs more repair. The chief cause of a brick retaining wall requiring repair is due to crumbling and aged mortar. The mortar used to build a brick retaining wall is not a special kind of mortar so it can fail but it can also be repaired. The bricks themselves rarely fail but they can also be replaced. The article that follows will explain how this can be done. Step 1 – Determine the Damage. Knowing the extent of the damage is very important to how you are going to go about fixing the brick retaining wall. You will want to look for missing mortar as well as cracked bricks. Check for chunks of missing brick as well. Loose mortar will also need to be removed as, in time, it will crumble and fall out of the wall. Step 2 – Prepare the Wall. In order to repair the brick retaining wall you first need to remove the damage you found in Step 1. The easiest way to do this is by using a wire brush. The bristles are stiff enough to remove any loose brick or mortar. Brush over the wall with it using medium pressure so that you brush away loose mortar and piece of brick. If some of the bricks are too damaged to be repaired you can remove them. Place the chisel along the mortar and gently tap it with the mallet. Once enough mortar has been removed you can then remove the brick. Clean the leftover mortar from the bricks with the chisel until you have a clean surface. Step 3 – Repairing Mortar. Repairing bad mortar is fairly easy as it is done the same way as applying fresh mortar. Mix mortar in a bucket according to the packages directions. Mix it with a drill that has a mixing attachment on it. Make sure the mortar is smooth and thick like oatmeal. Use the trowel and put a thick layer of mortar over the area to be repaired and then spread it out. Apply as much mortar as needed in order to refill the emoty area. Step 4 – Replacing Bricks. Replacing brick in a retaining wall is also fairly simple. The mortar is mixed the same way as stated in Step 3 and is then applied in a thick layer in the site. The brick is placed on top of the mortar and is seated using the mallet to gently tap it down. Apply more mortar to the top and to the sides as needed in order to fill and spaces. Use the trowel to smooth the mortar over it and more mortar in any areas that require it.
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