Retaining Wall questions???

[PorscheGAL]

Hoping you guys with all your infinite wisdom can help answer question.

I am planning to build a retaining wall in the front yard. Just a bed. I would like to use concrete blocks and facade it with stone. It is only going to be 2 ft high.

Question is that the wall will have a curve. When laying the blocks do I cut the back corner of the blocks to make the curve smooth?

I do know how to lay blocks in a straight line. My father added on to our home when I was growing up. Block foundation was used with me helping some. Unfortunately my dad who was the go to for these questions died in January.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[red-beard]

You cando it either way. Since you are planning to put stone on the front, why not just angle open the block on the front, and back fill with a smooth surface of concrete or mortar, when installing the facade.

Or, you could just build using stone blocks, say ones about 4 x 4 , and live with the openings. If you have to have tight closed stones, use a stone cutter and motar. Stone isn't that expensive, and might be cheaper than the stone facade over concrete block.

[URY914]

Depends on how tight the radius is.

[vash]

how long is this wall? i like RB's first suggestion.

could you have the wall formed up, and pour concrete with a stone liner mold on the outside? maybe too much $$ this way. but bombproof.

[PorscheGAL]

The Wall is 63 ft long. It is on a slope so I am planning on stepping it down along the straight edge. The curved section is 12 feet of it. I have 42 ft of straight wall, 8 feet curving, and 13 ft straight again. All together the angle is greater than 90 degrees. Best estimate 110-120 degrees, maybe.

This is going to border the front walk which I am also taking out to lay stone in place of concrete.

I don't need bombproof just attractive. Going for curb appeal. Got a classic, new construction front yard. Some sod and 8 bushes when there should be 12. I am adding the wall and plants.

[RWebb]

get those blocks that are made to lock together - they are already angle cut in the back -- dirt simple to build a wall w/no mortar & turn a curve too

[PorscheGAL]

Originally Posted by RWebb

get those blocks that are made to lock together - they are already angle cut in the back -- dirt simple to build a wall w/no mortar & turn a curve too

I agree that would be simple but not really the look I was going for. I am really stuck on the stone veneer.

[vash]

Originally Posted by RWebb

get those blocks that are made to lock together - they are already angle cut in the back -- dirt simple to build a wall w/no mortar & turn a curve too

i think the Unilock blocks are what you want. you get the rock face, and the ease of install.

[dad911]

Problem with a 2' High block wall is you really also need an 8-10" thick footing, below the frost line if you want it to last.

On the curve, if the radius isn't too tight, just open the joints and fill in with cement.

It may be easier to pour concrete wall, if you can rent forms. You are only looking at about 4 yards for a 6" thick wall, 3' high, 63' long.

What are you using on top? I assume 'face it with stone' means using a 'cultured stone'? They usually don't have much in the way of capstone.

I know it's not want you asked about, but I've used this on walls, very happy with it, dry stack looks more like stone than most products. techno-bloc:

[Zeke]

I can't quite do the trigonometry to figure out your radius from the figures you gave, but someone here can. Anyway, it looks to be pretty small radius for any block. I'd form the curved portion with some bender board and wet drywall and pour it solid. Multiple layers of thin plywood or paneling will work too. Sometimes you can buy damaged sheets for real cheap or pull some out of a dumpster.

You'll need some of these and they will help your stone veneer as well.

They tie the inner and outer form together. Normally you just break them off after the forms are stripped, but as I said, they can have a secondary use.

[HardDrive]

If its only 2 feet high, why not just build it out of real stone? I love the look of a tight dry stack wall.

[jyl]

You must have had some bad experiences with concrete lately . . .

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by jyl

You must have had some bad experiences with concrete lately . . .

LOL. Yeah, thats a fair assessment. I was on the jack hammer for a few hours just 2 days ago.....I think I missed my calling in life....

[NICKG]

Originally Posted by RWebb

get those blocks that are made to lock together - they are already angle cut in the back -- dirt simple to build a wall w/no mortar & turn a curve too

this is the way to do it, you can then stucco the outside and place your stones....

[dad911]

Originally Posted by NICKG

this is the way to do it, you can then stucco the outside and place your stones....

IMHO not stable enough. Dry stack or interlocking will move with heat/cool/frost.

If the OP wants to veneer a wall, it will need a concrete footer, or a poured wall.

HardDrive - Very nice wall.

[PorscheGAL]

Wow, HardDrive, nice wall. Dad911 yours is great for a future patio project.

Concrete footers are not too difficult. We are in South Carolina. Frost lines are not an issue here. My other question concerns cracking. The wall will have several step downs to follow the slope. If I pour a proper footer what is the risk of cracking?

Here is a small picture so you guys can see where this wall will be. I am going to change the walkway to a fieldstone walkway.



Thanks guys. Keep coming with the ideas.

['89cab]

Here are pics of a curved wall I built for seating and definition of space.

I used pvc to layout a shape that I liked (held in place with spikes or tent stakes).

Because of the yard’s slope and for proper drainage, I purchased a laser level from Costco that made my life easier. I used thin redwood bender board for the footing form.

Used thin rebar so it was easy to bend and poured the footing with redi-mix concrete.

I used the “H” shaped speed block. My most useful tool was a small electric grinder with a diamond cutoff blade/wheel attached to trim the speed block. You can make a shallow cut then bop it with a hammer to break off the piece you want removed. (I also used “8” shaped blocks and half size blocks on the ends of the walls.) Then rebar and concrete into the blocks.

Finally veneered the faces with a local stone. The diamond blade was priceless for this as well. I did not use the hardware that Milt referred to above. You will end up using more mortar on concave and convex surfaces than straight. I start at the bottom and work up when the first course is set and semi cured.

[jyl]

Confused. In your pic, I do not see any slope to "retain".

Is the wall going to run along the inside curve of the walkway, such that the bottom of the wall will be at the same grade as the existing walkway? If so, will you fill the planter area to raise it by 2 feet? Or is the wall going to be free-standing, as it were, rising 2 feet above both the walkway and the planter area?

Or is the wall going to run along the outside curve of the walkway?

[dad911]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

....My other question concerns cracking. The wall will have several step downs to follow the slope. If I pour a proper footer what is the risk of cracking?
.....

It may crack, but if you run 2 or 3 1/2" rebars (continuous & overlap) in the concrete, that will minimize the displacement.

sidewalk, but same idea:


Rebar should be elevated, so it is a few inches off of the bottom.

[PorscheGAL]

Originally Posted by jyl

Confused. In your pic, I do not see any slope to "retain".

Is the wall going to run along the inside curve of the walkway, such that the bottom of the wall will be at the same grade as the existing walkway? If so, will you fill the planter area to raise it by 2 feet? Or is the wall going to be free-standing, as it were, rising 2 feet above both the walkway and the planter area?

Or is the wall going to run along the outside curve of the walkway?

Maybe I was not completely clear. I am not using the wall for retaining the slope. I am going to essentially create a raised planter for the front bed of bushes. I am going to build the wall, back fill with good soil, and put the current + new plants back in. In the picture I am standing at the bottom of the slope. It slopes up toward the front door.