Anyone done retaining wall/block, flower bed?

[Jim727]

We did a 'landscape' retaining wall that worked out very well. Don't have a pic with me, but we used Allan Block's Abbey Blend and like it very much. See: SBI Materials :: The Most Extensive Supply Of Products In The Industry :: Retaining Walls :: Abbey Blend

As far as the driveway, we're badly in need of replacing ours. We'd like to go with pavers but it's a bit more expensive than poured concrete. With our soils, pavers are a better solution. Good online resource for DIY: Pavers, Interlocking Concrete Pavers, Paver Space

Jim

[RWebb]

for pavers, you excavate, lay down xx inches of crushed rock (no dust), THEN yy inches of sand, then the pavers

you have to tamp it all at each step with a vibrator (but I cheat and let the rain do the work for a year or two)

this is for the PNW, if you have frost-heave bad in your area you may need to do more

[willtel]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

This is what I mean by not level. Don't do this.

Are you referring to the top course tapering down with the grade?

[azasadny]

If you stain concrete, be sure to put on a sealer after you're done with the stain.

[enzo1]

Originally Posted by azasadny

If you stain concrete, be sure to put on a sealer after you're done with the stain.

and that bag of ??? to keep it from being slick

[rnln]

look,
when you do concrete under pavers drive way, do you still have the same thickness of concrete (3" or 3.5") or thinner concrete is ok?

[look 171]

The thickness of a 2x4, which is 3.5", is more then enough. You are not driving a big dump truck over it are you? Tell you the truth, I have not put in too many paver driveways. We did finished a good size deck with pavers for a patio type place with a outdoor kitchen last year. I suggested we back fill and pour concrete instead of dirt with sand then pavers on top of that due to the slope right outside of the back yard. The drop was about one foot every eight feet.

Jeff

[rnln]

Alright, I finally got some Belgard blocks. Coupd weeks ago, while breaking down my shower, my friend reminded me that spring is comming, time to plant (I told him last summer that I will need to plant some trees this spring). So, I left the shower to dig holes in the back yard. After a lot of "designing", I know that I need some retaining blocks for flower bed first, because there will be some trees on the flower bed. From flower bed, we then think about split level backyard.
We started out at Home Depot, then Lowes, then several other stores. Now, I ended up with the below Belgard, cost around 3 or 4 times more then the first one I picked, and hundred times heavier. After got them all to the backyard, we all exhausted, and "woke up", and "OMG, I can't believe we did this". Now, I will have days of hard work with these retaining blocks.
Last night, we were already started the conversation about pavers. I stopped everyone right after the second sentence and prayed for mysel

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by willtel

Are you referring to the top course tapering down with the grade?

Yes.

[azasadny]

What I used to stain and seal the patio... not slippery at all, as we textured the concrete with rock salt during the cure and the sealer and stain are holding up well...







The Smith Color Floor stain was mixed 1:1 with distilled water and applied with a thick nap roller. After thoroughly drying (next day), I applied the sealer with a mohair roller and then hit it very lightly with Toluene on the same roller to prevent bubbles from forming while it was drying.

[J P Stein]

I've done a bit on the retaining wall front over the years.
I did "dry stacking" using "one man rock"....specifically, Gray Camas Basalt.
I bough a pile of dirt with a house on it bout 36 years ago. I was then young, strong and just squeaking by financially. "One man rock" was not as heavy as it is today......& I had a ten pound hammer to make it so as the need arose.

Part way through this project I vowed to never buy another house on a sloping lot.....maybe that's why I'm still here.

There are some down sides to dry stacking not the least of which is stuff grows between the rocks whether or not you like it. It takes years to make the most unobjectionable growth as possible take up that space.....and it is still an ongoing battle.

It is a cold/gray day (mid 40s) day in Vancouver. Spring clean-up is coming so the yard looks kinda ratty.......the moss is really doing well!!.

BTW, there's about 60 tons of rock in the yard. Combine that with a bit of shovel work and you have a 6-8 year project.

.....