Retaining wall options...
Discussion
After some ideas.
We have a steeply sloped garden. We've built kid's climbing frame on the slope using postcreted supports etc.
We'd now like to create a level area around the climbing frame and ultimately surround with bark chipping etc.
Because it's on a slope, some of the flat area will be dug into the hill and will have to retain earth behind it. Some of it will be raised up and will the 'wall' will need to retain earth that forms the flat area.
It won't be a regular shape square or rectangle but could have straight edges or curved, not yet decided.
Plan A was to buy a lot of 100/150mm round fence posts and build that up as a perimeter of logs. Maybe every few logs would have been longer an dug down deeper into the earth and submerged in postcrete. Then tie the whole lot together with timber or metail horizontal members that would end up buried.
Would look something like this:
The trouble with doing this is sheer cost. I estimate we'd be at around £1200 in timber alone so I just want to explore other ideas first.
I should say that this point that I'm much more comfortable with timber than I am with bricks and mortar but no options are off the table yet. Aesthetics will be important too.
I'll share some photos in minute.
We have a steeply sloped garden. We've built kid's climbing frame on the slope using postcreted supports etc.
We'd now like to create a level area around the climbing frame and ultimately surround with bark chipping etc.
Because it's on a slope, some of the flat area will be dug into the hill and will have to retain earth behind it. Some of it will be raised up and will the 'wall' will need to retain earth that forms the flat area.
It won't be a regular shape square or rectangle but could have straight edges or curved, not yet decided.
Plan A was to buy a lot of 100/150mm round fence posts and build that up as a perimeter of logs. Maybe every few logs would have been longer an dug down deeper into the earth and submerged in postcrete. Then tie the whole lot together with timber or metail horizontal members that would end up buried.
Would look something like this:
The trouble with doing this is sheer cost. I estimate we'd be at around £1200 in timber alone so I just want to explore other ideas first.
I should say that this point that I'm much more comfortable with timber than I am with bricks and mortar but no options are off the table yet. Aesthetics will be important too.
I'll share some photos in minute.
https://www.sure-green.com/1-2m-wooden-fencing-pos...
Buying in bulk rather than individual pricing will work cheaper. Go speak to your local timber yard. If they can supply the posts you want. There will be a discount for a bulk buy.
Buying in bulk rather than individual pricing will work cheaper. Go speak to your local timber yard. If they can supply the posts you want. There will be a discount for a bulk buy.
Some round here are like that and after maybe 15/20 years they are falling apart. Not only is the "wall" no longer supporting anything, but it's going to be difficult to replace them.
Sleepers could be another option, although not likely to be cheaper. A lot of the cost is in the labour and time, once you've weighed it up you're better using blocks and having something which won't rot in 20 years time. You can use something like Allen Blocks if you want to avoid mortar, not as expensive as you may think and easy enough to put together.
https://www.allanblock.co.uk/ab-collection.aspx
Sleepers could be another option, although not likely to be cheaper. A lot of the cost is in the labour and time, once you've weighed it up you're better using blocks and having something which won't rot in 20 years time. You can use something like Allen Blocks if you want to avoid mortar, not as expensive as you may think and easy enough to put together.
https://www.allanblock.co.uk/ab-collection.aspx
essayer said:
voram said:
Gabions?
This, beats maintaining wood doesn’t it?Any other option you choose other than gabions, will be a lot more expensive to buy and install.
Most natural garden friendly option as well, as the garden grows into the gabions over time and they disappear.
We have these for a retaing wall, https://www.andertonconcrete.co.uk/range/structura...
Wold need prettying up, probably not cheap to do either
Wold need prettying up, probably not cheap to do either
The solution I used was concrete post and concrete gravel boards to retain the wet earth and then I faced it with wood. So I get the aesthetic of a wooden fence but the longevity of concrete. You just need to dig a few holes for the posts.
Won't do curves but can do angles to a point so maybe not suitable but I know that in 20 years it will not have rotted and if the wood facing is a little shabby it can be replaced. I used the method to replace a wooden post 'retaining wall' which had rotted away.
From this
to this
Won't do curves but can do angles to a point so maybe not suitable but I know that in 20 years it will not have rotted and if the wood facing is a little shabby it can be replaced. I used the method to replace a wooden post 'retaining wall' which had rotted away.
From this
to this
This is what I did the end.
5-6" treated posts every 900mm ish into postcrete. Then 22mm horizontal gravel board in between.
It's not quite finished yet. I need to tidy up the post tops and the area behind the higher retaining wall needs back filling but almost there.
Biggest headache by far is that this area used to have several pine and fir trees growing in it and we found so many of the routes and trunks as we moved earth around. I wanted to use a mini digger but it was a nightmare getting hold of one and by the time one was due to turn up we'd more or less done the lot by hand so I didn't bother.
Very happy with end result though lots of work to do to tidy up.
Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 29th September 17:39
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