How to Build a Wall With Landscape Blocks
Retaining walls can be used for many reasons. You can divide a yard, divert water run off and halt erosion. Building a wall with landscape blocks is a good weekend project that will add beauty and value to your lawn. Stone walls can create a lovely boarder for your garden or simply create a sitting area in your yard. Read on to find out how to build a wall with landscape blocks. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Flour or landscape paint
- Gloves
- Shovel
- Brick chisel
- Small sledgehammer
- Level
- Wooden stakes
- String
- Line level
- Soil tamper
- Gravel or rock dust
- Landscape fabric
- Interlocking stone blocks
- Topper stones, if desired
Instructions
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1
Estimate the number of blocks needed. Measure the line you wish to create with the wall and estimate that you will probably need at least one block per foot. Not all blocks are a foot, but you will need at least one block per foot, and buy extras. You would also want to check that there are no buried lines around the area you are planning to build.
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2
Use string to lay out the design you want the wall to create. Mark with flour or landscaping paint when the design is satisfactory.
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3
Dig a trench. Following the line you made for the wall dig a trench slightly larger than and as deep as the blocks you selected. Using the soil tamper, begin to level out the trench. Having the first layer of bricks being under the ground will add stability and give the wall a firm foundation.
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4
Add the gravel or rock dust and level out the trench again. After what has been added to the trench, your block should stick out above the ground about one to two inches. Start at the end that is against another structure to lay the block. If you are building a circle or other shape, start where the wall is most visible. Place the first stone and ensure that it is level. Place a stake at each end of the trench and string a level line between them. Use this as a guide for the rest of the first layer.
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5
Lay the next layer offset from the bottom layer. Continue laying stones with the lip of the stone firmly against the bottom layer until you have reached your desired height.
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Add the landscape cloth. When your wall is the desired height, lay landscaping cloth up against the wall and shovel gravel directly behind it for about six inches and up to the bottom of the top layer of bricks on the wall. Fill the rest of the area with fill dirt and level with the gravel. Finally, add topsoil to about one inch below the top of the wall. The gravel will stop dirt from coming through the cracks in the wall while still allowing for drainage.
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Tips & Warnings
Lay your design out with the hose if the wind is blowing your string.
Landscape blocks can only safely be stacked to a height of three to four feet. Anything over that height may require an engineer and a building permit.
