QA

How To Build A Cinder Block Retaining Wall

Are cinder blocks good for retaining walls?

Concrete blocks are ideal for building walls to hold back the soil after you dig into a slope for a pathway, patio, or another landscaping project. Retaining walls must be stronger than freestanding walls.

How much does it cost to build a cinder block retaining wall?

A cinder block retaining wall costs around $10 to $12 per square foot. The average concrete retaining wall costs between $20 to $30 per square foot for interlocking blocks, or $30 to $40 per square foot for poured concrete. A natural stone retaining wall costs between $27 and $35 per square foot.

How deep should a footing be for a block wall?

Normally a foundation wall with seven rows of blocks will be 24 inches wide and 12 inches deep and should have a footing 30 inches below grade.

Do you fill cinder blocks with concrete?

Whenever you are working with cinder block, you can strengthen them significantly by filling them with concrete. Cinder blocks are less expensive to work with than poured concrete in home construction projects, but they are not as strong.

What is the cheapest way to build a retaining wall?

What Is the Cheapest Type of Retaining Wall? The cheapest type of retaining wall is poured concrete. Prices start at $4.30 per square foot for poured concrete, $5.65 for interlocking concrete block, $6.15 for pressure-treated pine, and about $11 for stone.

Does a 2 foot retaining wall need drainage?

These walls need a drainage system regardless of the wall height. If there are poor draining soils such as clay behind the wall, there needs to be drainage incorporated the wall system. Clay when wet is very weak, so it is essential to provide a way for water to escape from behind the wall.

How tall can a retaining wall be?

Height variations can differ from state to state. but here are some rough guidelines to follow: * In New South Wales, you need permission from council to build a retaining wall higher than 600mm from ground level.

How much does a 100 foot retaining wall cost?

Retaining block walls will cost $16 per square foot for the average professional installation. That’s $1,600 for a 100 square foot retaining wall—basic, with no extras and under four feet.

How do you secure a cinder block to the ground?

Tie a piece of string between the stakes. Place a cinder block into one corner of the trench, right next to a wooden stake. Press the block down firmly, then slide the string down on the stakes until it touches the top edge of the block. The string will serve as your guide to laying the stones even with one another.

Do you have to mortar cinder blocks?

However, you can build a cinderblock wall without mortar, and it’s much easier than it sounds. First, dig a trench in your desired spot so that you can lay base footing for your cinderblock wall. Once you have the footing in place, apply a layer of surface bonding cement, then stack the first row of cinderblocks.

How much gap do you need between cinder blocks?

Lay out the block, making sure to leave a 3/8 inch gap between the blocks to allow for the vertical mortar joints (i.e., a typical 8x8x16 block is actually 15-5/8 inches long and 7-5/8 inches high to accommodate the mortar joint).

How much mortar do I need for cinder block wall?

Three bags of mortar are estimated for every 100 block, therefore 6-3/4 bags of mortar are needed ((225 block x 3 bags mortar) / 100 block = 6-3/4 bags of mortar).

What kind of concrete do you use to fill cinder blocks?

For cinder-block walls (and brick walls too), choose QUIKRETE® Mason Mix Type S. Forgiving to those who are not experts in masonry projects, the QUIKRETE® preblended mix remains workable for a long period of time, with no sacrifice of the high-bond strength that yields a successful project.

What is the difference between a cinder block and concrete block?

Cinder block is made of concrete and cinder. Concrete block is produced from steel, wood or cement. Cinder block is lighter than concrete blocks. Concrete block is heavier because it contains stone and sand.

How long will cinder block last?

As such, cinder block walls need the application of a waterproof coating and a damp-proof membrane at least once a decade. It is important to note that a house constructed using concrete blocks that use sand as aggregate will last anywhere between 50 and 100 years.

What is the easiest retaining wall to build?

For the average do-it-yourselfer, building a retaining wall is easiest when using masonry blocks that will be stacked no taller than three feet, with no mortar binding the stones or concrete members.

Can you build your own retaining wall?

Choose a DIY-friendly building material. Retaining walls can be made from wood, bricks, natural stones or concrete blocks. For DIYers, it’s best to use concrete retaining wall blocks, which can be interlocking and are heavy enough to stay in place without cement or other adhesive.

What can I do instead of a retaining wall?

Reinforced Soil Slopes. Reinforced soil slopes are a quick and easy construction style that uses a geotextile, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, to lock existing soil into place to create a reinforced mass. Natural Stone Walls. Wooden Timbers. Gabion Walls. Soil Bioengineered Walls.

Can you use sand as a base for a retaining wall?

To keep the blocks on your retaining wall level and structurally sound, you need a base layer of several inches of well compacted, sharp gravel. Be sure to use coarse builder’s sand, and tamp it down firmly to keep the sand from shifting and settling after the wall is built.

How high can a concrete sleeper retaining wall be?

For example, in New South Wales, you can only build your retaining wall up to 600mm from ground level without council approval while on the Gold Coast of Queensland, you need building approval for retaining walls 1 metre or more in height.

How high can you build a concrete block retaining wall?

Most retaining walls, whether load-bearing or not, average between 3 and 4 feet in height. As a general rule, you do not want to build any sort of structure over 4 feet in height without including some type of structural support within.

How high can I build a concrete block wall?

A: You are correct. A 4-inch-thick, nonreinforced concrete masonry screen wall should not be built higher than 6 feet, 8 inches unless it is supported laterally in the horizontal or vertical direction every 6 feet, 8 inches.