Inspiration & Advice
Building a Retaining Wall
Building a Retaining Wall
Never built a retaining wall before? No worries, Jack’s got your back (and your backyard). If your yard is a little slopey or you just want to level up your landscaping, building a retaining wall is a solid way to hold it all together – literally!
Retaining walls aren’t just there to look pretty, they’re unsung heroes of sloped blocks, runaway soil and garden beds that need structure.
Jack will walk you through the whole process one timber sleeper at a time. Our hero for this project – thanks @ashs.backyardgarden is Jack’s Retain-iT range.
Grab your gloves, channel your inner tradie and let’s build something that’ll make your neighbour say, “Wow, who did your wall”?
Let’s dig in.
What You'll Need
Tools & Materials
Additional materials needed for this project:
- Timber sleepers
- Concrete
- Scoria
- Slotted Ag Pipe
- Post hole digger or shovel
- Spirit level
- String line & stakes
- Measuring tape
- Circular Saw (if cutting sleepers)
Plan and measure
Always check local council regulations before starting your retaining wall
Dig post holes
Dig to a depth matching the retaining wall height
Set in post
Align remaining posts to the line and level them
Use the sleepers to hold posts in place and the spacing matches sleeper length
Concrete in the posts
Apply protective coating to the back of sleepers to prevent rot and extend lifespan
Insert timber sleepers
Make sure it's levelTime for drainage
Add 100-150mm layer of scoria and lay ag pipe on top of scoria, and then covering with another 200-250mm of scoria.
Drainage is important to prevent pressure build up which eventually pushes wall overBack fill with soil
