Build a Retaining Wall | |
To build a 3-foot-high, 20-foot-long retaining wall, a landscaper will charge $950. You can buy the materials and do the work for $450, saving over 50 percent. This is not a job for the faint of heart because it involves some heavy-duty landscaping work with many hours of sweat equity. Using a lightweight retaining wall system by Alan Block Junior, the steps include: digging a trench for the first layer of sand or gravel and base block, and then leveling it smooth; installing and leveling the next layers so the seams are staggered and edges fit together; then backfilling and packing their pockets to lock the blocks in place. You'll need a wheelbarrow, shovel, carpenter's level, string line, line level and hammer. Have on hand a tamping tool, circular saw with a masonry blade and a chisel. |