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How to Build a Treated Wood Retaining Wall: Special Tools
When you get into big retaining walls, you have to move a lot of dirt. It’s tempting to rent your own skid steer and do the excavating yourself. Don’t waste your time and money! We rented one for $250 and spent seven hours doing what a professional could have done in an hour and a half for under $150. But do rent a builder’s level or a transit for $20 a day to set your walls straight and level.
The other tools you’ll need are the basic ones that you probably already have. The standard apron tools plus a circular saw, drill, screw gun, 4-ft. level, carpenter’s square, stapler for the landscape fabric and some low-tech earth-moving equipment (shovels and wheelbarrows) will do the job. If you’re building a wall this size, consider renting a pneumatic framing gun ($25 a day) for nailing the planks on the back of the wall. It’ll save about six hours of grueling hand-nailing.
Three Steps For Ordering The Lumber And Hardware
Calculate The Number Of Stanchions:
Figure out lumber quantities by first determining how many stanchions you need. Divide the total wall length of each
tier by 4 and add 1 to get the total number you need to build. For each 40-ft. section, we needed 10 stanchions plus one for the end, making 11 for each wall. Two walls required double that number, or 22 stanchions.
For Each Stanchion, Order:
Three green treated 10-ft. long 2x6s for the below-grade components for every two stanchions.
One brown treated 8-ft. 2x6 for every post.
One brown treated 4-ft. 2x4 for every post.
Enough linear footage of brown treated 2x8 to cap the walls ordered, in any multiple of 4 ft.
Estimating the number of 2x6 planks for sheathing the wall is easy. You’ll need two linear feet of 2x6 for each square foot of wall surface area. Order the 2x6s in multiples of 4 ft. so the splices will land behind the 4-ft. spaced posts. You can use 8-ft., 12-ft. or even 16-ft. lengths.
For Each Stanchion, Order The Following Hardware:
Six sets of 5-1/2 in. x 3/8-in. hex head bolts with two washers and a nut.
One Simpson TS18 Twist Strap (or the equivalent; straps are probably special order) and about 20 galvanized joist hanger nails.
A quarter pound of hot-dipped galvanized 16d nails for fastening the 2x6 planks on the back of the posts.
20 sq. ft. of landscape fabric.
Three cubic feet of gravel (any type) for backfilling.
One cubic foot of sand for each post footing.
A 2-ft. long 1x2 stake for every stanchion.
One gallon of wood preservative.
Rent a Builder’s Level
Click image to enlarge.
A good-looking retaining wall depends on level footings, and the best way to establish level over long distances is with
a builder’s level. If you’re building a wall with only a couple of 4-ft. sections, you can get away with using a 4-ft. level, but for a longer wall, rent a builder’s level for about $25 a day.
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