Retaining Wall Installation - Making the Foundation
This is a do-it-yourself guide about How To Build a Retaining Wall.
A Retaining Wall System begins with creating a proper foundation for your wall. |

|
Retaining Wall Foundation
Draw a string at the location of the front of the projected wall.
|
|
 |
Mark the ground line with spray paint. |
Move the string and dig a trench 24 inches or 60 cm wide, with 20 inches or 50 cm behind the string and 4 inches or 10 cm in front. |
|
 |
The excavation must be deep enough to hold the foundation. |
You’ll need a trench 6 inches or 15 cm deep.
|
|
 |
An additional 10% of the total height of the Wall has to be under ground. |
Say you have a wall of 32 inches or 80 cm high, the depth of its foundation would be 6 inches or 15 cm. Add 10% of the total height which is 3 inches or 8 cm.
|
|
So for a wall of 32 inches or 80 cm high the total depth of the excavation would be 9 inches or 23 cm.
 |
Install the Geotextile as shown, in the back as well as at the bottom of the trench in order to prevent contamination of the foundation and the drainage system. |
|
Leave enough geotextile on the ground at the back of the wall to fold over the clean stone once the backfilling is completed. |
|
 |
Prepare a 6 inch or 15 cm foundation in two layers of 3 inches or 7.5 cm, using 0-3/4 inch or 0-20mm stone and compact each layer with a jumping jack or a vibrating plate. |
|
Continue our How To Build a Retaining Wall Guide - next section is Installing the Retaining Wall.
For more information about the Celtik Wall System to create beautiful and natural looking retaining walls you can view our video.
See also Retaining Wall Shapes
|