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We catch up with DIY expert Jenn Largesse to check in on her backyard renovation project. Her grand plans to install a shipping container pool means a retaining wall is necessary, and she and her landscaping contractor walk us through the process. After digging out the soil, they lay the necessary layers of gravel, fill, and concrete blocks to create a beautiful retaining wall to hold back the excavated soil.
Skill: ⅗
Cost: Over $1,000, varies based on size and stone
Time: 3 days
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Materials
Gravel [https://thd.co/3pP8nRD]
Slag [https://thd.co/3HXwofA]
Blocks [https://thd.co/360XIMX]
Drainage pipe [https://thd.co/35zIa2U]
Tools
Note: Most of the heavy equipment listed below is rentable. Just be sure to plan to ensure you’ll have the excavator and block lift attachment on-site at the same time.
Rentals:
Excavator [https://thd.co/3pOqqrh]
Block lift attachment (depending on the size of blocks) [https://thd.co/3pOqqrh]
Plate compactor [https://thd.co/3nmgvoA]
Shovel [https://amzn.to/3J0nCij]
2, 4, and 6-foot levels [https://amzn.to/3CrH0lP]
Screed rails [https://amzn.to/363qRHi] (pipes of the same diameter are fine)
Wheelbarrow [https://amzn.to/3hObx3E]
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How To Build a Block Retaining Wall | Ask This Old House
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