Building a brick retaining wall is a great way to add character, privacy and security to your home. It can also serve many other purposes such as creating a patio or walkway, or even adding structure to your garden. However, one of the biggest challenges when building a brick retaining wall is ensuring that it stays strong and stable over time.
The best way to ensure that your brick retaining wall stays strong and stable is by using mortar. Mortar is made up of cement, sand and water which will help bind together the bricks or blocks that you use in your wall. This allows them to withstand heavy loads better than they would on their own because they are held together by this bond rather than just being stacked up haphazardly like most people do when building their walls out of bricks (or blocks).
But what if you don’t want to use mortar? What if you just want to build a brick retaining wall without mortar? Well fortunately for you there are still ways around this problem! You just need some creativity Here’s how:
Brick retaining wall may be one of the easiest and most versatile retaining walls, but you must know how to do it correctly. This article will show you how to properly build a brick wall.
Order your pavers.
Once you’ve determined where you want to place the wall and how tall it will be, order your pavers. Make sure to get a good quality brick paver that has been manufactured in the U.S. The best pavers are made from concrete with a high silica content, which makes them durable and resistant to cracking, but they must be of a high strength rating (ASTM C1260).
Be aware that while there are many benefits to using mortarless retaining walls, they’re not always as durable as masonry-based walls. If you live in an area where there’s heavy rainfall or snowfall, consider placing drainage systems at the base of your retaining wall so water doesn’t pool up around it and cause erosion or damage over time.
Prep the area for your retaining wall.
- Prepare the area for your retaining wall by removing any debris, plants, grass, weeds and rocks.
- Then remove any gravel or dirt that is on top of the soil.
- Remove any sand if necessary using a sifter sieve or shoveling it out completely (this will depend on how much sand is present). You want to make sure there is no extra sand as this can cause cracks in your brickwork later on down the road if there isn’t enough soil behind it.
- If you have clay soil then use plastic mesh over top before laying down concrete blocks as this will help prevent cracks from occurring due to expansion when wet weather hits your area!
Build a gravel base for your retaining wall.
To make sure that your brick retaining wall stays straight and level, build a gravel base for it. This will give you a sturdy foundation to build on.
Use a shovel to dig a trench along the bottom of the area where you want your retaining wall. The depth of this trench should be equal to or deeper than the height of your pavers (the bricks that will form the top layer). You can use a level to make sure each side is level with one another before proceeding.
Make sure that the trench is wide enough so that it accommodates both sides of your pavers without overlapping them or leaving gaps between them. If you have gaps between each row, then fill them in with dirt as needed before continuing with step 4 below.
Build the first course of pavers.
Place the first paver on the ground. Before you begin laying pavers, make sure that the space is level, square, plumb and straight. Once you’ve done this and placed your first paver in place, use a spirit level to make sure it’s staying put—if it isn’t, move it over by as little as 1/4″ until it’s level.
Once you have all of this checked off your list and feel confident that everything is good to go with your first brick course, start building!
Continue building your wall, adding courses as needed.
Once you’ve reached the desired height, continue building your wall, adding courses as needed. As you work, keep a level on hand to make sure that your bricks are straight and vertical.
Add gravel to the sides of your retaining wall and behind it, if needed.
- Add gravel to the sides of your retaining wall and behind it, if needed.
- If you need to add gravel to the sides of your retaining wall, you should add 1 to 2 inches of gravel to the sides of your wall.
When you have established the idea of using pavers to build a retaining wall without mortar, then you need to start preparing the area where you would build the wall.
When you have established the idea of using pavers to build a retaining wall without mortar, then you need to start preparing the area where you would build the wall.
First of all, make sure that your area is free from debris. You will be digging in and around it so any leftover wood or leaves can create problems later on in building your retaining wall.
Second of all, make sure that your area is level before you start building your retaining wall with pavers. You don’t want one side higher than another because this may cause drainage issues if water collects there over time due to gravity pulling down on it (if you built it right).
Thirdly, prepare for a gravel base underneath where your brick retaining wall will be built so that whatever dirt/gravel mixture comes up when digging into porous soil doesn’t get stuck between stones while they’re being laid out on top without mortar between each stone that makes up this type of brick structure – essentially creating an almost “floating” layer instead!
Conclusion
We hope this article has given you the guidance you need to build your own retaining wall. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and we will get back with you as soon as possible.
