I’m in excavation too and the amount of time customers want to build a block wall with absolutely no drainage and to gravel back fill for drainage is mind blowing

Just finished a 3 summer patio project here in the mtns of Colorado. OMG. This Colorado Clay I swear is tougher than concrete. (Side note-I moved here from Brooklyn Park 4.5 years ago). Anyway, the overall project was built on a (somewhat) gentle slope that had a 4 foot drop from one end to the other on an area of 35' x 45'. Main area was 15x45 with pavers and retaining wall and steps up to the ''upper level'' that had a 10x14 pergola put on it. Again, pavers and retaining wall that was 2 foot tall. A labor of love, and a sense of humor, along with lots of ibuprofen. Came out way better than expected. This was a once in a lifetime project, but I did have fun. It was a gift to the Mrs. All she wanted was a little paver patio...and I was a guy with a vision, and a rough idea of how to (sorta) go about it. A little over $8,000 in pavers, bricks, quickcrete, pergola, road base, and rental of a compactor and mini ex (neighbor owns a skidsteer which was free-thanks Kentucky). Minimum weight of everything brought in is at about 105,000 lbs. 75,000 lbs was road base that was all hand shoveled from my utility trailer, and you know that the pavers and bricks and quickcrete was all moved at least 3 to 5 times from the first time of setting eyes on it. Now that the project is done, I'm finely actually looking at videos such as yours and thinking ''Well, some things I seemed to get kind of right, other things I could have maybe done better or a bit different. But, the Mrs is happy, I'm happy, the early part of the project has not come apart after the first couple of years, and the HOA did not complain. Thanks for your time and effort with these videos.

you put so much information in this one, I am going to have to watch it several times

Priceless information that I will use this wknd as I build my small garden wall. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the subject.

Your Versa-Lok videos got me through my wall and steps...THANKS!

Thanks for the info. I get to redo my retaining wall at my house. The previous owners did not put any drainage rock on the backside of the wall. Needless to say, the wall is pushing out. At least now you have given me a starting point for info.

Thank you for all of your knowledge of retaining walls, and Happy Thanksgiving

i definitely want to make more terraces on my property. i want to minimize the slope and maximize the "usable" flat space. also, terraces look amazing! but a lot of work for a very small crew. also other projects have delayed the main project, so we hope to get it done next year. im still looking for a thick adhesive i can use to bond slate to slate for initial holding before the main concrete pours.its a labor of love and art though, but im ready to start the next significant project of mine haha... i just need an engineer and designer and larger contractor to do the major bits, while i take care of the artistic side of the slate wall look. so i plan to have concrete retaining walls poured professionally, with a 6 inch or so lip from the foundation up, for placing the slate to mortar in place. and i hope to have the drainage be professionally engineered into the design, since solid concrete has its own issues with drainage on slopes i suppose, and i want these to last for ten thousand years at least haha...

Lots of good information, thanks!

so much knowledge. thanks!

thanks for the info!

This was like a masterclass in retaining wall building - gives me the confidence to build a few small ones around my home! For some reason I'm still slightly stuck on the calculation of buried block + base when planning step-ups on a slope - is there an email I can send you a very basic/rough picture of my slope and the wall I plan to build so you can advise where I should stop and start each step-up and the material depth? I think my slope is about 3:1 or 4:1. Thank you!!

Thanks, bro!!

You the man brother God bless!

Great video, I appreciate all the knowledge that you share, I have had learn alot from your videos it has help in my business, I watch your videos from Iowa

I NEED a retaining wall - almost EXACTLY like this. Necessary due to a 'downhill' next-door neighbor. His lot was stepped down about 24 - 30" below mine. All I have now on the west side of my lot is about 8' of flat dirt, then a slope down to the wood fence.

I hope you have a great holiday tomorrow! Thanks for always providing us "noobs" with great knowledge!

Nice one Stan. 👍👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Great video guys! Happy Thanksgiving

Love the videos

Hi Stanley, Love all your retaining wall videos. I’m planning to diy my backyard to remove a slope and add to my usable space. My question is how to I divide the slope from my neighbor’s yard and transition to mine? Our properties are both 63 x 111 ft. But the slope takes up about 18 ft of my backyard and my neighbor.

Nice job.

When Alex said he was going to get the Calculator out did he really mean he was just gonna call Blaine? 😂

What is the minimum radius for a trapezoid block corner like you built, for excavation layout? Also, when is geotextile fabric used under the angular aggregate and is #57 or #67 best? I did not see a 12" width of trench or gravel behind those blocks so does that vary with each job? And finally, why did you step up turning into corners? Did that not re-introduce surcharge going to less than a 2' base on a slope? Otherwise, a very informative video for my forthcoming long retaining wall with two curved ends. Thanks.

3/4 clear underneath the wall well you haven't built on super clayfield soils like where I live it is straight clay no sand no nothing just clay and sometimes Rock. The clay will hold water let's just put it this way when you plant a tree you want to leave it up just a little bit otherwise it will drown in the hole you dug for it. Because you put it in the clay pot. We use a 5/8 crushed rock with fines in it. Seems to work where I'm from.

When you’re talking about 1:1, 2:1 3:1 slopes are you referring to in roofing terms 1:1 being a 12/12 pitch 12 inch rise over 12 inch run, 2:1 being 6/12 pitch, 3:1 being a 4/12 so on and so forth?

Very nicely explained! If you ran 12" of gravel behind the retaining wall and drainage pipe, would that not take the pressure of the earth pushing the wall over?

Just my opinions here... First, I love the way you guys build 'em, getting everything right before the first block even goes down, and making the first course as perfect as possible. That said... People should ALWAYS use geogrid, and for one simple reason: Stabilizing a WALL is only ONE benefit of the grid, and obviously, isn't really a concern with a knee-high wall. However, the SOIL stabilization it creates is the other major benefit. You go in and do any sort of excavation in dirt that has stabilized over time, and the cohesion it built up disappears. Stabilizing any sort of granular material is exactly what the grid does. Personally, TX-130S was my go to material. I don't work for them, or get any money from them. Every time I've used it, I bought it at the local supply store, just like everyone else. I used a number of other materials as well, from multiple manufacturers, but I used to buy the TX-130S six rolls at a time. I kept that stuff on a rack, to make cutting easier, and I used it like hot sauce. I put that stuff on everything.

Great update I'll look to see if you have a vid on small rounded retaining wall ( 9' diameter) on on a slightly slanted yard that will run into th slope. (From front to back is 18" to 2'.)

awesome thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and crew

Very good information in this video Stan. Wish I could’ve met you and picked your brain at the recent trade show in Louisville. I started my landscape company, basically a one man show 6 years ago and have slowly been transforming the type of work I’m getting into. Your videos and content has inspired me and I’ve learned a lot from it. One question though, should you not make sure your wall footing gets below the frost line to help with winter heaving?

Well Done!!!

At the end of the retaining wall ( at the .14 second mark) do you backfill the side with 12 inches of 3/4 clean or does that simply die into the dirt? I know there is a minimum of 12 inches of 3/4 clean behind the wall but what about the side? Thank you for all your videos. They have been extremely helpful!

Are they using fiskars shovel?

Are the pins only used on the curves? Is there a situation every block would need to be pinned? Do you prefer to secure the cap stones with mortar or adhesive?

do you have a video on just the drainage part? in depth

Have you got any videos on railway sleeper retaining walls? I see these quite often but noone seems to go into any sort of detail about the weight of the soil. Is it a different ball game because the sleepers are usually pushed up against posts, or are the posts still likely to be pushed out by the soil? Thanks

Do you recommend any kind of fabric for drainage rock?

If the retaining wall is 4’ exactly, can I still use this process?

I didn’t see use of jumping jack or plate compactor . Will it sink a little ?

Do you need any licenses/certifications to build one of these walls or do you just need a permit from the city.

I've done lot's of walls first is the most important part

We are building a wall by our pool, should we not butt the block up to the concrete?

Can I send you a short video or some pictures. I need some advice on an area in my yard that I want to level out. I was thinking about a retaing wall but I just don't know.

Do you use grid on a driveway culvert using stone if only 3 ft tall? Thanks

In my own backyard, I had to use a shovel… it sucked. Now if I had one of those cute little excavators….

I need creative ideas to keep for my guys busy in the winter time. We live in Montana. Any videos on that? We do snow management but what do you do in between storms when “shop cleanup” has been over done.

Deserves a whole video to cover build, equipment and fish/stingray!

What is geo grid?

Be it walls or interlock when it comes to base depth I always feel more comfortable just going a little thicker than I know I need to, I use 3/4 clear as a base and then an inch or less of hpb/1/4 chip clear as a screed layer. I go through the same freeze thaw as you do so it always gives me peace of mind doing 8-10 inches of base and screed and just leaves a lot more room for any water that comes out of the ground or makes it way into the base to settle without ever coming close to making an issue for me. I know 6 inches would be perfectly fine but I am definitely an over do it type of guy I guess

What do you think of the wall victory outdoors did with a concrete footing with blocks wet set on it?

If height limit is 48” to avoid a permit, is that just the exposed portion? For example, are the buried blocks part of that 48” height limit?

You don’t put fabric down below the base 3/4 inch gravel? I’ve heard that can help prevent issues with your base

Bill Murray said everyone needs a big toe. Your are big toe Stanly…. Classic movie Strips!

So I have a little retaining wall which looks like it's just big pieces of stone on their side that were concreted together (like natural looking stone, not stone blocks like in this video). Behind that wall is a small garden and surrounding it is lawn, so basically if I want to build a new retaining wall there properly, I'm going to have to remove that entire garden to fill it with aggregate? Then do I need a perforated pipe at the bottom of the aggregate or is the aggregate what allows it to drain properly?

I need you to move to Texas. Thanks

Stanley, happy Thanksgiving, Tom Thompson

Happy Thanksgiving Stan

I wish you guys are in my city lol

does this apply to freezing states like the north of the US?

Sitting outside freezing, watching guys in tank tops sweating their butts off is a weird experience. As always love the video though!

Anyway you do it,it's back breaking work!! That's why you want to do it right the first time you do a job like this.I have great respect for poeple who do this kind of work.Thanks 😅.

Obscure musical reference...Charlie Wilson...you dropped a bomb on me...On a more serious note, do you have videos featuring "grid"?

Great vid. Always super inspiring and actually allows for me to learn the proper way to hard scape.

here to help

How many years did it take you to aquire all of your knowledge on building retaining walls?

Did they put 6 inches of rocks, didn't see anything.

Looks good expensive,!

Great video Great information. I still haven't done a full retaining wall yet. I have a former property that needed a retaining wall, but the customer was too cheap to even think about paying for that. He was a cheap customer and a former customer. But you gave a lot of good info in this video.

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

What is the name of the block you use sir.

I need a retaining wall in St. Cloud mn, you guys work up here at all? Know anyone who’s good around central MN?

The more engineers involved the better?

FINALY got some 💩done on the channel!

I got a question for ya Stan I noticed you got a guy smoking on sight what's your policy about employees and smokeing

I bet your guy can’t wait to use that new kubota excavator

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Damn, his muscled got me swaetin' What a Hot Man!

I wish my boss cared this much not only for our customers sake, but personally i like understanding the whys of how things are done what they prevent or intended purpose. Cant teach us what he doesnt know or care about though.

Stan slide plane will push the wall over every time. Hope you and your family have a great holiday

Do you glue down the caps? People will move them, if not steal them or worse. Sadly.

Comment

What is the name of your blocks and where can I get them

What does your man have against belts, also can that poor bobcat get some love, make a video of just some repairs

I just have to say that after watching these guys for years they really don’t know what there doing. No geo textile underneath, to small of a plate compactor and the 4 foot rule for grid isn’t used by real professionals anymore

Happy Thanksgiving everybody

That mulch strip in front of the wall makes no sense... Why not put the wall directly against the walkway or back a bit further and plant a small hedgerow?... I personally would have used stone instead of mulch in a situation like this because of wash out and maintenance

In my own backyard, I had to use a shovel… it sucked. Now if I had one of those cute little excavators….