How do I build a short retaining wall?
by
Bbunny42
+4
I need a retaining wall against my carport concrete slab to divert the water that washes over from the neighbor's slightly-higher lot. Some day my luck will run out and if we have heavy, fast rain parts of my house will be flooded. Someone suggested building it two cinder blocks high and putting a piece of clear plastic on the front side (side facing the neighbor's house). That sounds a little unsightly. Is there a better way? Should I mortar between the blocks? Are cinder blocks the best material to use? Thanks for your help.
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Cinder blocks with plastic would definitely be cheap and easy, but I fear they would be unsightly. They might also be a problem in terms of building codes, though that varies by location. Is there any way you could go down rather than up? By that I mean, could you dig a ditch, lay perforated drain pipe to divert the water toward the driveway or road or something and then cover over the pipe with some wire mesh and then stones? It's basically like you might do along a foundation to prevent water intrusion into a basement, but to protect from yard runoff rather than roof runoff. Again, you would need to check codes for your area, but it might be more attractive and should work unless there's a massive storm that floods a whole bunch of stuff in your area.
My husband built a low retaining wall for a garden. We would get flooded up to almost the top of the blocks and never lost any dirt, mulch, flower or shrub. He dug down a little bit and leveled the ground. He used regular garden blocks, laid the first row and glued them together with PL Premium. Then he glued the next layer to the bottom ones and to each other. You'll need to put in a few more rows than we needed, but you'll have a very solid wall if you glue the blocks together. I would suggest that you also look into a french drain to help divert the water.
Good thinking! I might even consider a consult with a foundation specialist too. See if these help.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2016/01/05/worried-about-rainwater-off-a-slope-flooding-your-home-heres-how-to-fix-it/
https://foundationrepairs.com/foundation-maintenance/retaining-walls-divert-water-away-from-foundations/
https://www.neavegroup.com/blog/storm-water/5-poor-drainage-solutions-to-divert-water-away-from-your-house/
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/best-ways-to-deal-storm-water
Hard to say without photos of the area. However, you do have some good advice above, I would definitely use the water drain off with the pipe as suggested, and make the wall higher than the dirt against the neighbors for even more protection of the rain run off
Here is an example that my husband installed. https://www.gardenupgreen.com/2018/11/how-heavy-rainfall-detoured-progress.html
Works like a charm now - some folks also just use railroad ties.