Garden wall
Outdoor & decks

Build a garden or retaining wall

DIY OK
Stack a block wall up to 4 ft: base, drainage, courses, caps.
Sheet A-1 · Garden wall

30′ wall, 2′ tall

DIY OK
Blocks
111
medium block
Courses
5
6″ buried
Base
72
bags of gravel
Drain stone
120
bags
32–50 h of work
A long weekend, plus a few business days waiting on 811.
Draft
The rules behind this Sheet are waiting for a licensed pro’s sign-off.
Call 811 first — it’s the law
Call 811 a few business days before digging (your state sets the wait). Free. Wait for the utility markings.

Drawing

Section through the wall
1
Block 6″ H × 17½″ L × 11¼″ D. Each course sets back on the lip.
2
Cap Glued with block adhesive.
3
Drainage stone ¾″ clean stone, 12″ deep behind the wall.
4
Filter fabric Between stone and soil.
5
Base 6″ compacted gravel, 24″ wide.
6
Buried course At least 6″ below grade — keeps the toe from kicking out.
Not to scale horizontally. Setback exaggerated for clarity.

What to buy

8 items · 2 if needed
Save to your jobs to check things off in the store.
Concrete & landscape
Retaining wall block
6″ H × 17½″ L × 11¼″ D
111 blocks
Concrete block with a rear lip that sets each course back.
Wall cap
to match the block
22 caps
Flat finishing units glued on top.
Landscape block adhesive
10 oz tube
3 tubes
Glues caps to the top course.
Base gravel (paver base)
¾″ crushed stone with fines
72 bags (0.5 cu ft) — or 1.4 cu yd delivered
Crushed stone with fines; compacts into a firm, level base.
Leveling sand
If needed
½″ screed under the first course
4 bags
Keep the receipt — return it if you don’t use it.
Thin screed layer to fine-tune block or pavers.
Drainage stone, ¾″ clean
¾″ clean stone, no fines
120 bags (0.5 cu ft) — or 2.3 cu yd delivered
No fines, so water drains instead of pushing on the wall.
Landscape filter fabric
3 × 50 ft roll
1 roll
Keeps soil from clogging the drainage stone.
4″ perforated drain pipe with sock
If needed
10 ft sections
4 sections
Keep the receipt — return it if you don’t use it.
Carries water out from behind the wall.

Tools

You own 0 of 16 must-haves
Tap the ones you already own. That builds your Tool Shed as you go — no setup.

Must have

The job stalls without it.

Rent it

Costly to buy for one job. Rent it for a day.

Nice to have

Faster or cleaner, not required.

Order of work

32–50 h of work
01
Call 811 and wait for the utility markings.
02
Stake the wall line and set a string at the height of the first course.
03
Dig the trench 24″ wide × 12″ deep. Compact the bottom.
Check first
Check the trench depth at both ends against the string line.
04
Add base gravel in 2–3″ layers, compacting each one, to a flat 6″ pad.
Check first
Plate compactor on hand (rent it): compact every 2–3″ layer, or the wall settles and leans.
05
Set the first course on a thin screed of sand. Level every block side to side and front to back — take your time here.
Check first
Level every block side to side and front to back — errors on course one repeat all the way up.
06
Backfill in front of the first course. Fill 12″ behind the wall with drainage stone.
Check first
Drainage stone behind the wall, not the dirt you dug out.
07
Stack courses with joints staggered half a block. Sweep each course clean; backfill and compact behind every course.
Check first
Backfill and compact behind each course as you go.
08
Lay filter fabric between the stone and the soil; finish the top 6″ with topsoil.
09
Glue the caps down with block adhesive.

Mistakes that ruin the job

3 mistakes
1
A first course that isn’t level
Every error on course one repeats up the wall. Spend half your time on it.
2
Backfilling with the dirt you dug out
Without drainage stone, water pressure pushes the wall over within a few winters.
3
Skipping compaction
Loose base settles and the wall leans. Compact every 2–3″ layer.

Plan it

The load

To haul
13,480 lb
from the store to the room
Helpers
1
for some steps
Heaviest
Drainage stone, ¾″ clean · 120 bags · 6,000 lb
Base gravel (paver base) · 72 bags · 3,600 lb
Retaining wall block · 111 blocks · 3,330 lb
Bring a helper: unload and move materials
About 13,480 lb to move — have it delivered, or bring a helper and a hand truck or wheelbarrow.
Rent: Plate compactor, Concrete cut-off saw

When you’ll finish

Pick when you can start and how many hours you have.
Hours you can work
Each weekday evening
0
h
Each weekend day
8
h
Saved for every Sheet. Waits run overnight and on days off; work only fills the hours you have.

DIY vs hiring it out

Estimate
Typical US store prices and labor rates, not a quote. A real price can differ a lot.

Do it yourself

Materials
$1,500–$2,000
Tools to buy
16 must-haves you don’t own
Tape measure (25 ft), Mason's line + stakes, Line level, 4-ft level, …
Rentals
2
About $40–$90 a day each
Your time
32–50 h
Total
$1,500–$2,000 + tools

Hire a pro

Materials + 15%
$1,700–$2,300
Pros mark up what they buy
Labor
18 h × $65–$95
$1,150–$1,700
Their time
18 hours
Permits
usually none
Total
$2,850–$4,000

Before you go

0 of 6 checked
The small stuff that causes a second trip to the store.

Rules used

6 rules · Draft
Every number on this Sheet comes from these rules. A licensed pro reviews each one before a Sheet is marked verified.

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Project
Garden wall
Sheet
A-1
Date
Scale
Not to scale
DIY time
32–50 h
Rules
Draft — pending pro review
Other common sizes
10 ft × 2 ft
20 ft × 3 ft