[Bill Schwab]

Anything over 3' in 99% of the counties around the country requires a permit. Anything over 6' in height requires engineering. In order to get an accurate installion drawing you first have to order a soils report in order for the designer to create that working drawing. In some cases, location specific, the engineer may require a gloabl stability analysis.

Any block that you would buy from a place like Lowes or Home Depot for example, is not going to be a block designed for installations over 3' tall, simply because those suppliers don't want to assume the liability of walls built over 3'. What they sell is going to be tagged, labeled and disclaimerized in any form you imagine.

The previous advice that was given was not only excellent, but right on the money. Lets say you had the working drawings and permits necessary to build the wall you want. Chances are, you don't have the right compaction equopment to get the soil back to 90% after you install the Strata- Grid. And, if you rented the right stuff, there is a pretty strong chance those costs and time taken away from your family would not pencil out.