[john67elco]

Howdy guys. For hours upon hours I have been reading up on and watching youtube how-to videos on retaining walls. I am going to be installing a retaining wall on a cabin in the southern california mountains. It does snow there. I have been figuring on an Allen block segmented wall using gravel (wall rock-aggregate). My fat huge question is the slope is really heavy going up the hill. My plan is to dump the wood stairs and landing to go with steps inside the retaining, but not sure if a 12" landing and an 8" drop per block would be suffeceint on a slop that I am looking at. Could you check the photo and give me any advice? The area in black is where I am figuring the steps would head up the hill and drop into that concrete landing. Thanks for any info.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/...dfe8c5.jpg?v=0

[agla]

Well, it looks like 11 risers to your existing wood stairs and it looks like the landing at the top of those stairs indicates that the total rise to the top of the second retaining wall is probably about 6'. That would be about 9 risers of 8". That means at least 8' horizontally for your steps as you've described them. Honestly, if you can't figure that it indicates that you are way over your head.

It looks like the slope continues to rise from that second wall. You should make sure that you plan out all of the project to completion or you may cause situations that require more structure or drainage problems as a result.

Another problem is that you are planning on building a 6' wall that has a very steep slope below it. Any retaining wall over 4' is required to have a structural engineer design how it will be put together (the reinforcement). It would be a very big liability for you to build this wall without a structural engineer because it can easily fail. Your previous methods of retaining indicate that you have no clue of what it takes to hold back a slope. You need to understand that the wall you are proposing to build can easily easily fail under those conditions and kill someone in the process (hence the requirement for engineering).

Youtube is for entertainment.

[VoodooChile]

And retaining wall construction is for professionals!

[Fine Edge]

Just based on the pic you posted, I think the steps, wall & landing are possible but you will need some professional guidance on this one.

Listen to agla. There's no sense in just throwing your money out the window because without the proper installation and engineering, you will rebuilding in a short time.

Contrary to popular belief, professional landscapers just don't have the ability to throw blocks upon each other and push sand & soil in a wheelbarrow. We actually use ( and have had to relearn ) all the math that was taught us throughout our schooling.
Areas, circumference, slopes, fractions, estimating volume, square footage calculations, along with ever-learning general knowledge in plumbing basics, drainage calculations, lighting and electrical terminology and applications are just a FEW of the things we HAVE to know.

If you're watching a you-tube video on how to build your complicated wall and steps, you need to stop doing that. Danger awaits.

[agla]

Now this is good Youtube:

YouTube - Bootsy Collins - Stretchin'Out

[LandArts]

Here's one of my favs:
YouTube - Spoon Slide Guitar

[Stonehenge]

Yeah, I think you're in a bit of a pickle. If I had to guess, site access is probably just about impossible, making everything hand work - hand excavation, hand delivery of materials, etc. Hiring it out will most certainly cost a small fortune. However, tackling this as a first time project will most certainly result in disaster. Unless you spend a couple thousand on an engineer (or have one as a friend who's willing to put his/her stamp on a plan), this project is going to be beyond your capabilities. Even if you have an IQ of 200. You just don't have enough time in the saddle for something like this.

My advice would be to find some way to construct a different set of wooden steps, if new steps is what you're after. The "retaining wall" that's pictured was poorly designed, so that's going to have to go, no matter what (it'll either go to the trash heap or down the hill - but either way, it's gonna go). To replace it, you might try to construct a timber retaining wall. Again, not as permament as an SRW wall, but better than what's there. But you're still going to need to consult someone who knows the engineering side of this, otherwise it'll fail in no time.

[john67elco]

thx for all your replies. First off I did not build this current wall lol. I am in escrow and lining up work before it closes. I will first get an estimate before I attempt. Yes I have been planing on draininage but seriously, an engineer for a 3' wall?
thx for all replies.



Edit... sorry I didnt add something very important. Only 1 foot from the top of that 2nd retaining is a drivway (almost no slope there). That second slope is retained by the city in block which is past the driveway..
Here is a dirrerent photo from top
view from top on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[agla]

You indicated that you want steps going through the wall in the area marked in the picture. In order to do that you need to make the wall high enoughto retain the height of the ground at the point where the top step meets grade. If you have an 8" rise and 12" run, you'll go back 5' from the face of the wall to reach the hieght of the wall. Clearly, the grade is much higher than 3' when you get back 5', so you would have an unretained 2' cut at the top of your stairs with a slope above it.

Stairs have to continue until they intersect the grade. The sides of that set of stairs would have to be retained by what is called cheek walls. If you are looking to replace just the lower wall to the height that it is currently, you'll either have to have wood stairs or cut the steps in parallel to the slope (like the wood steps are) with a second tier wall for at least as the length of your steps or the slope above will bury them. You would still need wood steps to get you up the rest of the way.

The assumption was that you understood the rise/run thing and were planning on building the wall to full height. You marked an area for steps that might,but they are starting at the top of your 3' wall rather than the bottom of it.

It lends itself well to a 2 tiered wall set up with a built in set of steps that has a landing and turns 90 degrees, but it is a much more of a project than you are describing.

I think you should just replace the wall and forget about building the steps into it after reading your second post. Keep it simple if you have to do it yourself.

[john67elco]

Alga you have some very detailed post and I wish you were located in Calif. With that 3 ft wall and not installing steps what would a ball park 3' retain run? I have been figuring in about. It is 50' long (it extends behind me about 15 ft). I think the steps are throwing me way to far off. I need to keep it simple.