Retaining wall drainage question


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Old 07-22-19, 09:34 AM
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Retaining wall drainage question

Our house is on the crest of a small hill, and our front yard slopes a small bit where it meets the sidewalk. I'm wanting to place a small wall to prevent erosion in our front yard. When I say "small", I mean a one foot or so wall, buried 6 or so inches into the ground so that it roughly aligns with a concrete wall that's already in place. I'll be building a dry stack wall, not a poured concrete wall. I'm including a pic for reference. The wall will follow the red line. It's difficult to see in the pic, but the red line follows a path where our lawn is not "enclosed" by an existing concrete barrier.

Given the limited height of the wall, what type and level of drainage should I consider? I've researched online, and all the info I've found refers to retaining walls 3+ feet in height. I'm completely new to this sort of project, and am open to any and all advice/suggestions. I wanna do this correctly, as my wife and I consider this to be our "forever home". Thanks in advance!

 

Last edited by frawgster; 07-22-19 at 11:17 AM.
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Old 07-22-19, 09:39 AM
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A lot depends on the type of wall you build. A solid wall like poured concrete will definetely need drainage behind but if you use a dry stack retaining wall product you can probably get away without much for purpose built drainage.
 
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Old 07-22-19, 11:17 AM
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Thanks for the reply! I should've mentioned that I'm going with a dry stack setup. I'll edit my post to include. Thanks again!
 
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Old 07-22-19, 03:10 PM
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I've got 18" high stacked dimensional stone beds, no drains. 3' high bolder walls, no drains.

Used to have higher walls, those had drains, your good at 12" without!

Put in 6" of crushed limestone for base, best material for it!
 
 

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