Timber retaining wall construction can be a fun undertaking. It gives you the opportunity to make your landscape have a unique feature that has both practical and aesthetic benefits.

Continue reading to learn more about how to build a timber retaining wall or get in touch with New Life Rockeries to speak with a retaining wall contractors installation specialist today.

How to Build Timber Retaining Walls: 7 Steps

Here are seven steps to build a wood retaining wall:

1. Using stakes and string, outline where you want to build your timber wall.
2. Dig a trench that is about a foot deep and between eight to 10 inches wide (just wide enough to accommodate your timbers of choice).
3. Backfill the trench with 6-inches of gravel and tamp it firmly to ensure that the foundation of your wall is secure.
4. At evenly-spaced intervals, drill three holes into your timber, keeping in mind the size of the holes in relation to the size of the timber and rebar you’re using. Lay the first beam in the trench and use a level to ensure that the first row is even.
5. Using a hammer, drive rebar through the holes to anchor the timber into the ground.
6. Place the second row of timber in a staggered manner on top of the first row and drill wood screws at intervals to secure the second row of timber to the first. Repeat until your wall is at its ideal height.
7. Pour one to two inches of drain rock behind the wall to ensure adequate drainage.

Elements of a Good Timber Retaining Wall

A quality-built timber wall will have these three elements:

• Efficient drainage to ensure the wood doesn’t rot.
• A solid foundation — usually composed of gravel.
• A sufficient height to ensure that it accomplishes its practical purpose (to prevent soil erosion).

3 Things to Avoid When Building a Timber Retaining Wall

Some of the most detrimental timber retaining wall construction errors include:

• Not adding sufficient drainage. This could result in landscape flooding and also faster deterioration of your wall.
• Not digging a deep enough trench. This can result in a not-so-secure retaining wall.
• Overestimating how difficult it is to build a timber retaining wall. Committing to building your own retaining wall requires perseverance and a certain amount of free time. If you lack either of these (even to the slightest degree), completing your project will prove very difficult. Instead of stressing over building your own wall, consider hiring a retaining wall installation service to do it for you.

Contact a Wood Timber Retaining Wall Installation Service Today

If you would like to hire a professional team to construct your timber retaining wall for you, get in touch with New Life Rockeries today.

Here at New Life Rockeries, our landscape professionals have been serving Washington homeowners for more than 30 years and we’d like to use our combined knowledge to help you get a timber retaining wall that brings you joy.

To learn more about our timber retaining wall services, get in touch with our team today.