Building a retaining wall with concrete sleepers is one of the easiest methods you can use to build a retaining wall.
How to build retaining wall with concrete sleepers.
Dig a shallow trench about a third of the height of the sleeper put a layer of shingle or waterproof membrane down.
Fill the hole in with concrete.
Sleeper retaining wall posts come in two varieties steel galvanised h beams or a vertical sleepers.
Durable it will last at least 4 times longer than a timber wall.
Once the concrete is set you can fix the backs of the sleepers together to strengthen it using.
Prepare a 50mm deep footing for your wall using a sand and cement mortar mix.
Maintenance free concrete sleepers will not rot burn warp split or flake and is resistant to termites white ants.
Dig around 600mm deep and 450mm.
Dig down to firm ground.
How to build a concrete sleeper retaining wall laying out.
Plan out your wall.
Install a drain behind the wall.
Excavate the area with the help of a mini loader with a 300mm auger.
How to build a retaining sleeper wall 1.
Continue building to the top.
Lay the first course of sleepers levelling them with sub base and leaving gaps for drainage.
Lay the second course on top of the first setting it back 25mm from the front.
Lay the first course of sleepers and fix by inserting metal rods through pre drilled holes into the footings as shown above.
In fact this system is a great option for diy.
Maintain the 25mm step back and ensure all sleepers are firmly fixed to the ones below.
Time now to concrete your posts into position.
Using sleepers as your posts costs about a third of the price of h beams.
Other systems you can use include timber sleepers which are also very light and easy to install but are also prone to rotting fading and white ant damage.