Retaining Wall Construction Building A Timber Retaining Wall

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Retaining Wall Construction Building A Timber
Retaining Wall

• Developed by
• Dr. Teri Hamlin
• Georgia Department of Education

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Timber Retaining Wall

• To level a steep slope
• Enclose an area for a decorative garden
• Elevate Beds

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Which wood?

• Treated pine and hardwoods are good choices for a
  timber retaining wall.
• Avoid old railway timbers as these are treated
  with creosote, which harms some plants and heavy
  to work with.
• Also need reinforcing rods secure the structure.

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Steps

• Cut a beveled trench into the slope, wet the
  trench and tamp it well.

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Steps

• Set the first timber in place and level it.
• This course will be completely buried in the
  ground.

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Steps

• The timbers are installed in a pattern similar to
  a brick wall with the butt ends of timbers in one
  course offset from those in the courses above and
  below.

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Steps

• Set a second timber on top of the first and bore
  a hole through the two timbers.
• Use a heavy-duty drill with an extension bit.
• A small bit burns out on long holes such as
  these.
• Drive a reinforcing rod through the holes into
  the ground to hold the timbers firmly together.

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Steps

• In addition to the 15 degrees inward slope of the
  wall, vertical stability is achieved by
  installing tiebacks.
• These are single timbers inserted perpendicularly
  from the face of the wall into the soil backfill
  to a distance equal to their height above the
  base of the wall.

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Steps

• Continue to lay the timbers
• staggering the joints from one course to the next
• Drill holes and use a reinforcing rod to pin each
  timber to the one below on each side of every
  joint.
• Cut timbers with a sharp chain saw, and wear
  goggles to protect your eyes from flying chips.

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Steps

• Backfill where necessary.
• For drainage,
• Drill weep holes along the wall's length
• Drill a row of holes above the ground

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Steps

• Fill the cavity.
• You can top off the terraces with plantings or
  mulch.

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Completed Jobs