First off the wall block used was from a big block home improvement store. The cost was about half or more of what you would pay going with a name brand material. This made the wall material very low cost. I must caution though that with this low cost there does come a price. The material offered by the premium companies are all high quality and made with more cement than what is being offered by the big box.As well the premium blocks are all quality inspected to be sure they are consistent and meet standards. The blocks were not all of consistent size some were as much as an inch or more off in size from the big box. This is were the money savings on the material may translate into a heavy cost in labor. In order to get the wall to be level many times a block that was to high had to be removed and reserved for the bottom course where it could be leveled then on other occasions a shim had to be inserted under blocks that were a bit low on the upper course. This is very time consuming and labor intensive. The wall took a lot longer because of this. Not to mention that 1/4″ or an 1/8″ can make you crazy when trying to level a 2nd course when the bottom course is completely level.Patience is the key.
Also in order to cut blocks you will need to use a brick saw it is really the only way to get a good clean cut and though the rental and cost of blade wear is expensive it is really worth it if you are looking for a nice clean fit.
STEP 3
Once your trench is dug it is time to put in our base. Add the gravel two or three inches at a time and tamp it well to compact. The base has got to be compacted well so doing it in layers or lifts as we call it helps make it tighter. Once you have the gravel level and the right height you can start laying your block. A thin layer of leveling sand helps as you can set the base course and get it completely level.
As you go a long you may find that the existing grade drops off and would leave the base exposed above grade. This is a very common problem and one that is easily fixed. When you get to that point you will need to dig your trench deeper and place a block in at the height of the base you were using. In the case of this wall we added a lower course below the first course as the grade dropped off so the height below your level line went from 19″ to 24 ” deep. !9″ was the bottom of the trench but you added a block below so you had to dig 5″ deeper to accommodate the block which allow you to continue to set your bottom course level and the new lower brick or all intents and purposes became the top of your base from that point on.
Look at the 3rd brick from the left to see an example.
STEP 4
Once you have the wall built and all courses are level it is time to finish tje wall with a cap stone.
The only tricky part is where you go around curves but patience when you are cutting will help you get the right angle just take your time and then attach the cap stone with block wall adhesive.
All Completed
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