Spent two whole days trying to get a corner plumb on a retaining wall

Built a 40 foot retaining wall last week out of block. First corner went up perfect in like an hour. The second corner took me from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon. Level kept saying it was good then I'd step back and it was leaning. Finally realized the base course had settled uneven overnight from rain. Had to pull three rows and start over with packed gravel. Anyone else ever fight a corner for way longer than it should take?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_reed10d ago

OH that is SO frustrating. I had a VERY similar thing happen with a little 8 foot garden wall. First corner I was like "this is easy, what's everyone complaining about?" Then the other end was a DISASTER. I kept shimming and adjusting and it STILL looked like a drunk built it. Turns out a tree root had shifted the ground underneath overnight after a really heavy dew. I had to dig out three courses, put down a whole new gravel base, and tamp it so hard I thought my arms would fall off. It's ALWAYS the second corner that fights you isn't it? The wall gods just love a good laugh.

val_williams10d ago

Woke up the next morning to find my wall had actually DRANK the moisture from the air and swelled three inches at one end, pulling the whole thing crooked. @beth_reed had a tree root, I had a section of clay soil that just refused to stay put. Ended up mixing lime into the base to dry it out, which I never would have thought to do if a old mason hadn't told me about it. Honestly the second corner is a curse, yeah, but sometimes it's the whole ground playing tricks on you.