DIY alternatives to retaining wall

[Bluepenguin2]

Hi lovely MNers

I'm looking for suggestions for a fairly cheap, DIY alternative to a retaining wall. I'm wanting to dig back some raised ground to make more usable garden space. It's about 20 metres long and about 1.5m high, so getting a brick wall built is going to be too costly. I don't want to use sleepers as they decay too quickly and are currently pretty expensive anyway.

Has anyone had success with any other options? Google hasn't been a great deal of help.

Thanks!

Gabions? I think they look lovely and you can fill them yourself.

Gabions are not necessarily a cheap alternative. Google 'gabion wall calculator' or similar to get an idea of the cost. (Try gabionbaskets.co.uk - sorry, can't get the link to work)

I reckon it would be at least £3000 if you include the stone. Plus you would have to dig back about 1m and provide some kind of foundation and drainage.

A retaining wall is designed to retain the ground behind it and takes account of things like the ground condition and drainage. IMO (as a civil engineer), a cheap DIY alternative for a 1.5m high wall is a disaster waiting to happen.

Will the retaining wall be covered or screened?
Have seen stepped concrete "sandbags" (with steel stakes driven through) used for this type of thing. Our developer has done it in several places.

It's about 20 metres long and about 1.5m high
That's a lot of wall!!😮😮😮Listen to what MagpiePi is saying. Make sure you have weep holes.

Are breeze blocks an answer?

A 1.5m high x 20m retaining wall needs careful engineering not a cheap alternative otherwise you might wake up to a landslide one day.

Nobody can advise you without knowing what the space is, what soil it is, where the drainage might be, etc etc etc. Maybe start with a photo and plans of what you are trying to achieve.

I’d be having the professionals involved for that, not a chance I’d be wanting a cheap alternative.

Yeah sorry I presumed it would be using materials on site to fill the gabions. I live in the peak district - you can't move for stones!

Honestly, this is one place where spending money on a professional job is probably the best option.

I’m near the Peak District too and all those stones lying about are either from walls, which belong to someone, or they are part of the landscape in which case they belong to the Peak District.
In any case, the OP would need a couple of tons for the gabions so it’s a bit more than putting a couple in your pocket when you go for a walk.

We've got a very sloped garden, although not as steep a gradient as you, and also being horrified by the cost we looked at all the DIY options for this. In the end, for all the reasons @MagpiePi outlined above we decided against it. We're quite handy, and have engineers in the family, and were still scared to attempt it once we looked into the ramifications of it going wrong, particularly the issues around drainage which can cause real issues.

Probably not what you want to hear, but what we've decided to do is live with and plant out the slope as much as possible, and just level out select areas that are in the flatter sections.

Thanks, appreciate the pretty unanimous responses! That's that then.

I didn't mean steal them from the landscape. I meant get them from the site. My garden is full of them. The wall sounds pretty big so I presume the site is too. And you only need stone for the facing bit, you can fill the rest with earth.

You might be able to do something with slotted concrete posts and reinforced gravel boards more cheaply and as a DIY job. Google ,"retaining wall gravel boards." There are lots of pictures and comments.