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Hi @Gkpercival,
Great to see you make your first post on Workshop. Welcome to the community. I trust you'll get loads of helpful advice and plenty of project inspiration.
You might like to share some photos of the area where you plan to build a retaining wall so members can see what you are working with and provide more helpful and specific advice.
Let me also tag members such as @EricL, @Adam_W and @TedBear to see if they can assist with your specific question. Adam has shared the step-by-step guide How to build a retaining wall which might be useful to you, although it uses traditional treated Pine sleepers.
Jason
Hello @Gkpercival
I've seen concrete bag retaining walls being built and most of the construction rules surrounding the build are generally the same. The foundation must be flat and compressed. Adequate drainage must be provided behind the retaining wall and on the wall itself. Steel rebar must be installed to provide stability to the wall if it is going past a certain height.
If your retaining wall is of significant size it's important to keep in mind that not only are you holding back the soil but the water that the soil will be absorbing. Installing drains at the bottom and midway through the height of the wall will provide an adequate exit for the water. Putting PVC pipes in the wall itself will give trapped water a way out of the wall if there is a great deal of rain.
However, before you begin making plans, I suggest checking your local council's rules and regulations regarding building a retaining wall on your property. Your retaining wall's height and size will determine the rules that will apply to it. If built properly with proper drainage installed a concrete retaining wall will provide a very long service life.
Let me call on our experienced members @diy_hausdesigns and @ProjectPete for their recommendations.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
