OllyIB

There is a void behind the main wall that has been filled with rubble and gravel to allow drainage. The smaller wall at the side has next doors patio on the other side with a small amount of soil at one end from a border. There is no membrane but hopefully what has been done will avoid the walls getting too damp.

We have painted the retaining wall on the level up because we were fed up of looking at concrete blocks but the pointing wasn’t the best so doesn’t look great. It’s a backup plan though

Thank you for such a great response The guys we got in to do the wall and steps have done a great job (have included photos of how it had been left by the cowboys we had in the first time). It’s hollow block with rebar and filled with concrete so unlikely to go anywhere! The joints at the bottom are open for drainage, there is a gap at the back that has been backfilled with rubble and gravel for drainage. Not sure on BC, not an acronym I’ve come across. However, we will need to add a hand rail and something along the top of the wall as it’s over a metre drop and we want to keep the kids and puppy safe. For the steps the plan was to use porcelain on the tops, doing the same on the wall tops. Ideally I’d like to render the risers but am aware this could be a fiddly job, especially for a beginner, so backup would be to use porcelain on the risers as well. From what I’ve read it seems it’s best to render before laying the patio, although don’t know if the steps/copes need to be done first or if I can just use a straight edge/feather board to get the render right. Would love to be able to get someone in to do the job but quotes have been £900-1200 and we just don’t have that at the moment 😢

Good shout, should have though of that! Photos attached, I’ll also be laying a patio so the walls and steps will be topped to match the patio. Not a small area and lots of angles so should be a steep learning curve!

Hi all After being let down by a builder and losing a load of money we’ve finally managed to get a new retaining wall and steps built in our garden. Unfortunately, it also means we’ve burnt through our savings so I’m looking at rendering the walls myself using a sand and cement render. I’ve watched a lot of tutorial videos but also read some online guides that mention using batons when learning to break the job into sections and get a more even depth of render. Has anyone used the baton method and, if so, does it help and are there any gotchas? Olly