DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hiya. I'm new to these boards, so forgive me if I do anything wrong.

I need to build a low retaining wall for the garden (since I had some building work done.) I plan to use railway sleepers (new ones, not reclaimed.) The dimentions of the sleepers are 24cm x 12cm x 2.4m. Total height needed above ground level is about 30cm.



As you can see from the photo, I plan on putting them in 2 high, using the height rather than the width. The bottom sleeper will be well over half underground (as per piccie). I plan to link the sleepers together with Timberlok fasteners

My questions are ....

Do I need footings for this - concrete etc or am I OK just tampening the ground ? If I need concrete, what depth would you use?

Do I need vertical posts to secure the sleepers with - or should I be OK without (I thought I would be OK without because it isn't very high).

Any advice would be most welcome. Please bear in mind I'm far from experienced though.[/img]

dom71,
Should be OK for stability with bottom sleeper partly buried. How quickly the bottom sleeper will rot is another matter.
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OK thanks. I thought the idea of these sleepers was that they were pretty rot resistant? Should I be treating the bottom layer beforehand then? How long are we talking about? Years, decades?

dom71,
"How long are we talking about?" depends on the timber quality, ground conditions and how well the timber was pressure treated. If you are unlucky it could be 5 years.
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