How To: Build segmental retaining walls

It's fun to be out in warm weather cutting big timbers and doing a project that sees quick, upward progress. In this video, you'll find instructions for building a post and plank-style retaining wall. This post-and-plank retaining system is based on the way seawalls (or bulkheads) work. You set posts into the ground, vertically, then plank behind them. This creates a wall with texture and shadow lines with nice hollows between the posts for plantings or grass. And, because there's so much post buried in the earth, a wall like this is solid state and resists moving, even if the soil on the hill you're holding back is mobile. For a step-by-step at the retaining wall construction process, take a look at this DIY video tutorial.