"John" wrote in message
...
My backyard is higher than my neighbor in behind me. To keep the
ground level, there is a three foot retaining wall at the back of the
yard, which is only a few inches from the fence. The wall is built
from 6x6's, and is not normally visible (even the top of the wall is
hidden by bushes and flowers in front of it.

The problem is that the 6x6's appear to have started to rot. I
imagine they were put in place when the house was built 25 years ago.
This year, the neighbor's want to rebuild the fence, so I was thinking
of replacing the retaining wall at the same time to give easier
access. It doesn't have to be pretty, just functional, and as long
lasting as possible (and preferably fast to build without breaking the
bank). The wall is about 25m (around 90') long, and I live in Canada,
so there's lots of freezing and thawing going on.

I'm wondering if I should consider concrete, brick, or wood again (and
what the advantages are), and if anyone has any advice that I might
not have thought of.


Thanks

John

Nothing is permanent!

At the back of my yard I really like the suggestion made by some one to just
add dirt to create a natural grade.

If you have to build a wall as I had to a few years back, I would bite the
bullet and use the heavy duty wall blocks laid on a compressed bed compacted
road grade fill. We call that DGA here but I have no clue what it is called
in Canada. I actually poured a footer for mine instead of using the DGA
because I had an anal neighbor that I had to assure that her house was not
going to slide down the hill.

Using concrete or concrete blocks will not allow the trapped water to
escape. My detailed studies at the time I did mine indicated that the dry
laid blocks which allowed natural drainage of water were a superior product.
I think the brand I purchased was Lee Blocks and I think they have a website
under that name.

None of the treated wood sold today is anywhere near as good as the old
stuff. High quality used RR ties are probably still your cheapest, fastest
option.


--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com