TIL 3 years ago I thought my first wall was perfect, but last week I finally fixed it

Back in June 2021 I built a small retaining wall around my mom's flower bed in Portland. I was so proud of it at the time, even though I had no idea what I was doing. Last week I went over to help her with some yard work and noticed the whole thing had started bowing out about 2 inches near the middle. I spent the whole Saturday tearing it down and rebuilding it properly with some crushed gravel base and proper drainage this time. My mom just laughed and said she wondered how long it would take me to notice. Has anyone else gone back to fix their early work and felt kinda dumb about what they missed?

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2 Comments

jordan13426d ago

Oh, I remember reading something about this in a home improvement magazine a while back. They were talking about how first time builders often skip the base preparation and drainage because it seems like extra work for something that looks fine. That bowing you saw, that's exactly what happens when water builds up behind the wall and freezes or just pushes on it over time. I did something similar with a little patio I poured about 10 years ago. I was so proud of it until the first winter cracked it in three places because I didn't put in any control joints. It's humbling to go back and fix those early mistakes, but it also shows how much you've learned since then. At least your mom got a good laugh out of it.

wilson.emma26d ago

and that reminds me of the time my dad tried to build a little retaining wall in our backyard. he was so excited about it, got all the blocks from the home improvement store, stacked them up nice and straight. looked perfect for about a month. then we got a big rainstorm and the whole thing just tipped over like dominoes. turned out he thought you could just put them on top of the grass, no base or anything. my mom still brings it up every time someone mentions landscaping. she calls it his leaning tower of whatever. he never lived that one down.