I am planning to redo our front steps in stone and my plan is to essentially have two stone walls on each side of the steps coming down from the entrance. For appearances it would be definitely ideal to keep these walls completely vertical for the aesthetic, but I am worried that the weight of the compacted gravel under the steps will be too much of a force pushing on the wall. PLUS, since were up in Canada, I'm concerned that water that inevitably gets into the gravel will push those walls outwards when it freezes. Is there anything I can do to keep it vertical or is that a pipe dream? Thanks for your help!
Walls – Can you build a retaining wall vertically with no angle
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I built a retaining wall in a situation very similar to what you described. In my case the wall drops approximately 12" over 40 feet. It has 3 courses of 6" Keystone wall blocks. The first course is mostly buried and the wall is about 12" high over most of it's length. I also put about 4" - 5" inches of drain rock behind it with a landscape fabric barrier.
This was 15 years ago and it seems to be holding up just fine. I would hope that the 4" blocks you want to use will be ok. However, I've worked with that size some doing garden walls and they are definitely less stable than the bigger blocks.
One other consideration here is aesthetics. Make sure looking at a retaining wall that isn't level doesn't bug you! Sometimes I look at mine and wish I had installed it level and stepped it down instead.
In the area where I live we have an assortment of gravity block retaining walls and the ones that follow the slope usually don't look as good in my opinion.
Here is a photo for reference:
Honestly, I would imagine your walls will be just fine with a little water running over them. The stone walls all over the Irish countryside have been standing for a year or two and seem to cope with the wet, cold North Sea coastal weather pretty well, and most of those aren't even set in mortar. ;-)
What I definitely would do is consider what kind of footing the wall is built on. If there's a chance of water running down the wall and digging a trough at the base that undermines the wall, you might beef up the footing and/or build in some drainage.
Best Answer
I have built many vertical retaining walls. Drainage is the first concern then the height. Code may require rails over several feet (in my area 3' is the max). You did not specify the number of steps or the rise (if more than 3' even with drainage usually reinforcements are required). With some walls this is drilled holes that are pinned together. Some are mortar.
So yes you can go vertical but more information is needed on the height and conditions to give a specific recommendation.