My wife and I recently purchased our first home. We'd like to make a flattened area in our backyard (which is somewhat sloped) for a firepit.
My thinking was to dig out a shallow area and fill it with gravel, then place the firepit on top (similar to the picture above)
What I'm unsure of is how to safely contain the gravel without it spilling over. I was imagining some kind of retaining wall thing. This picture clued me in on these wooden beams, which I like the look of and I would expect are less expensive than building a stone retaining wall (probably more practical too).
The Question:
What are the wooden beams called in this picture?
Bonus Question(s):
- Do you see any issue with using these wooden beams to contain the gravel?
- Would you expect these Beams to last several years or would you expect them to deteriorate quickly?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
BTW, if my question needs to be edited in someway, let me know and I'll edit it ASAP.
Best Answer
"Landscape Timber" or, sometimes, "used railroad tie" - but "landscape timber" is what you'll find at most typical lumber suppliers.
They will typically last several years - if well pressure-treated, longer. It's hard to know if they are really well pressure-treated until they start failing and you look at a calendar to figure out how long it's been.
Concrete "fake stone" retaining wall blocks will last longer, generally speaking. So which costs less depends on how long a time you are considering when judging the total cost.
You probably want a geotextile fabric layer between the soil and the gravel to keep the gravel from migrating into the soil over time.