How to Build Concrete Walls Without Footers

Concrete block walls can make a functional and attractive addition to your landscape. Homeowners without special home improvement skills can construct some types of concrete walls. For example, manufacturers produce concrete blocks that interlock, requiring no mortar to bond, making installation relatively simple and quick. Low concrete block walls can be set on a gravel base of sand, rather than the cement footers that taller walls require.

Wooden stake
String
Shovel
Hand tamper
Leveling sand
Hammer
Chisel
Level

Instructions

- 1
  Place two wooden stakes at each end of the length of the wall. Tie a string between the two stakes.
- 2
  Dig out a trench from one stake to the other about 4 inches deep and about twice the length of the blocks. Tamp down the soil with a hand tamper. Along the length of the trench, place a 2-inch layer of leveling sand, which is specifically formulated to serve as a base for masonry projects. Tamp down the sand with a hand tamper until it is even.
- 3
  Use a hammer and chisel to remove the lips from the blocks you will place on the first row.
- 4
  Lay the first block on one end of the trench. Check if it is level with a spirit level. Continue to lay blocks abutting each other, ensuring all properly align. Check for level every three or four blocks. Ensure that the row is below grade.
- 5
  Cut a block in half with a hammer and chisel to create a staggered second row. Place the block on top of an end block on the first row. Ensure that the lip of the top block fits solidly behind the bottom block.
- 6
  Finish the second row and succeeding rows in the same way. Check for level after placing a few blocks as you proceed. Ensure that each row is staggered in relation to the previous row.

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