# How to Make a Concrete Form for a Poured Retaining Wall for a Walkout Basement
Retaining walls allow more efficient use of space in small yards and properties. A retaining wall next to a walkout basement entrance means you only need 3 feet of space for the width of a stairway running next to the house rather than the 6 or 8 feet that would be used by an inclined hill down to the entry. Building a retaining wall requires well-built forms to hold the cement until it cures.
Instructions
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Cut two pieces of 3/4-inch-thick plywood to the width and height of your planned retaining wall.
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Set these pieces of plywood on edge in the location where the retaining wall is going. Separate the two pieces of plywood so the space between them is equal to the planned width of your wall.
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Drive stakes into the ground at the base of the pieces of plywood, on the side opposite of where the concrete will be poured.
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Lean several 2-by-6 boards up against the top edge of the pieces of plywood so the 2-by-6s extend from the edge of the plywood to the ground at a 45-degree angle. Secure the 2-by-6s to the plywood with 3-inch screws.
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Move the pieces of plywood until they are perfectly vertical, then press the ends of the 2-by-6s against the ground. Drive stakes into the ground at the bases of the 2-by-6s and screw the 2-by-6s to the stakes.
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Reinforce the pieces of plywood by drilling small holes through their faces and running wire from one to the other across the space between them. Then secure the wire on the outside of the pieces of plywood by tying it around a large nail or other object that will prevent it from being pulled through the hole. A wire installed in this fashion every 16 inches in a grid pattern will prevent the pieces of plywood from being pushed apart when the wet cement is poured into them.
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