How to Construct Wood Retaining Walls

Dig a trench along the ground in front of the hill where you are building the wall. The trench should measure 16 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

Smooth the dirt in the bottom of the trench with a rake and tamp it down.

Place a layer of gravel 6 inches deep into the trench and tamp it down.

Cut the railroad ties with a circular saw to fit your needs, and apply wood preservative to the ends of the ties where you made the cuts.

Drill holes for the rebar into the ties with a 9/16-inch drill bit.

Move the first tie into the trench with the help of an assistant. Position the tie so that the front edge is about 2 inches away from the front edge of the trench. Check the tie for level. Place a wooden block on the tie and tap it down with a hammer to level the tie, if necessary. The wooden block protects the tie from being damaged by the blows of the hammer.

Drive a piece of rebar that is 2 feet long through each hole and into the ground with a sledgehammer until the top of the rebar is flush with the top of the railroad tie.

Install the rest of the ties in the first row, using the same process. When laying the ties, keep them in line with the first tie.

Create a slope in the gravel behind the ties with the rake for drainage purposes. Slope the gravel down toward the area you want the water to drain to.

Wrap a piece of landscaping fabric around some drain tile, and place the drain tile in the trench behind the railroad ties. Drain tile is perforated plastic pipe that will collect water and carry it away from the ground behind the wall. The landscaping fabric helps block dirt from clogging the drain tile.

Install the second course of railroad ties, staggering them so the joints between the ties in the second course don't line up with the joints between the ties in the first course. Drive 12-inch landscaping screws into the ties with an impact driver, using one screw every 12 inches. The landscaping screws will go through both ties, connecting them.

Install a third course of ties, staggering them again, so the joints between the ties in the third course don't line up with the joints between the ties in the second course. Pour gravel into the trench behind the ties until it's even with the top of the railroad ties. Lay landscaping fabric on top of the gravel.

Cut a railroad tie into 2-foot long sections to use as the deadmen, drilling a hole for rebar in one end. The deadmen are pieces of railroad tie that act as anchors to help stabilize the wall. To install them, place them on top of the wall so they run perpendicular to the wall, so if you were looking at them from above, it would form a "T." Connect the front of the deadmen to the railroad ties with the 12-inch landscaping screws and drive rebar through the hole in the back end and into the ground to secure that end. Install a deadman every 4 to 8 feet.

Place railroad ties on top of the wall between the deadmen, attaching them to the third course of railroad ties with the landscaping screws. When completed, the fourth course of the wall should consist of railroad ties in line with the ties in the other three courses, but with deadmen interspersed between them for stability.

Continue building the wall until you reach the desired height.

Fill the space behind the wall with dirt. Plant grass seed or sod, or install a flower bed.