PSA: That moment I tried to rush a corner on a retaining wall in Austin

Last Tuesday I was laying a curved garden wall in South Austin and pushed the mortar too thin on a corner, the whole section slumped over before I could tap it level, and now I'm wondering how many of you have had a wall fall on you mid-lay and had to start over on a 95 degree day?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliaa652d ago

and that's when you learn why they call it "Austin's finest dirt" because that clay soil will let go faster than my ex's promises lmao. rip to your corner wall, hope the replacement mortar sets up quicker than my last tinder date.

shane1702d ago

Is the clay really the main problem here, or is it more about how you prep and handle the soil before you even start? @michael_williams makes a good point about the heat, but I've seen guys build solid walls on that same Austin clay when they take the time to compact and moisten the base right. Seems like folks blame the dirt when the real issue is rushing the foundation work.

michael_williams2d ago

RIP to your corner wall" is right, but I bet the real issue wasn't just the clay soil... it was probably the heat drying out that mortar before you even got it tooled. I've seen guys try to rush on 95 degree days and the mud sets up so fast it's like working with concrete crumbs. Next time consider wetting the bricks down good before you lay them, it buys you a few extra seconds to get everything plumb.