Poking through the racks of free pamphlets in the lumber yard the other day, I came across a really simple idea for building a concrete retaining wall. It’s not the most beautiful wall in the world, but it’s functional, sturdy and takes no skill at all to build. The basic idea? Take bags of ready-mixed concrete, stack them up to form a wall, sprinkle on some water, and that’s it. In time, the concrete in the bags will set up, the paper sacks will eventually erode away, and you’ll have the easiest concrete wall you ever built.

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If it didn’t rain all summer where you live (as was the case at my home), you probably had a good three months’ use out of your deck. Now it’s time to put the deck to bed for the winter. The first step is a good cleaning. Begin by sweeping the deck. Get rid of all the old leaves, dust and debris so you can analyze the deck’s surface.

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Looking for an easy way to pave a rustic walk or patio? Consider log rounds, simple slabs you cut yourself from logs or unused firewood you might have lying around. Log paving won’t last as long as stone or concrete, but it’s cheap, and it’s easy to remove if you ever change your mind.

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When you build an outdoor project – a deck, picnic table or garden shed, for example – ordinary steel fasteners and hardware just won’t do the job. The same is true if you are nailing up siding or shingles. Tackle any of these jobs without carefully selecting your hardware and your work will soon be streaked with rust stains. A few years down the line, things may actually begin to fall apart, when your fasteners are eaten away by the elements.

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Of all the ways to build a retaining wall, working with landscaping timbers or ”railroad ties” is certainly the easiest. It requires nowhere near the skill nor the actual physical effort involved in working with other alternatives such as stone, concrete block or brick.

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