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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You would think a heavy concrete retaining wall would be able to do its job,  holding back a bank of soil almost indefinitely without any major damage.

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