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Hot take: I used to mortar every brick individually on retaining walls, now I dry stack everything.
Switched after a 40-foot wall in Nashville settled and cracked in year two because I didn't account for drainage. Dry stack lets water pass through, but is the stability trade-off really worth it for taller walls?
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the_blair5mo ago
Hell yeah man, I'm right there with you. I did a 60-foot wall outside of Chattanooga a few years ago, mortared every single brick like a fool, and it bulged out bad after one wet spring. Dry stacking with proper geogrid and a gravel base has saved me so many callbacks. Way less headache and the wall actually moves with the ground instead of fighting it.
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nathan_hill605mo ago
Wait until you've got a dry stacked wall taller than 4 feet that takes a direct hit from a loaded truck or a bad storm - that water better drain fast or the whole thing's coming down on you.
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