Advice Required for building garden retaining block wall

[glanzav1]

Hi all, my first post.

I've got a garden project going on. Newbuild house in barnsley, originally sloping grass garden. Decided or rather the gf decided to basically make it more usable and tier it.

So began months of manually digging out the bottom section myself with pickaxe and shovels! Didn't realise how much work involved but committed to it and shifted approx 40 tonnes of soil and moved it in a van to relatives farm saving on skips etc.

I did all of the concrete foundations too and made sure all level.

By brother is a builder so the plan was to get him to build the retaining wall. Which he has started on one side. Unfortunately trying to get him around to finish or continue the job is a tall order and he doesn't seem to want to help..

Myself being a very proactive young person would love to do the job to save cost and enjoy doing it.
I feel capable of it but I lack know how of where to start next / what to do.

I know that I need to start building the wall around the right hand side and back wall and tie it in with building the steps down the left side wall.

I assume that i need build the right side wall corners? Ideally i'd like the right side wall to be 0.75 of a blocks length thick if possible to maximise floor space down there as there is much less soil to retain at that side?
The left side wall is a full block length in thickness as more soil to retain and so will the back wall holding back most of the garden soil.

Also I know how many steps we are having and the height and width etc is it best that the full step area be made from solid layers of blockwork linking in with the walls?

I just don't really know where to begin guys..
Any help appreciated. Need to get on with it whilst the weather is good.

I have an album with some images to show the project.

Thank you,

Farley

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[mikeey84]

looking at the height of that bank, you really need to get a structural engineer in to spec the wall. That's a lot of soil to hold back, and could be very dangerous if its not specc'd properly.

 

[Andyc84]

If you are going to take this on by yourself, you need to consider drainage as a factor as well. Search on here as there is plenty of advice on how to do retainning wall drainage and weep holes etc.

It would be far easier to do the wall on both sides as one block wide.

You also need to consider the fence and how repair/maintenance will be carried out, depending on who owns each boundary.