Another Block in the Retaining Wall

 So many blocks.  I had purchased 50 blocks, and ran out while assembling the wall.  This morning I was back at the hardware store getting more blocks.  Now the retaining wall is starting to come together.  The symmetrical look of the stacked blocks really changes how the shed looks.

Once the blocks are fitted nice I'll back fill the space behind the blocks with the foundation dirt.  The lawn side space will get filled with top soil.  I have a small patch of grass between the shed and the alley.  I am going to prepare that space for Winter Grass this year.  Winter Grass is something I rarely do anymore, but this part of the yard has been reworked recently, and I want to get some plant roots into the top soil before we start getting winter weather.  The fastest way to do that right now is Winter Grass...

Drain Pipe

 The Trench is finally deep enough...  The length is about 26 feet, and it started at about 10.  Digging in top soil is one thing, but under that is clay and that is the real fun part...  The top soil is maybe a few inches deep, and then the remainder of the trench was clay.  Digging in clay is different because it is really dense and sticky depending on the moisture level.  Really dry clay will just crumble to a powder, but if it is wet it sticks to everything.

Once I was satisfied that the trench was deep enough I started fitting the drain pipe to the trench.  I need to maintain the drain slope, so there was a lot of measuring, and adjusting to get the bottom of the trench to make a smooth slope.

At the collector end of the pipe I've got a catch basin, and coupler to continue up the hill.  I might build a French Drain type of collector here.  That is the next project.  At the moment I want to get the pipe covered so that I can finish the retaining wall.

 On the emitter end of the drain there is a outlet with a grating.  Then it empties into a soil trench.  The outlet of the drain pipe needs more refining too.  I may use some pavers to make a hard space at the outlet of the drain.

Now all I have to do is put all the dirt back, and then put a bunch of really heavy rocks on top...