I built a WALL!!

So it was not really a "quarantine wall" because its been in the works for months-but I did build it during quarantine.  And, it was easier than it might have been normally because there were no distractions-no soccer games, no tennis matches, no sleepovers or friends houses to pick up from.  Total focus on the Wall.  It started last summer with me trying to convince Jason that getting rid of the bushes out front was a good idea.  That took most of the summer.  At the end of last summer/early last fall, he finally conceded (or gave up...its debatable which) and we had the bushes taken out, which cleared the way for my weekend project.

Before:

In process:

 I bought all of the stuff from Home Depot after watching one of their "you too can build a retaining wall" videos.  And yes, you (I) can.  I had not really figured out how I was going to get the bricks home when I ordered them online...have them delivered?  rent a truck?  Their suggestion was just to leave it there and it was brilliant (and the obvious answer if you think about it because I really had no idea how many bricks I would need...turns out I was off by about 25).   They let me take 30 bricks at a time (which was pretty much all the suspension in the car would bare) and leave the pallet behind the HD.  I went back three times and the bricks I did not need I was able to just "return" by walking into the store and getting a refund.  So slick! 

 Josh helped me move about 10 bricks from the car to the blue mat.  Otherwise, I did everything 100% by myself.  I did clear the color of the bricks with Jason and Macey did go to HD with me one time to help scope out the exact brick because I ordered everything online AND she helped me pick out the plants but otherwise, it was all me.  I am VERY proud of myself!!

 The absolute hardest part was laying the bottom brick.  Dig a pit, lay down paving stone/dirt as a base, then try to get the brick level...me and the leveler were at war by the end of the first row.  Note that this thing is on a pretty steep hill...there are layers and layers..the tallest layer is 7 bricks high; the lowest, four.  Making it level and up an incline is NOT for the weak of heart!

 I had to drive up to the other side of Minneapolis to get the end pieces cut to size but it was worth the trip.  YouTube seems to think that you can cut these bricks with a chisel, a mallet and protective eyewear.  YouTube is nuts.  One might be able to do it but I worked on one brick for 30 minutes and barely made a dent.  The dude at the stone place I went to did 6 cuts to size in about 10 minutes.  Worth the drive and every cent I paid.

 All in all in it took a good two and half full days of work...and about 6 trips to the HD, two to the garden center and one to a stone cutter.  But here it is!