Anyone have any experience doing a low (30") retaining wall with these type of blocks? It doesn’t seem to be common practice. I would use mortar on the joints because these stones tend to slide on each other, and I would leave the vertical joints open a bit for weepage. I would lay them on the flat side so the wall would be 8" thick with staggered joints. The stone faces would be 13" x 5" high. I plan to work some natural stone into the wall that I have on property, especially boulders at it’s base, as well as set some of the blocks vertically in some locations for a more random effect. Might break some of the blocks as well for same reason.

I have read a great deal about rock walls in general and I am an engineer with a strong back and time. Anyone have any input on the use of the Belgian blocks in a wall like this. Is it not typical because it’s not good or because it’s expensive? I plan to cap the wall with 2" thick bluestone, about 12 wide for a 2" overhang on both sides.

Thanks for the input.

Read up on masonry walls and frost depth. You may see why SRW walls are popular up north.

For a wall only up to 30", it might be possible to get by with a pier foundation and a thin back wall of poured concrete. Then you could use the blocks thin side to the wall as a thick veneer.