Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Retaining Wall

Hi guys.

First I wanna say thanks for all the help I got putting in my basement bathroom. It's all done and it came out great, due in large part to the help I got in this Forum.

I am outdoors now. I need to put a retaining wall aroound a swimming pool. I plan to use cinder-block as the guts of the wall with a brick-facing for aesthetics, and some kind of cap-block.

My question is this. Do I need to worry about going below frost-line for a job like this? If so, what is it that's important to consider about what is below the frost line. I plan on using gravel underlayment... maybe 6 inches for drainage.... then, after levelling, laying the first tier of cinderblocks on top of the gravel and anchoring with a thin layer of mortar.... then building up from the first level tier.

Am I on the right track? I know I need to talk to my local building dep't to fond out where the frost line is...

Thanks again. Any suggestions or comments are welcome as always.

Tom

To me, a mortared block wall should be set on a footing that is set properly with respect to the frost line. The heaving from the frost will break the wall over time. If the wall were dry laid stones, it would not be a problem.

Here's a site on laying concrete block. It may be helpful.

http://www.nrha.org/orgill/How-To/weather/blocks/concreteblock.htm

Hope this helps.