Custom Climbing Wall — The Starter Nest

One of the many effects of the public health shutdowns in our area during the spring and summer of 2020 was temporary closure of my fiance’s rock climbing gym. As part of the project goals to improve the utility and enjoyment of our backyard this summer, we planned and built the climbing wall against the side of the house under the 2nd floor overhang.

I had a few requirements for this build, and the largest one was “no holes in the new stucco”. Most of the plans we found for inspiration online involved many screws on the main wall section to affix them to the support behind. As this wasn’t an option, we had to get creative about the supports.

We used the existing structure of the house to our advantage to support the wall. The wall is pinned in place with a combination of wooden braces against the wooden ceiling, concrete side step, and support pillars for the second floor.

Tools & Materials:

3/4 in. thick fine plywood - 4 sheets
2x4 Construction Studs - 14 (various lengths)
Climbing Anchors & Holds - 1 kit
Fingerboard (optional) - 1
Pocket Hole Screws 2in & Pocket Hold Jig
3 in. Construction Screws
Caulking Gun & Liquid Nails - 4 Tubes
Clear outdoor caulking
Impact Driver
Cordless Drill & Drill Bits - up to 1/2 in.
Hammer/Mallet
Measuring Tape > 10ft
Large Clamps
Miter Saw
Circular Saw
Sanding Blocks
Wood Filler
Paint (optional)

The first step for this build was a detailed drawing and measurements, which absolutely could not be skipped or done as the project went along. Width was easy for the rear wall, as we had some existing fixtures - the outdoor patio light on one side and the microwave vent on the other. My fiance wanted a large flat section which went to the maximum height (about 11 1/2 feet) and a section which sloped, after playing with angles a bit we went with 30 degrees.

The frame was assembled using rigid 2x4 boards which were construction rated and straight. The wall pieces are held up by wedging them against the wall at the top with the overhead frame and the bottom with the platform. There was also a horizontal spacer 2x4 placed at the line of the bottom of the angled section to give support left to right and also for more anchor points for the face board of the angled surface. In order to prevent the platform from slipping, the corners are wedged up between the two pillars which hold up the 2nd floor of the house and the concrete step for the back door. Its a very tight fit and quite sturdy.

There are 3 main types of climbing anchors which can be used to secure the handholds to the wall boards, each of which are installed from the rear of the boards. One type has a few ‘teeth’ which sink into the wood to hold them in place, another which has a circular plate and 3-4 screws, and the ‘industrial’ ones which are a bit more robust and have 2 screws. We went with a combination of the ‘industrial’ version and the ‘teeth’ only version as they came with the kit we bought of the handholds. For added support, each anchor was also glued in with liquid nails.

Each of the wall boards was then attached to the wall supports with the construction screws, countersunk into the boards and covered in wood filler.

Anchors glued and installed on wall boards.

I also had one additional complicating factor - my only outdoor electrical outlet fell in the frame of the climbing wall, so I made a small removable panel with an out-of the way handle to cover the outlet until needed. Of course, since I held the small panel in place with magnets, the panel couldn’t have handholds placed on it as they wouldn’t be secure enough to bare a person’s weight.

We also switched out the light fixture for the patio light so we could maximize the space.

The overhead sections were definitely my least favorite part of the build, as it is so exhausting to hold pieces overhead while you work on them!

After all the boards were placed, I sanded the wood filler covering the construction screws and went over all the seams with caulking. The the whole wall got a coating of outdoor paint to match the house color.

Finished wall with handholds. Removable panel for electrical outlet at lower left.

Then my fiance came in to install the handholds, and determine the pattern. A lot of consideration went into the placement of the handholds (which can be changed later easily) but honestly I didn’t understand this part at all! We also installed a heavy hardware ring to the right side of the wall to help de-tangle and manage ropes, and two overhead I-hooks, rings and screw-threaded carabiners for future grip trainers.

Overall, the project came out very well! My one rule for it is that the crash pad is absolutely required for safety.

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