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Retaining walls are so commonly used because they’re a versatile landscaping element; they enhance your home’s curb appeal, they help level an unlevel landscape, and they can even support larger structures like basement walls, among other things. Most yards can benefit from having at least one, so if you’re considering installing one, it’s important to consider what a retaining wall can do for your yard specifically. This article will show you the benefits of a retaining wall, current trends in retaining wall design, and things to consider when designing your own.
The Benefits & Functions of Retaining Walls
In order to understand what a retaining wall can do for you, it can be helpful to first understand its main functions and benefits. Here’s an overview:- Erosion Prevention: Retaining walls contribute to erosion prevention by helping to keep soil in place. This is particularly helpful for yards with minimal shrubbery or trees that don’t have roots controlling potential soil erosion.
- Structural Support: Similarly, retaining walls also act as structural support by condensing soil and keeping it from moving.
- Runoff Management: Excessive runoff can cause a lot of damage to your landscaping, but by installing a retaining wall, that runoff is more controlled, and usually directed to an area of your property where it won’t hurt any plant life.
- Sinkhole Prevention: Because retaining walls manage runoff so effectively, they contribute to sinkhole prevention–sinkholes form when too much water pools beneath the ground’s surface, and then the surface is no longer supported. However, with runoff management, sinkholes are less likely to form.
- Tiered Landscape Creation: One of the most common jobs of a retaining wall is adding height to your landscaping, creating privacy and seclusion, or simply providing an aesthetically appealing wall.
- Leveling Management: Similarly, they’re also commonly used to level out your yard if your landscaping slopes in any way.
- Basement Wall Formation: Large-scale retaining walls also help form larger structures like basements, underground garages, or metro stations.
- Aesthetic Enhancement: They’re especially known for their curb appeal–it’s hard to pass a house with a retaining wall without saying, “Wow, their landscaping looks great!”
Current Retaining Wall Trends
- Concrete Retaining Walls: Concrete walls are one of the current retaining wall trends because they’re typically more affordable than other materials, they’re lighter, so your wall can be built faster, and there’s a versatile array of looks of concrete retaining walls, so you have flexibility in getting the look you want for an affordable price.
- Patio Retaining Walls: Patios and outdoor spaces are becoming more and more popular in general, so it’s no surprise that people are starting to combine the functionality of a retaining wall with their outdoor spaces. Retaining walls protect outdoor spaces from soil erosion, excessive runoff, and can help level out your landscape, making patio installation easier.
- Natural Stone Retaining Walls: Natural stone is a timeless retaining wall look that will never go out of style.
- Terraced Gardens: People with hills on their properties are always looking for ways to reclaim their space, and retaining walls allow them to do things like build terraced gardens.
- Gabion Retaining Walls: Gabion retaining walls are particularly sturdy retaining walls designed to help with excessive soil erosion issues because they are made of stone-filled gabions tied together with twine.
- Retaining Wall Lighting: As outdoor spaces become more popular, people are always looking for ways to enhance their space. Retaining wall lighting allows you to enjoy your space at night as well as during the day, making entertaining easier.
- Colorful Painted Retaining Walls: People are getting creative; painting their retaining walls fun colors gives their landscape a colorful look that no one else has.
- Curved Retaining Walls: Curved retaining walls are another example of folks trying for some visual interest–you may not be able to install a curved retaining wall depending on your yard or soil composition, but they’re a fun addition if you can.
- Water Features: Again, this is another example of people making retaining walls fun. Just be careful, as water-logged retaining walls can lead to collapse. If you’re going to include water elements in your yard, make sure you’re also investing in proper drainage.
Design Considerations When Building a Retaining Wall
There are many things to consider when building a retaining wall, so it’s always recommended to talk to a professional. After all, no two yards are built the same. But here are five very important aspects to consider when thinking about building:
- Drainage: Proper drainage is crucial to a retaining wall’s optimal performance. Without proper drainage, your wall is subject to collapse. When the soil behind the wall takes on too much water, the pressure behind the wall will cause it to fall. Drainage should be your first priority, especially if you’re building a retaining wall to help with soil erosion, runoff, or land leveling.
- Backfill: In a similar vein, backfilling properly ensures the wall’s long-term stability and prevents movement, bulging, and collapse.
- Location: When considering where to put your wall, you want to think about your goals for the wall, and how much available space you have. For example, if you’re simply going for aesthetics, you can put the retaining wall almost anywhere you want. But if you have a specific goal like building a terrace garden into a hillside, that will determine the exact location of your wall.
- Soil: Your landscape’s soil type directly affects the material type you will need to use for your wall. Certain retaining wall materials work better with certain soil problems. For example, if you have lots of loose soil and soil erosion problems, a gabion retaining wall is usually the best choice because it’s the most sturdy.
- Slope: The slope of the landscape is a crucial factor in determining how and where to build your wall because it directly affects the angle of repose.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to determine whether a retaining wall is right for you because it serves so many potential functions. At the end of the day, it’s all about looking at your yard and prioritizing your goals; this is why it’s recommended to work with a professional for retaining walls, as they can give you a perspective you may not have thought of and you can come up with a personalized solution. By reading this blog, you’re one step closer to the yard of your dreams.
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