Retaining Walls: How They Transform Your Yard
There are many reasons leading people to get creative when maximizing their yard space. With the current housing market, houses are being sold with less space or even property that’s difficult to work with, like hills and slopes. There’s also an emphasis on making livable outdoor spaces beyond the traditional patio setup. So, installing retaining walls is a fashionable solution. Let’s talk about how they can completely transform your yard. What Is A Retaining Wall? To start, it’s easier to explain the benefits of a retaining wall if you know what they are from the beginning. Essentially, a retaining wall is a structure that serves to prevent some sort of mass (usually earth or rocks on a hill) from falling or otherwise collapsing. The definition sounds a little confusing, but you’ve definitely seen retaining walls before–probably in your very own neighborhood. 
Benefits Of A Retaining Wall Retaining walls provide all sorts of benefits beyond just holding back rocks or soil:
- Erosion Prevention: A retaining wall helps keep soil in place–and in yards with minimal shrubbery or trees that don’t have roots, keeping the soil stable.
- Structural Support: They also act as structural support by keeping soil in place. It’s easier to build your garden if you don’t have to worry about soil sifting around.
- Runoff Management: Retaining walls also slow the flow of water as it moves downhill, ensuring that soil, nutrients, and plant life stay in place.
- Sinkhole Prevention: Sinkholes form when too much water pools beneath the surface of the soil and the surface is no longer supported. However, with the addition of a retaining wall, runoff and erosion management help prevent sinkhole formation.
- Tiered Landscape Creation: One of the most common jobs of a retaining wall is adding height to your landscaping, creating privacy, seclusion, or simply an aesthetically appealing wall. This is usually easiest and most commonly found on yards with hills, as you can build right into the hill, though a tiered structure can really be put anywhere.
- Leveling Management: Similarly, they’re also commonly used to level out your yard–many folks with hilly yards will incorporate a tiered retaining wall to make their slopes less intense, for example.
- Basement Wall Formation: Large-scale retaining walls also help form the walls of larger structures, such as basements, underground garages, and metro stations. Aesthetic Enhancement: They’re especially known for their curb appeal.
Retaining Wall Types and Common Materials There are four common types of retaining walls, and they each offer slightly different purposes and benefits: - Gravity Walls: Gravity walls are retaining walls that use their own weight to support soil and aggregates laterally. Because of their stability and durability, they’re often used in civil engineering; they help create terraces, level the ground for construction, prevent erosion, and support structures like roadways, bridges, parking areas, and trails.
- Cantilever Walls: Cantilever walls are built using reinforced concrete in an L shape to bind soils between two different elevations. They are better able to handle higher walls and heavier loads and require less material and space.
- Sheet Piling Walls: Sheet piling walls are the most common type of retaining wall in residential areas. These are thinner retaining walls that are made from prefabricated sections that are vibrated or hammered into the ground to create a continuous wall. They serve all the benefits listed in the above section.
- Anchored Walls: Anchored walls are common in residential areas as well, and anchoring cables or rods are employed for added stability. They’re often used in situations where you have limited space or a high load, like on a hillside.
- Concrete: Concrete retaining walls are lightweight, easy to customize, and a more affordable option. They’re also recommended for their sheer durability.
- Stone: Stone retaining walls are very common in the current market because of their natural look and long-lasting nature. With the variety of pavers available now, more and more people are opting for stone retaining walls.
- Timber: Timber retaining walls are extremely cost-effective in comparison to most other materials, and they also provide a natural appearance. Additionally, timber is incredibly durable, sustainable, and can reduce energy bills due to its abilities to retain heat and absorb sound.
- Brick: If you’re going for a classic look with low maintenance care and expert durability, brick is the material for you. It’s highly resistant to the elements.
- Gabion: Gabion retaining walls are made of galvanized wire mesh that is resistant to rust and corrosion. Not only are they easy to install, but they also provide expert drainage and erosion control. They’re probably the most environmentally-friendly option, and they produce a modern look.
- Concrete Retaining Walls: Concrete walls are one of the current retaining wall trends because they’re typically more affordable than other materials, they’re light-weight and easy to build with, and there’s a versatile array of looks of concrete retaining walls, so you can customize the look you want for an affordable price.
- Patio Retaining Walls: Patios and outdoor spaces are going through a reinvention, 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 and excessive runoff. They can also help level out your landscape, making patio installation easier. They can even contribute to the structural integrity of certain structures, like basements or outdoor kitchens.
- Natural Stone Retaining Walls: Natural stone is a timeless retaining wall look that will never go out of style–though they’re currently gaining popularity because many homeowners are going for a natural aesthetic.
- Terraced Gardens: People with hills on their properties are always looking for ways to maximize their space, and retaining walls allow them to do things like build terraced gardens or other structures that allow them to put their hillside yards to good use.
- Gabion Retaining Walls: Gabion retaining walls are particularly sturdy and designed to help with excessive soil erosion issues. They’re also incredibly environmentally friendly, improving the efforts to go green.
- 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 and makes outdoor entertaining easier, too.
- 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, and it can be easily done with concrete retaining walls.
- Curved Retaining Walls: Curved retaining walls are another example of folks trying for some visual interest–and curved retaining walls are funky but also still practical.
- Water Features: Again, this is another example of people making retaining walls fun. Water features provide a serene feel to your yard, but just keep in mind that retaining walls require expert drainage systems, so you’re advised against water features that directly water the walls.
