Construction & Contractors Blog
A concrete retaining wall is a straightforward and simple way to block erosion and change a sloping, hilly, or rocky yard into a thing of manicured beauty. Yes, natural terrain is lovely, but if the soil erodes every time it rains and the yard turns into a poorly draining swamp, you have to do something. The retaining wall, a marvel of garden engineering, has allowed many to create usable space where there was no usable space before.
Retaining walls can be tall single walls that hold back a slope or hill, or they can be shorter walls that create rows of terraces in a steplike formation. The type you choose depends partly on space (a small yard may benefit more from one single wall that doesn't take up much horizontal room) and partly on what your goals for the yard are.
Do You Want Increased Planter Space or Increased Lawn Space?
When you're faced with a hilly yard, what are you trying to turn it into? If you want a lot of planter space with room for you to move between the planters, a row of descending terraces is perfect. Short concrete walls hold up a planter's amount of soil. The soil does extend down past the wall, but the part that sticks up above the next terrace can be about the size of a typical large planter. The wall can double as a walkway or bench. If you choose that option, make sure the contractor knows you plan to walk on the walls so that they're built with sufficient stability and strength.
If you're hoping to increase your lawn space, one single wall may be better. Descending terraces will extend into the yard, reducing the lawn space you have.
Just How Tall Is This Slope?
Some homes back up against the bottom of a hill. While one retaining wall might work if the slope of the hill is really gentle, a steep hill in canyon environments may need more than one. A series of terraces with very strong walls could be more stabilizing than one very tall wall. Again, this depends to an extent on how much yard space you have.
How's the Current Drainage?
One very big advantage of having several walls that form terraces is that they improve drainage over a larger part of the yard. If the drainage in the yard is terrible, those terraces will improve much of the space. For the rest of the yard, you can put in additional drains. You could also install drains across your yard, but if you already have hilly sections sending water running down into the lower sections of the yard, it will be more difficult to install drains that serve the entire space.
Contractors who install concrete retaining walls can look at your yard and work with a landscaper to design and construct retaining walls that make your property much more usable. Think about what you want to do with your yard and see which style will help you reach that goal.
Share2 September 2021
