Retaining Walls Can Add Beauty to Your Landscape Design
Retaining walls and sea walls are not just used solely for soil erosion anymore. With the vast variety of materials available for retaining walls, and the many configurations you can use for your retaining wall design, there is plenty of room for creativity and the opportunity to further beautify your landscaping.
Garden retaining walls can stabilize a slope and prevent soil erosion, but they can also group plants and garden areas, and create paths.
There are many different types of retaining walls, such as the conventional stacked masonry blocks, bricks or natural stone. Glass/concrete elements are available in many textures and colors and can resemble anything from slate to wood.
Every landscape has different types of soil and sloping, and your choice of material should result in the perfect retaining wall system, adding beauty and stability to your landscape design.
Different Types of Retaining Wall Materials:
Mortarless/Dry Stacked Concrete Block
Mortarless and dry stacked concrete have gained popularity because they are manufactured to fit together perfectly with no grout required. The blocks are also self aligning and the fit is perfectly straight and level. Another advantage to mortarless and dry stacked concrete block is it can be disassembled and moved at a later date if you want to make changes to your landscape in the future.
Poured concrete retaining walls are useful in areas where the soil is unstable or heavy, and work well in steeper slopes. Poured concrete walls can also be molded, colored and polished to mimic virtually any designer material you wish.
Architectural Concrete Facade Elements
Architectural concrete facade elements can be made to resemble brick veneer, polished stone, and wood. You can add other items to your facade such as cornices, column bases, and any kind of ornament or statuary. The beautiful result of installation of concrete facades can be truly amazing.
Wood Retaining Walls
Wood used as a retaining wall will give your landscape a natural look. The drawback to using wood is it is affected by moisture, insects, and rot, so cannot stand the test of time like other retaining wall materials.