If you have a yard full of slopes, dips and inclines, then you’re likely to wonder how you can manage those areas in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. And if you can get a bit of usable space out of it as well, that’s even better.
Enter: retaining walls. Typically thought of as simply a functional piece of landscaping, a well-designed retaining wall can significantly enhance an outdoor space. Take a look at neighboring yards with walkout basements or big changes in elevation around their properties, and you may notice a variety of unique retaining walls and decorative hardscape dividers. The best ones seamlessly fit within a landscaping theme while serving their purpose of keeping the integrity of the landscape intact. To strike the right balance, they must be meticulously planned and created to work within each unique landscape.
Retaining Walls Add Function and Style
Retaining walls add structural integrity to a sloped yard while presenting an opportunity for personality and elegance. A well-designed retaining wall coordinates with your home’s style and can add significant aesthetic value to your property.
Prevent Erosion
You can typically find retaining walls in areas where additional support might be necessary to hold back earth or keep it from moving downhill. A retaining wall’s most important job is to battle that gravity, slowing rainwater and the soil that moves with it.
In this way, retaining walls also provide extra safety for your home and its foundation that can be threatened by erosion and sliding soil. They can keep soil around a downhill foundation from wearing away and essentially eliminating the foundation’s support.
Provide Useable Space
Tired of boring slopes of green grass? Creative retaining walls can surround your home with amazing terraces of usable space — whether it’s for plants or to add walkways and seating areas.
Landscaping is much smoother on a flat surface, and a tiered retaining wall can provide multiple levels of landscape beds to design. This can add new spaces for floral color and texture to the yard with a stunning effect.
Those tiered, flat, level spaces can also provide great mini backyard escapes. Add a little bistro table, garden benches, or a reading nook if you’re looking to extend your living space to the outdoors.
Retaining Wall Design Possibilities
Retaining walls can provide aesthetically pleasing functionality to any sloped sections of your yard. They can control erosion on an incline. They can create elevated seating areas or patios, enhancing your outdoor enjoyment and entertainment opportunities. On properties with walkout basements or a big difference in elevation from the front yard to the backyard, they can create more usable landscape spaces that are easier to safely navigate.
On top of all these functions, retaining walls also add a creative element to your estate design. For an old world feel, natural stone can bring character and intrigue. Specific designs that merge patterns and colors, interlocking blocks and poured concrete can create order and a modern feel. Retaining walls can incorporate wood, brick, boulders, landscape lighting, water features and more to bring your vision to life.
The choices and ideas are endless.
Hiring a professional can ensure the wall is built to last from the start. A landscape architect can also add those creative touches, ensuring your imaginative ideas come to life in a long-lasting, stable way. While you’re dreaming about your new wall, feel free to contact the design experts at Rossen Landscape. We can discuss all of your options and create a custom plan for your space. Then all you have to do is relax and enjoy.
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