Retaining walls can be built from materials like boulders, stone blocks, timber sleepers, and decorated concrete. And they can be set up on residential and commercial properties. If you're planning to construct one of these barriers in your yard but don't know much about them, here's some information to round out your knowledge.
Different Purposes
Retaining walls are often used to carve a hilly garden into levels, making all areas of a property more accessible. But these multi-function structures can also serve other purposes. For example, you could use a wall to create areas of varying heights in a flat garden, adding visual interest. To do this, set up an elevated garden area surrounded by a fence. If you build a border with a flat top, it can also function as natural seating and a spot for potted plants. In a mundane front garden, a retaining wall will add kerb appeal. Building one is an ideal project to make your house stand out if you plan to sell the property.
Varying Heights
A retaining wall can be built in varying ways and at different heights to fulfil different purposes. They can be tall to hold back mounds of earth or relatively low for a raised garden bed. The structure should be appropriate to the load it's supporting. A gabion wall that uses wire cages filled with boulders can be used for commercial purposes, but you can also build these structures on a smaller scale for a home. Other walls made of blocks can be cemented into the ground. Some designs rely on the weight and mass of the fence materials themselves. Once a retaining wall reaches a certain height, it will need a structural engineer to help with the design to ensure it's safe and passes stringent building codes.
Drainage
If a retaining wall holds back soil on an incline, it will need to let the rain drain through the structure. Otherwise, the water will flow down the hill and bank up against the wall, waterlogging the soil on one side. The moisture needs a passage to get past the barrier or seep into the ground. Contractors could set a crushed stone base in the earth to drain rain puddles. They might also insert discreet drainage pipes into the wall structure, allowing rain to seep to the other side. That way, the structure's integrity won't be threatened by rainy weather.