Cleaning Up Your Own Backyard

3 Things To Consider When Building A Retaining Wall

by Warren Garcia

If you have an area where you want to build a retaining wall on your property, there are a few things that you should take into consideration as you go through the planning process for building a retaining wall.

#1 Make The Retaining Wall Useful

Too often, retaining walls are looked at as simply a way to hold back soil in particular areas. However, a retaining wall can also be useful. You can create multiple levels and set it up so that the bottom level can be used as a sitting area. To do this, you will want to make the last level of the retaining wall deep enough to act as a seat and ensure that the level above is high enough to act as a back rest.

You can also turn retaining walls into multi-leveled flower gardens. You can use each level as a place to put flowers and turn it into a great landscaping feature. This is a great way to make your retaining wall more visually appealing.

#2 Use Manufactured Blocks

Although you can create your own blocks from cement, it is often easier to use manufactured blocks to create a retaining wall. Manufactured blocks are more uniform and can be easier to create a solid structure out of. They can also be easier to work with and allow you to focus on the quality of the structure and how it looks instead of creating the blocks. It will reduce the amount of work that you have to put into building your retaining wall.

When using manufactured blocks, keep in mind that the colors may vary from block to block, so be sure to spread out the different color variations of the blocks to create a more visually appealing wall. You don't want to bunch up all the off-colored blocks together, but rather spread them out.

#3 Always Make A Solid Base

Next, make sure that you remember to make a solid base. To make a solid base for your retaining wall, you are going to want to dig out the ground a couple of inches. Then you are going to want to create a level of gravel that is a couple of inches deep. This gravel will help provide proper drainage for your retaining wall and will help ensure that your retaining wall does not move around over time. This is really important, so be sure to spend time creating a solid base that will support your retaining wall and keep it in place. 

For professional assistance with creating a retaining wall, contact a company like Rock Solid Services LLC.

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