When you’re dealing with messy soil erosion, poor curb appeal, and sloping terrain, do you find it difficult to keep the landscape together? Allow these retaining wall design ideas to take the strain.
A retaining wall is a structure that holds soil in place behind it. Your retaining wall might feature your favorite building material, whether it’s brick, stone, or timber. These landscape elements are ideal for keeping pests away from your crops, preserving flower beds from erosion, and landscaping on a hill.
We’ve picked up 21 retaining wall ideas that will help spice up your curb appeal and make your
landscape the talk of the neighborhood, whether you’re a fan of stacked stone or don’t know where to start.
1. Natural stone retaining wall
A natural stone wall will easily blend in with its surroundings. The diverse stone textures and hues will capture the eye but will not detract too much from the appealing surroundings, such as a colorful flower bed or a massive oak tree.
2. Outdoor kitchen
Turn your new outdoor kitchen into a retaining wall by getting creative with the design.
What is the best way to achieve this? Plant a raised herb garden beneath the counters of your outdoor kitchen. Pick a few green basil leaves, place them on the pizza, and pop your family supper into the pizza oven in the kitchen.
3. Keep a water feature in place
You can have a retaining wall without soil, just as you can have a garden without soil. For a change, why not keep some water?
Water features may transform your landscape, and retaining walls can help you keep the water where it belongs.
Any garden may be transformed into a relaxing haven with soothing rushing water sounds thanks to water features. Allow your outdoor fountain to wash away the tension of the day.
4. Gabion basket
These are galvanized or stainless steel wire enclosures or cages. Fill the baskets with inorganic materials like rock or brick to make a landscape retaining wall.
Gabion walls are simple to construct and allow homeowners to use materials that are difficult to stack, such as small boulders, river rocks, or round rocks, in retaining walls.
You won’t have to worry about repairing an unsightly crack as you could find in a concrete retaining wall. These baskets are low-maintenance as well.
5. Mix rock sizes
The diverse forms and sizes of a rock wall will be a visual delight for the eyes, especially if you can combine in some colorful colors.
Your wild rock designs will not only offer instant
curb appeal, but you’ll also get an opportunity to play a game of real-life Tetris.
6. Construct on an incline
It can seem tough to landscape for a slope or hill. After all, what good is it to strive to defy gravity?
The good news is that retaining walls can hold the land together by trapping the dirt on the slope.
What are your next steps?
Choose from a variety of retaining wall materials.
Discuss the ideal outside design for your yard with a professional landscaper or landscape architect.
And turn that space-sucking hill into something you can use and appreciate.
7. Highlight a tree
Is your beloved dogwood or oak tree in need of some attention? By day, use a tiny retaining wall to make it the focal point (and some sort of landscape lighting at night).
The roots of the tree will be protected by a retaining wall. There’s even room for a pretty flower bed. Bright flowers and mulch for the finishing touch will provide color and texture to the area around your tree’s trunk.
8. Timber retaining wall
For many homes, wood retaining walls can be an environmentally responsible and long-lasting solution. Wood has a lower carbon footprint than traditional construction materials such as steel or concrete.
Consult a landscape specialist to learn more about wood’s long-term viability. Some
landscaping companies use recycled wood, while others do not. Don’t be scared to inquire if the landscape lumber is sourced sustainably from well-managed forests.
9. Landscaping blocks
For a simple and quick installation, build a retaining wall out of landscaping bricks. The rear of the landscaping blocks has a self-locking flange, a lip that overhangs and grasps the block piled beneath it.
You usually don’t need mortar or adhesive to hold these locking blocks together, depending on the landscaping project.
10. Brick retaining wall
This can be used to spruce up the flora in your environment. The lawn is kept in order by a classic brick block and paver retaining wall. The red clay of a brick wall will make your flower bed stand out.
11. Retaining wall made of boulders
Make a statement with your retaining wall by gathering your favorite boulders. It is not always necessary for a retaining wall to display small landscaping blocks. Stack these enormous rocks to keep soil in place and prevent erosion.
If you don’t have the proper equipment, transporting stones can be a difficult task. For help transporting these rocks from point A to point B, contact a local landscape specialist.
12. Stone veneer retaining wall
This is commonly known as faux stone, is a man-made substance that resembles genuine stone in appearance. Stone veneer has a genuine appearance with a variety of textures, patterns, and colors to pick from.
While some people prefer actual stone for its authenticity, stone veneer can still be an attractive retaining wall material.
13. Corten steel retaining wall
If you want to give new look to your landscape you can go for Corten steel. This long-lasting material is manufactured with alloys that cause a protective layer of rust to form on the steel’s surface.
This steel offers the advantages of being corrosion-resistant, requiring little maintenance, and saving money on paint.
14. Render a retaining wall
Render your retaining wall instead of using most
hardscape building materials if your landscape needs a retaining wall but doesn’t require the added texture, colors, and patterns that most hardscape building materials provide.
The process of wall rendering is troweling a mixture of sand and wet cement onto a wall. This method offers the retaining wall a solid cement appearance and can also be used to disguise existing wall material.
15. Cinder block retaining wall
It’s preferable to use leftover cinder blocks in the landscape rather than dumping them in the landfill. Create a retaining wall for your outdoor gardens or flower beds with these stackable bricks. You may also use them to make raised garden beds for a vertical garden.
16. Living retaining wall
Your retaining wall can hold back the landscape’s soil and grow a garden from its walls with the appropriate design and structure. A vertical garden wall makes it simple to collect vegetables and protects your plants from illness and pests.
Vegetables aren’t the only thing you can grow in a vertical garden. Grow your favorite ornamental plants to make a stunning living green wall that provides privacy and noise absorption.
17. Install a fence
Building retaining walls around the sloped border of your property? Install a safety fence to prevent anyone from falling off the abrupt drop in the terrain.
A fence also gives seclusion, sets limits for young children, and keeps intruders out.
17. Increase the height of the flower beds
Keeping walls may keep soil and mulch in place while also elevating your flower beds off the ground. Raised flower beds have a number of advantages, including:
Weed competition is limited.
Foot traffic causes less soil compaction.
There are fewer pests.
Soil pollution is reduced.
Improved drainage control
18. Plant a vegetable garden.
Retaining walls may boost more than simply your flower gardens. You can also raise the height of your garden beds. Raised garden beds provide many of the same advantages as raised flower beds, and they can add a nice aesthetic to the vegetable garden.
19. Add stairs
Build a set of stairs inside your retaining wall to enjoy the benefits of a retaining wall while also gaining access to user space that the retaining wall may restrict. Stairs can make it easier to landscape on a hill or slope.
20. Build a centerpiece
Is your
front yard failing to attract the attention of your neighbors? A retaining wall can be used to create a focal point or centerpiece.
What are some examples? A retaining wall serves as a base for a beautiful water feature, a colorful flower bed, or a tiny tree.
21. Master the waterfall
With this retaining wall idea, you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood. The land around a waterfall can be supported by a retaining wall. Go big and build a waterfall masterpiece, or go modest and create a relaxing outdoor space.
A waterfall breaking through a retaining wall, regardless of size, gives an amazing effect.
FAQ About Retaining Walls
What are retaining walls?
Retaining walls are brick or stone block walls built to protect angled or elevated land from erosion and surface flow. They can be used to keep water and soil from shifting and affecting the landscape on both residential and commercial properties.
What are the benefits of a retaining wall for my home?
The most common application of residential retaining walls is to shield exposed basements from erosion. If not restricted by a retaining wall, earth can block basement doors and windows given enough time and rain.
Retaining walls are also beneficial to houses on top of or below large slopes. Retaining walls safeguard the foundation of dwellings built on top of slopes from shifting. A retaining wall will keep loose dirt from growing up around a property at the bottom of a slope. Varied wall placements will result in different outcomes for your home and yard.
What are retaining walls made from?
The majority of retaining walls are composed of
interlocking brick or stone blocks, while some are made of poured concrete or even wood.
What are decorative retaining walls?
Decorative retaining walls improve the look of your home while also protecting it from erosion and surface runoff. You may design your wall with different bricks, patterns, and colors to fit your home and other landscaping features.
What are segmental retaining walls?
To form segments along your wall, brick or stone blocks are stacked in an interlocking fashion. This differs from certain retaining walls, which are composed of poured concrete or slatted wood in one piece. The blocks must be precisely positioned to ensure that the fit is perfect and that the final wall is sturdy.
How much does a retaining wall cost?
The cost of a retaining wall varies based on the size of your project and the materials you choose. For beginners, some DIY retaining wall projects are straightforward. Advanced retaining wall projects, on the other hand, demand the expertise of a professional.
Remember that hiring a professional will incur expenditures for both materials and labor.
Landscaping blocks make installation quick and simple. Depending on whatever home improvement store you go to and the materials you choose, they can cost anywhere from $2 to $5 each block.
Do you prefer landscaping stones to landscaping blocks? Natural stone costs roughly $30 to $40 per square foot, whereas stone veneer costs around $10 per square foot.
Are you interested in transforming the retaining wall?
Can retaining walls be built into other landscaping features?
Retaining walls don’t always have to be self-contained. Retaining walls with steps, water features, and outdoor kitchens are among our suggestions, but that’s just the beginning. Patios, decks, outdoor living spaces, walkways, and driveways are just a few of the landscape components that might benefit from retaining walls.
How high can my retaining wall be?
Consult your local building codes or homeowner’s association for more information. These regulations may limit the height of your retaining wall or other landscaping features. Before constructing a retaining wall, you may need to obtain a builder’s permit.
When to Call a Professional
While some retaining walls are simple to construct, others may necessitate the assistance of a professional. To have your retaining wall installed, contact an
Edenapp lawn specialist.
You may avoid heavy materials, costly blunders, and potential injuries by hiring a professional to build your retaining wall.
A professional landscaper can also help you choose the best materials for your retaining wall, create landscape design plans, and maintain your retaining wall.
