Love Your Landscape – July 2014

Ordinarily, one’s reason for installing a retaining wall is for pure function, but in many cases, retaining walls can add depth, beauty and interest to a sloped or steeply-graded area.

There are many options when choosing materials for a new retaining wall. The style, color, and texture are all important but also keeping the wall consistent with the style of your home is an important consideration.

Installation can be very labor intensive, with the length of the project usually determined by the size of the new wall and the material chosen.

Options for material are numerous and include: natural stone, block, block with veneer, stucco, free-staked wall block, railroad ties, landscape timbers, and large boulders.

Here in southern Oregon, natural stone retaining walls are usually built out of moss rock or river cobble rock, mainly because these materials are readily available. There are other rock options, but they are not usually as available as the options mentioned above. Both options offer a very natural look and in the right situation, look great.

Block pillars and walls with a veneer finish have become very popular and widely-used in new home construction over the past 10 years. This finish really works well when you can tie into the same veneer used on the house. Recently, we designed and built a wall around a pool using a veneer finish that tied into the front entry way, with the same veneer used on the fireplace chimney. The end result was a great continuity between the pool area and the house. Stucco finishes on retaining walls also makes for a very clean and modern look, tying in well with stucco finished homes.

Another very popular retaining wall material is free staking wall block. There are many new color choices, sizes and textures now available. When installed to specifications, these walls should last a lifetime.

The day of the rail road tie has come and gone, I’m glad to say! But back in the day, ties where used for landscape retaining walls more often than one could imagine.

Large boulders are quite effective for large amounts of square footage that need to be retained. The finished result of these rock walls offers a very natural look without much uniformity—which in the right situation looks great and fits the landscape best.

If a retaining wall is constructed properly, it will last a long time. If taking on a retaining wall project yourself, make sure to do your research and construct the wall to the proper specifications. There are too many details to discuss here, but one of the most important considerations is the hydrostatic pressure that builds from the presence of water in the soil on the back side of the wall. Water must have a good opportunity to drain, so drainage consideration is of utmost importance if you expect the wall to last a lifetime.