A retaining wall is a feature that holds back the soil and rocks and prevents them from sliding downhill or eroding. It is specifically designed to withstand the pressure of the material that it’s holding back. Retaining walls are used on commercial and residential premises. However, we hardly ever notice these features because they are largely considered to be functional rather than aesthetic elements in a landscape.
We at DNS Landscape provide excellent retaining wall design and installation services. Let’s take a detailed look at what retaining walls are and understand how to determine whether you need one on your property:
What Is a Retaining Wall?
Retaining walls are typically found in places that require additional support to prevent erosion or mudslides. Their primary role is to combat gravity and should incorporate a design that effectively balances the lateral force of the slope. Retaining walls are used for several other applications, such as:
- Offer Usable Land – Many techniques that been used throughout the years to build different types of retaining walls to create terraces of operable land on slopes. Ancient South American civilizations created extraordinary terraces that are used by farmers of Sacred Valley in Peru to this day. For houses, even though on a significantly smaller scale, the same technique is used. Landscaping gets considerably easier when your yard is leveled out correctly and has the right amount of support.
- Control Water Runoff – Retaining walls can effectively reduce the flow of water as well. This, in turn, benefits gardening and reduces the amount of time you spend on lawn care. Creating a simple retaining wall system can block polluted street water from entering rivers. An additional rain garden can be included in the design as well.
- Offer Additional Seating- A retaining wall offers a few unexpected benefits too. The landscape provides an excellent seating area, and depending on the location of the wall, the feature can be used to create a lovely seating area around a fireplace or fire pit or even along a patio or deck. .
You Might Need Retaining Walls If:
- You Need An Efficient Way To Manage Downhill Erosion– If large areas of erosive soil are blocking certain critical areas of your property, you should consider installing a retaining wall
- If Your House Is Downhill From Fault Lines In The Soil- Any experienced landscaping contractor will let you know that even though erosion might not be a threat to your property now, it could be in the future. In the event of an earthquake, the land typically slides away, a retaining wall will provide a considerable amount of stability to your property if it’s located downhill from a fault line.
- Erosion Is A Serious Issue That Can Threaten Your Property’s Foundation- If the soil under the property is eroding or the ground is just washing away, investing in a retaining wall is a great idea.
For any more information about retaining walls, feel free to call DNS Landscaping at (210) 765-8667. You can also use this Contact Us form to send us an email.