Retain walls can be pretty and can add texture and elevation to your landscaping designs but most of the time they are created to hold back soil and sometimes water. They are made from a variety of materials such as, cut stone, natural stone, wood, or brick and add a tiered effect to a landscaping design in yards with steep inclines.
Types of Retaining Walls
- Gravity Retaining Walls – Seen mostly on residential properties, these walls hold back the soil with their own weight.
- Cantilevered Retaining Walls – A structurally reinforced “footing” improves how much a load the wall can handle. Many cantilevered retaining walls use ‘buttresses’ hold back even more weight.
- Piled Retaining Walls – Used in very tight spaces, these piled retaining walls are usually constructed from steel or wood planks put into the ground for a 1/3 of the walls total height.
- Anchored Retaining Walls – Using cable anchored to reinforce any time of retaining wall.
When You Need More Then a Common 3-4 Foot Wall
Most retaining walls are about three to four feet high because at that height most walls won’t need anchors or additional engineering to keep back soil. But sometime you need your wall to be taller for a bunch of reasons and that’s when more engineering will be involved. It’s time to call in a pro for sure when your retaining wall goes above 3-4 feet in height.
You could attempt to do all of this yourself…
-or-
Your could call the pros at Outer Image Outdoor Services to help you do it right the first time! We design and create outdoor areas for a living all over the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area!
Contact us (859-689-0076) for a free consultation!
