What Is Retaining Wall Construction and Why Is It Important?
Retaining walls are built for all sorts of reasons. Given that the basic purpose of such a wall is to hold soil behind it, retaining walls are often built to offer additional support and prevent dirt from moving downhill, as a result of erosion. However, retaining walls also serve an important purpose when it comes to landscaping your backyard, as they provide visual interest and the ability to divide your yard into different sections. There are lots of elements to consider with retaining wall construction, so let’s take a step-by-step look to getting started!
As we go through, if you have any questions about retaining wall construction or the constituent elements that go into it, give us a call at (615) 238-4574 and speak to the landscaping experts at Greenway of Nashville.
Where To Get Started With a Retaining Wall Construction
The place to start when deciding on a retaining wall construction is your plan. Constructing a retaining wall is not something you want to do twice, so the more time you spend planning the materials, the base, drainage, the wall’s design, and its layout, the more heartache you will save yourself in the future.
To make sure your plan is the best it can possibly be, it’s a great idea to start considering these type of questions:
- How are you going to use the new space that you create?
- What surrounding features do you want to build in?
- What wall height do you want?
- What materials do you want to use?
- Will you need to grade your land to ensure effective water runoff?
- What will you do with the dirt that you dig up? It will mostly get used in the retaining wall construction but consider what you will do during the build.
Materials You’ll Need for Constructing a Retaining Wall
There is not a one-material-fits-all for retaining walls. There are lots of ways to build retaining walls into your outdoor space that will give a whole different look to your backyard. Are you looking for a smooth, modern and utilitarian look? Or perhaps a more traditional country garden with beautiful, low walls made from natural stone?
Depending on the aesthetic you want to achieve, your first decision is the main material of the wall:
- Concrete blocks – durable and easy to install, but a concrete block wall can be no taller than four feet.
- Stone veneer – beautiful aesthetic and durable, stone can be very costly.
- Poured concrete – strong and consistent in look, but concrete is susceptible to cracking and achieving the perfect mix requires a fair amount of skill.
- Brick – low maintenance and durable, brick is heavy to shift and can be expensive.
- Wood – natural, cost-effective and at the cheaper end of the scale, wood has a limited lifespan of no more than about 20 years.
At Greenway of Nashville, our retaining wall contractors have many years’ experience in helping customers achieve the yard they’ve always wanted. If you want some ideas for the type of wall that would work best in your outdoor space, why not give us a call?
“Work with skilled Nashville hardscaping and outdoor construction professionals who understand your vision and respect your schedule. Contact us for a free quote!”
A Step-by-Step Process for Retaining Wall Construction
So, you’ve decided to go ahead and make your yard more interesting, visually appealing, and the envy of your neighbors. But where do you start? For the purposes of this blog, let’s assume you decide to build a block wall.
Remember that any wall you build is going to be pretty heavy, with gravity pushing the majority of the load towards the lower part of your wall. So you’ll need some heavy, compacted material at the base to counteract the pressure and make sure the wall leans against the compacted fill, rather than the other way around. You don’t want your wall to fall down!
- Mark out your wall using stones or spray paint. Dig your trench about twice as wide as your blocks and deep enough for your paver base and your first block to be halfway buried.
- Pack and tamp the gravel to build a good, secure base. This is an essential foundation step to ensure your wall doesn’t move once it’s built, so take your time and try not to rush.
- Level your base, using your level tool or by putting up a string line on wooden posts.
- Lay the first line of blocks, using a mallet to set each block. Then add more well-tamped gravel base before you start with the second line of blocks.
- Repeat each layer of block and gravel base until you’ve reached the wall height you want.
- Finish the wall by gluing the capstones with masonry adhesive. Backfill with soil and you’ve got yourself a brand new retaining wall!
Use Our Experienced Retaining Wall Contractors
Retaining wall construction can make a huge difference to your backyard. You can add new garden spaces, reuse space that wasn’t adding much to the overall wow factor of your yard, and create great water features or additional seating. Depending on the space that you’re looking to build into, a retaining wall that will endure the test of time isn’t always the simplest thing to do. If you think you’d like to start making your yard more attractive but want some advice, why not call the landscape experts at Greenway of Nashville?
We’ve been serving the community for more than 10 years and take pride in delivering great service, unmatched quality, and fair market pricing.
