Retaining walls are a must-have for many properties in order to hold back large areas of earth.  It doesn’t mean that you have to choose something relatively ugly in order to do the job. Decorative retaining walls are perfect for holding back those smaller slopes and go a long way to improving the aesthetics of your garden.  Here’s what you need to know. For more information or advice, speak to your local retaining wall specialist who’ll be only too happy to help.

About Decorative Retaining Walls

A decorative retaining wall is one that is generally used to improve the look of the garden somehow.  While it may serve a structural purpose, it is not designed or intended to be a structural retaining wall that needs to support the earth behind it.  Decorative retaining walls can be used as a way to emphasise certain garden features, as the base of a fence, or even as garden seating.  Decorative retaining walls are usually low in height and as such they don’t require engineering for stability.

Options in Decorative Retaining Walls

As you’re building a decorative retaining wall rather than one that is purely for function, you will want to think about how it looks once it’s built.  For that reason, you’ll want to look for materials that are attractive over everything else.  One terrific option is stone which can be used for wet or dry retaining walls.  Dry stacked retaining walls are where the stones are just stacked on top of one another and a wet stone retaining wall is one that uses mortar to fix the stone together.  Timber retaining walls are also very beautiful and will age nicely over time.  The only thing that you need to watch out for is that you use appropriately treated timber.  You may not think it but concrete is also an excellent solution for decorative retaining walls as the concrete can be moulded into many forms including interlocking concrete blocks, timber look sleepers, or even to look like natural stone.

What to Remember with Decorative Retaining Walls

Even though you are installing this retaining wall for its aesthetics more so than purely structural properties, there are still some things that you have to remember.  Decorative retaining walls still need to be well built in order to last and be safe, so take your time building them if you are doing it yourself, or ensure that you choose an experienced, reputable professional to do it for you.  You also need to make sure that there is adequate drainage behind your retaining wall.  If the water doesn’t have anywhere to go, it will just push on the retaining wall and cause it to fail prematurely.