From fixing a slope problem in your New Lenox and Homer Glen, IL landscape to increasing the privacy of a patio, retaining walls perform many landscape functions. Here are some ways to use retaining walls in your property to increase the function and create more beauty.
Related: 3 REASONS A RETAINING WALL WOULD BE NEEDED IN HOMER GLEN AND MANHATTAN, IL
What is a retaining wall?
A retaining wall is a natural rock or wall stone wall that holds back dirt to create more usable space in your landscape. Most retaining walls are not exceptionally high but when they are over four feet, they must be engineered in a specific way to hold back the dirt in a stable manner. They are customizable and offer many landscape benefits.
Uses of Retaining Walls
Fix a slope: When your yard has a slope that makes mowing difficult or creates a river that wipes away your landscape efforts every time there is a rain storm, you need a retaining wall. Your landscape professional can remove some of the dirt at the base of the slope to build a retaining wall that holds that dirt back.
This can be especially helpful when you want more space to install a patio or outdoor entertaining space with a full outdoor kitchen but the slope prevents using the yard as you wish. You no longer have to worry about the gushing water because the wall has built-in drainage to divert the flow to a safer place.
A retaining wall can also fix a slope in a front yard where it prohibits access to your home and front entry. When the landscaper installs a retaining wall, this can offer a transition from the driveway to the walkway that goes to your front door. With steps that make moving from one place to another easy and comfortable, you don’t have to worry that guests have to climb a hill to get to the front door.
Define the landscape: A retaining wall can also define your landscape and create specific sections for a more appealing aesthetic. When you have a gentle slope in the landscape, installing a retaining wall there can make it become two separate spaces. When this happens, you can have your landscaper add gorgeous landscape beds and flowers to the upper part of the wall while below there will be a clean line for mowing the grass.
To add privacy: When you home and outdoor space is close to neighbors, you might want more privacy and intimacy when you spend time on your patio. Many homeowners add a retaining wall around the perimeter of the patio to bring more seclusion to the space. Because retaining walls can be higher in some areas than others, even adding a partial retaining wall can screen the view of your patio from nearby neighbors.
A retaining wall can also offer more seating space and serving space when you entertain larger groups. Colorful pots of annual flowers can grace the flat top of the wall to add color and interest.
Retaining walls can be built of oversize landscape boulders for a rustic, earthy look or they can be constructed of wall stone chosen to complement your home’s architecture and aesthetic. No matter the stone you choose, a retaining wall is a practical and beautiful way to bring more function to your landscape.
