Retaining walls can have many uses, among which is improving the flow within your Homer Glen, IL, landscape. These tips can help you decide where a new retaining wall should be placed to improve the property design.
Remedy a Slope
If you have a slope in your yard, a retaining wall can remedy the erosion that often accompanies a sloped terrain when a rainstorm comes. The rushing water can wreak havoc in your yard by washing away plants and grass, even flowing into your neighbor’s yard to leave debris and ill feelings.
Your landscape specialist can design a stone retaining wall to hold back some of the soil so that you can have a true patio at the base. Incorporated into the wall design are drainage solutions that can eliminate the rushing water and consistently wet space at the bottom.
With the array of stone colors, sizes, and textures available, your landscape service can help you select the best stone to complement your home’s exterior style and colors. You can extend the stone choices into an adjoining patio that provides a durable and eye-catching surface for enjoying your yard.
Make a Statement with Steps
When your landscape service adds wide stone steps to the retaining wall design, you can access the upper portions of your yard much easier. Because the steps are deep, small children and older people can more easily use them to reach a playground space at the top of the hill or to nurture a vegetable garden where there once was an unusable steep hill. While practical, the steps can be illuminated for added nighttime safety within your landscape.
Create an Intimate Space
Using masonry retaining walls to define outdoor spaces can give your landscape distinct areas such as a spot for relaxing and another for dining. When your landscaper adds low retaining walls to the perimeter of a patio and dining space, they can feel more intimate and quiet.
This can be especially helpful when you live in a neighborhood with homes that are close together and you want to increase the privacy of your landscape. When you want to sit on the patio to enjoy a morning coffee or a late afternoon beverage, there are times when you would rather not chat with neighbors. A low retaining wall can screen your outdoor spaces to allow those moments of calm and quiet that you crave.
Another wonderful benefit of having a low retaining wall added to your outdoor areas can be the increased functionality that comes with it. Because the top of the wall is flat, guests can use this for extra seating and you can use it for a beverage or snack station.
Create Visual Separation
A retaining wall can act as a property boundary that is solid and pretty, especially when built of specially chosen stone. The height can vary according to your preference and can follow the natural property line to enhance the curves and lines of your terrain.
Using a retaining wall can be an excellent way to create a boundary but one that is a backdrop for eye-catching landscaping of flowering shrubs and attractive trees that make your outdoor space look pleasing in all seasons.
Related: 2 LANDSCAPE DESIGN IDEAS FOR ENTERTAINING LARGE GROUPS IN ST. JOHN, IN
