Outdoor Retaining Walls – Design & Installation

Retaining walls serve many purposes in the landscape. Outdoor retaining walls can be structural or ornamental in design, serve as focal points, or be a less visible part of the hardscape that helps create the proper grade and elevation changes of your landscape.

Smith Landscaping designs build and install retaining walls out of many materials and in many styles. Our team has years of experience with designing and installing outdoor retaining walls for both residential and commercial landscapes. The available materials and styles include:

• Dry stacked stone walls
• CMU walls with stone veneer
• Paver wall systems
• Pressure-treated timber walls
• Custom brick retaining walls

Residential Retaining Wall Design

Besides deciding on wall material, important considerations need to be given to proper drainage solutions, erosion control, and how grade changes will affect your property in general. Whether you need a dry-stacked stone wall to complement your landscape or a paver wall system or a timber wall to create planting tiers on a slope, our designers can come up with the perfect solution and then the perfect installation for your property. Don’t forget to integrate outdoor lighting within your retaining wall for dramatic effect when the sun goes down.

What is the purpose of a retaining wall?

Retaining walls are often built as a result of erosion or to help maintain a landscape. Building a retaining wall requires careful design and advanced planning so as not to create an environmental or safety hazard. The goal of any retaining wall is to capture surface water and channel it away from the foundation. Another purpose of retaining walls is to help maintain flood plain. It is common knowledge that most regions have areas prone to flooding. This is why homeowners are required to build walls that will prevent groundwater from reaching houses, foundations, businesses and other properties.

Why do I need a retaining wall?

Erosion is the most common reason for constructing retaining walls. This may be due to soil compaction, water table increase, river runoff, or any other cause. Certain climatic conditions like cold and wetter summers can also contribute to erosion. Most homeowners ignore the fact that the retaining wall is actually built against the slope of the land behind it. When the wall is built perpendicular to the slope, it acts as a retaining agent against the downhill force of gravity.

Since a retaining wall is built to maintain a level ground, its primary function is to maintain a similar slope to the exterior. However, the walls also play a part in soil erosion control by controlling the drainage patterns in a yard. By creating a gradient or inclined surface, the water that is channeled off the wall is channeled over at a higher level than the soil surrounding it. In doing so, the soil that is behind the wall helps to absorb the additional weight caused by the expanding water.

The use of a retaining wall can be both economical and aesthetic. A well-constructed wall can conserve space, as well as add value to a home. Contractors can build them in a variety of styles, sizes and textures to create appealing results that will blend into an existing landscape. For those homeowners who want an attractive and durable wall, they can often choose a concrete or stone wall.

How to Build a Timber Retaining Wall Play Area

Do you need a drainage system behind the wall?

Depending on the type of structure, a retaining wall may have different drainage systems that are dependent upon the topography of the soil. Some homeowners prefer to allow water to drain into a garden or backyard. Others prefer more directed drainage patterns in an attempt to keep water runoff away from foundations and other structures.

There are many professional retaining wall contractors in the Columbiana, Mahoning, and Stark counties. By choosing a retaining wall contractor near you with the right experience and the right materials, you can ensure that not only will your yard look great but your retaining wall is built to last.