How Professionals Build a Retaining Wall

Having proper landscaping can easily decrease unwanted noise levels as well as block unwanted views from your yard or home, and what better way to enhance your landscaping than to use retaining walls?

What are Retaining Walls? These walls are part of what a professional landscaping company will call the “hardscape,” which includes any non-living element in a yard (walkways, decks, etc.). Retaining walls can be used to prevent soil runoff, to enhance drainage, and provide support to a landscape.

Why Hire Professionals? Professional landscapers can help you achieve a well thought out and functional design for your outdoor space so you can enjoy every part of your property. They will also be able to consult with you about the most recent landscape design trends, which these days usually include a retaining wall design of some sort.

How to Build a Retaining Wall: After choosing the location of items such as patios, fences, and decks, here’s how a professional landscaping company will build your retaining wall.

1. Preparing the Site: Stakes and string will be used to map out the approximate locations of where the retaining walls will go. Before any digging takes place, they need to make sure no pipes or cables are underneath the site.
2. Excavate: Next, various landscaping tools such as shovels and axes will be used to dig a trench along the line laid out. For concrete retaining walls, this trench may need to be deeper and wider. No matter what type of material you choose to use for the wall, however, the trench should be slightly wider than needed.The trench should be as level as possible.
3. Lay the Foundation: The first layer of blocks are the more important; if these aren’t level, your entire wall could be very unstable and collapse — resulting in injury to people or property. These blocks should be tightly packed together for maximum support.
4. Subsequent Layers: After the foundation layer is complete, the professional landscapers will move on the the rest of the layers. If the wall contains stones instead of a solid piece of concrete, these stones or blocks should be placed in a staggered pattern (the seams should not match up with the bottom layer).
5. Add Adhesive: After laying down a row of blocks, an adhesive agent will be spread on top to make sure that the next layer stays in place and is relatively water tight. The stones placed on top of the adhesive will be pressed down firmly to ensure they are secured tightly.
6. Top Stones: Add topper stones, which are usually rectangular in shape, as the last layer if you desire them. Then topsoil will be added to the basin created by the retaining wall.

After professionals have completed the retaining wall, you can choose what type of plants, vines, or flowers you would like to have surrounding the structure to make it more cohesive with the rest of your yard.
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