Retaining Walls That Are Functional and Attractive

Retaining walls are used in yards that need extra support to prevent the soil from moving downhill with erosion. They play a vital role in keeping your home’s landscape intact but some homeowners may complain about having a retaining wall in their yard. The good news is that just because your property needs a retaining wall doesn’t mean that it has to be an ugly one. Here are a few retaining wall ideas that are both functional and attractive.

Integrated Steps

Your retaining wall can do more than just hold soil back. It can also be used as stairs to get from one level of your yard to another. Integrating stairs into your retaining wall gives the effect that the wall is more design based and less necessity-based. Integrated stairs will add interest to your retaining wall and allow you to access another part of your yard to use for gardening, relaxing, or just about anything else. 

Gabion Wall

Gabion walls have become a popular way to build walls or wedges around property. A gabion wall is essentially wire cages filled with bricks or stone. The size of stones or brick you use will depend on the type of wire cage you decide on. Cages with more tightly woven wire will be able to contain much smaller pebbles than cages with wires that are more spread out. One thing is for sure though, a gabion wall will bring an edgy and cool industrial look to your landscaping. 

Multicolor Mosaic

You don’t have to opt for a boring, plain, solid color retaining wall. Instead, you can opt for a multicolored mosaic retaining wall. To do this, you can request that your retaining wall builder uses natural stone pebbles in a variety of colors. The end result will be a beautifully colored retaining wall that does its intended job and looks good. It’s an ideal solution for homeowners who want to bring in a splash of color but aren’t keen gardeners and don’t want the hassle of maintaining bright flowering plants.  

Living Wall 

You can take the opportunity to create a living retaining wall. If you’re someone who enjoys plants and greenery, this is the perfect solution for you. To create a living retaining wall you can use concrete slabs and put them in a brickwork pattern but leave a gap in between individual slabs. Inside the gaps, you can place your favorite plants to create a beautiful living retaining wall. One thing to note is that a living retaining wall will need to be built by a professional. 

Add Lighting

No matter what material you decide on for your retaining wall, you can always enhance it by adding lights. Try adding solar light throughout the top of your retaining wall and see how it instantly becomes more attractive. Solar light posts are an inexpensive way to add some personality and interest to virtually any retaining wall. Not only do they instantly make your retaining wall look more attractive, but they also make it safer at night since you can see along your retaining wall. 

Building Beautiful Functional Retaining Walls in MD

North American Deck and Patio is here to help you create a beautiful retaining wall for your yard. We’ve helped plenty of homeowners throughout Maryland create retaining walls that are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing, and we’re sure we can help you too.

Get started now by requesting a FREE consultation.

“Jim at North American patio and deck's came up with the most ingenious way of utilizing our small very slanted very water drained environment and turned it into a virtual oasis. Making this deck the envy of all our ambitions and gem for the community.”

– C. Cross