Retaining walls can heighten the beauty of any landscape. If you have an outdoor garden, do think about including retaining walls because they have more benefits than they cost. This article is about cost-friendly retaining wall ideas, and their benefits compared to concrete, brick and cut wall stones. This is a perfect reading material before going into DIY retaining wall ideas or hiring a professional landscaper.
Here Are 4 Reason You Need to Build Retaining Walls
Natural stone walls are timeless and a special type of retaining wall. Big rock retaining walls supports itself and hold back pressure from the material behind it. Stone retaining walls can be built anywhere on the landscape of any size. Other than being less expensive than concrete and brick, stone walls give your landscape a natural, classic and timeless look.
These retaining walls are preferred by landscape professionals because there are many types of stone to choose from. In Sydney, you can easily find cheap granite and landscape rocks at low cost.
A piece of advice! Building a stone retaining wall by yourself will take time and effort. Lifting, cutting and placing the large stones is not an easy job, no matter what you see in YouTube videos. Hiring an expert landscaper is a good idea because he understands the procedure and laws and regulations of retaining walls.
These retaining walls look great on landscape of any size. They naturally mesh with any décor of your landscape. The only downfall is that most types of timber don’t last for a long time. But landscape experts say, with regular maintenance and making a right ‘water and ground’ contact can help it last for years. Experts also suggest when building timber walls, placing galvanized posts between the wood can also extend the life of the retaining wall.
For timber walls, we usually see materials like treated pine, treated hardwood, and railway sleepers. These materials are less expensive, easy to place and fix on any turf.
This is getting popular nowadays for small retaining walls. Stacked stones can be placed without using cement or mortar. The color and texture of stacked stones sit well with any natural landscape. Stacked Stones are easy to place on each other and ideal for large and short walls. They look super expensive but actually cost less than timber retaining walls.
This can be made of natural stone boulders or concrete blocks. Large retaining wall blocks are thick, take more space and last for a long time. It is hard to lift large boulders and you need lifter vehicle for this task. But using these large stone can change your landscape completely, for good.
Cinder Blocks are less expensive than Concert blocks. They are lighter, have a hollow rectangle shape and perfect for small backyard retaining wall. We often see cinder blocks in retaining walls everywhere. The downfall is the unnatural look because of the concrete in cinder blocks. But with time they get mossy and start to look natural. Cinder blocks last for a long time and perfect for small retaining walls.
Yes, we already talked about wooden retaining walls but why vertical railway sleepers are different? Other than being affordable and easily available, railway sleepers make the perfect looking retaining wall. The vertical shape makes it easy to build and stand on the ground. In autumn, railway sleepers mesh with the landscape and give your turf a great look.
Concrete blocks are expensive but poured concrete is not. It is just a mixture of concrete mixed with gravel and pebbles that can be turned into any shape. This is a great inexpensive retaining wall idea for small and large landscapes.
- They enhance the beauty of your landscape and give it room to breathe (e.g. carving out a patio)
- Act as a soil dam by keeping the earth in its place
- Prevent flooding, erosion, and damage to the surrounding landscape
- Reduce landscape maintenance costs
Natural Stone Retaining Wall Ideas
Natural stone walls are timeless and a special type of retaining wall. Big rock retaining walls supports itself and hold back pressure from the material behind it. Stone retaining walls can be built anywhere on the landscape of any size. Other than being less expensive than concrete and brick, stone walls give your landscape a natural, classic and timeless look.
These retaining walls are preferred by landscape professionals because there are many types of stone to choose from. In Sydney, you can easily find cheap granite and landscape rocks at low cost.
A piece of advice! Building a stone retaining wall by yourself will take time and effort. Lifting, cutting and placing the large stones is not an easy job, no matter what you see in YouTube videos. Hiring an expert landscaper is a good idea because he understands the procedure and laws and regulations of retaining walls.
Timber Retaining Walls Ideas
These retaining walls look great on landscape of any size. They naturally mesh with any décor of your landscape. The only downfall is that most types of timber don’t last for a long time. But landscape experts say, with regular maintenance and making a right ‘water and ground’ contact can help it last for years. Experts also suggest when building timber walls, placing galvanized posts between the wood can also extend the life of the retaining wall.
For timber walls, we usually see materials like treated pine, treated hardwood, and railway sleepers. These materials are less expensive, easy to place and fix on any turf.
Stacked Stone Walls
This is getting popular nowadays for small retaining walls. Stacked stones can be placed without using cement or mortar. The color and texture of stacked stones sit well with any natural landscape. Stacked Stones are easy to place on each other and ideal for large and short walls. They look super expensive but actually cost less than timber retaining walls.
Large Retaining Wall Blocks
This can be made of natural stone boulders or concrete blocks. Large retaining wall blocks are thick, take more space and last for a long time. It is hard to lift large boulders and you need lifter vehicle for this task. But using these large stone can change your landscape completely, for good.
Cinder Block Wall
Cinder Blocks are less expensive than Concert blocks. They are lighter, have a hollow rectangle shape and perfect for small backyard retaining wall. We often see cinder blocks in retaining walls everywhere. The downfall is the unnatural look because of the concrete in cinder blocks. But with time they get mossy and start to look natural. Cinder blocks last for a long time and perfect for small retaining walls.
Vertical Railway Sleepers
Yes, we already talked about wooden retaining walls but why vertical railway sleepers are different? Other than being affordable and easily available, railway sleepers make the perfect looking retaining wall. The vertical shape makes it easy to build and stand on the ground. In autumn, railway sleepers mesh with the landscape and give your turf a great look.
Poured Concrete
Concrete blocks are expensive but poured concrete is not. It is just a mixture of concrete mixed with gravel and pebbles that can be turned into any shape. This is a great inexpensive retaining wall idea for small and large landscapes.
