Do you often experience soil erosion, especially in areas that are not leveled? Well, luckily there is a solution for that, it’s called retaining walls. They will not only keep your yard intact, but they also add great aesthetic value. Generally, the purpose of retaining walls is to hold the soil behind them. If your property has a lot of sloped areas, using retaining walls is the best idea for you.
Before you begin installing a retaining wall, you need to consider the location and the environmental factors that may affect your wall and cause it to fail. It takes careful planning and proper layout to avoid it from collapsing and may expose you to a lot of risks. Retaining walls should make sure about the absorption requirements, its strength, height deviations and a lot more. Here are a few applications for retaining walls:
- Prevents soil erosion
The soil in a sloped area will get eroded over time due to rainwater, strong winds, and even gravity. The main purpose of installing retaining walls is to prevent the soil in an unleveled area from being washed away.
- Provides soil stability
Retaining walls are of great help, especially in landscaping your area. An uneven land area causes lateral pressure, which may result in soil erosion after some time. Installing retaining walls will help the soil become more stable and accommodate the pressure. The stronger or durable the materials are used in the retaining walls, the more lateral pressure it resists.
- Improves drainage
A sloped region makes it a good area for the water to flow; bringing soils and rocks along the way. The installation of retaining walls will help improve water drainage of the area; thus, preventing erosion and flooding.
- Gives privacy
Depending on your purpose, you can install retaining walls however high you may like it. If you want to improve the stability of your land area and at the same time you want to enhance its privacy, then you can have your retaining walls set about 6 feet high or more.
- Maximize usable space
Another issue brought by an uneven land or sloped area is that space can be deemed unusable due to the lateral pressure as well as the possibility of soil erosion. With retaining walls, you can maximize the value of your land as much as you like. The walls will keep the land in shape and leveled off.
- Adds to curb appeal
There is no point in debating how retaining walls increase the curb appeal of your property. Of course, if the structure installed improves and enhances your property, then it will also add value to your home too. Retaining walls will not only increase the visual appeal of your property’s landscaping, but it will also improve the stability of the surrounding soil in your property.
There are different types of retaining walls that you can install on your property depending on how you would want to use it. Call us here at Campbell & Ferrara at (703)-354-6724 for a professional landscaping consultation. We will assist you in deciding the type of retaining walls for your property.