Saturday, August 14, 2010

Retaining Walls - How They Are Effective

Retaining walls can be made from a number of materials, like concrete, stones, boulders, large slabs, railroad ties and there are even limestone retaining walls as well. Not only do they look attractive, but also provide security and privacy. You can even use the retaining walls as feature walls by adding some focal points, like fountains, plants, etc. A retaining wall made from natural materials looks like a part of the landscape, thus giving it a very smooth and finished appearance.

There are many advantages to installing a retaining wall in your garden, and you can even use it as an exterior wall. Let's take a look at some of the benefits to help you decide better.

o Designing these walls is very simple and it can be made to look like a part of your property's exterior walls. Also, the designs depend upon the proposed use and function. For example, if a home owner wants the wall to be a part of the landscape, then using stone slabs to build an attractive wall is an excellent choice.

o If the wall is used specifically as a retaining wall, then the wall area is dug out either by hand, bobcat or even large digging equipment, depending upon the size of the project. The side of the slope or the hill is dug away to create a level area to install the retaining wall. Sometimes the area is even dug out in different levels to create a visual stepping stone effect.

o Once this area is dug out, the ground is then leveled so the wall rises straight up. They even add sand using a yard roller in order to pack down the surface and then the bottom layer of the wall is laid down and checked to ensure that it is level.

o The wall is then built with the use of the chosen material and once this wall has reached its determined height, a small amount of backfill is filled or even a large amount of dirt is added. This all depends upon the slope of the original area.

o Now, sometimes the retaining wall is used only to level out an uneven sloping yard and the yard owners can make it a more level yard space by making the retaining wall higher than the slope, by adding dirt after which sod is also added.

o Small retaining walls are created on the ground in order to create landscape designs as well.

o These smaller retaining walls are even then filled with mud to make raised flower beds or even create a fountain area next to the patio or the entryway. These small retaining walls are usually only two feet tall and are exclusively used only for decorative purposes.

o The much larger and taller retaining walls are generally built along the sloping edges in order to keep the land from eroding or washing away. Rain water and ground water can easily erode the soil on slopes, which can even lead the slopes to create a landslide. This can be quite dangerous and should be prevented. This is where retaining walls are advantageous. These walls are generally made of concrete and they are constructed by placing forms in the designated area and then pouring in the concrete. When the concrete hardens the forms are removed to expose the new concrete walls.

o This is used all over the city where there are chances of the earth eroding or washing away. This is especially required if the roads are widened or the streets have to be added.

Recommend : Home Owner Insurance

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