The humble retaining wall serves many practical purposes–and it can can also completely transform the appearance and ambiance of your garden or yard. The retaining wall is integral to appealing landscape design in the Bay Area.
Bay Area Retaining Walls Go Way Beyond Practical
Retaining walls are highly functional, especially in the flat-surface-challenged atmosphere of the San Francisco Bay area. On the practical side, these supportive walls help hold back the ravages of Mother Nature, including earthquake’s tectonic shifts, mud slides and more. These sturdy walls help to prevent soil erosion and movement, while providing drainage to keep your property intact. In short, retaining walls can provide stability, along with significant visual interest and beauty, to the landscape surrounding your home. Here we’ll outline just some of the (almost infinite) options for retaining wall landscaping design.
How to Use Retaining Walls for Stunning Landscape Design
Retaining walls can add a pleasing combination of the following elements to your property’s outdoor landscape:
- Texture and color: Retaining walls can be made of a variety of intriguing materials, such as concrete blocks, stone, and wood with metal supports. Materials can be inline or offset, arranged in a regular pattern or a random, natural arrangement. Surfaces may be smooth or rough in varying degrees.
- Division and/or framing: Use retaining walls, along with purely decorative walls and pathways, to create distinct sections within your garden or backyard. Use the walls to frame part of the area as a centerpiece, creating a focal point of your landscape design.
- Visitor guidance: Walls can help to lead visitors through your garden, and bring some typically overlooked plants up to eye level.
- Topography: Use retaining walls to create a terraced hill on the slope behind your home, making the area stable and providing extra surface area for multiple uses. The result is much more exciting than a plain and ordinary, flat or sloped lawn.
- Extra usable space: With more flat areas within your landscape, you’ll gain additional space for planting, or an area for a new tennis court, perhaps.
- Stairs-steps or seating: Use part of the terraced space for these options.
- Increased sophistication, grandeur and value: Your retaining walls can create a real outdoor room, adding value to your home.
- Enhanced privacy: Retaining walls can create natural, defining the perimeter of your lawn or property.
- Attractive fencing: We can extend the wall upwards, by adding a fence to your retaining wall for a separate, private area. This could effectively divide the entertainment zone from your garden, for example.
- Eye-catching features: You might consider integrating an outdoor fireplace, waterfall and/or lighting into the retaining wall. Retaining walls may be embellished with stone or brick facing, and topped with metal or concrete caps, or covered with stucco to match your home. There are many more options to explore.
Viking Pavers Bay Area Retaining Wall Installers
Retaining walls are a terrific example of how the practical can also be stunning. Find out how a retaining wall can beautify your view and create options for your property! Contact the Bay Area’s premiere retaining wall installers to discuss your new landscape design today.
