Retaining walls are a beautiful and practical aspect of a well-landscaped yard. These walls protect your landscaping from the wind, rain, and snow common in the Cape Cod area. A properly designed and installed retaining wall can help your home and yard withstand a rough Northeastern winter. If your home is on a hill, slope, or any type of raised land a retaining wall is in your yard’s best interest.
Retaining Walls Provide Structural Integrity
Flooding can be an issue across the Cape, even if your home is well off the coast. Retaining walls help provide structure to your landscape. With strong, well-built walls, you can mitigate the issues of erosion and small landslides.
As we discuss later, retaining walls are often used to turn slopes into flat space. This gives water run-off more space to run off slowly, lowering the risk of catastrophic erosion. Fast flowing water can rip flowers, shrubs, and grass up by the roots. Preventing water run-off from running too swift is one of the main benefits of a retaining wall.
Another way retaining walls can add structural integrity is by holding back dirt and rocks. Sometimes, slopes are prone to landslides and that can spell disaster. If you often suffer from water run-off causing landslides of mud and rocks in your backyard, a retaining wall can help prevent this dangerous erosion of your land.
An Eye-catching Addition
Retaining walls are more than just a structural piece of landscaping. A properly implemented retaining wall can become a beautiful accent to any landscaping. Whether you choose a modern look with stones of the same shape and size or a rustic wall with rocks you’ve picked up during your travels, a retaining wall can become a topic of conversation at any backyard party.
Additionally, another reason that retaining walls are an eye-catching addition to your landscape is the value they add to your home. Because retaining walls are both useful and aesthetically pleasing, they increase the value of your landscaping and home.
Retaining Wall Maintenance Is A Breeze
Retaining walls are always built to last. The materials used in common retaining wall construction are weather-resistant and low maintenance. Additionally, treated wood used in these walls repels moisture. Depending on the exact location of your retaining wall, your maintenance cost for the wall will be minimal.
Thankfully, the retaining walls themselves make maintenance of your yard easier as well. If you have soggy and wet grass at the bottom of a slope after a heavy rain, adding a retaining wall can lessen the amount of moisture that pools. This means you’ll spend less time replacing grass, plants, and decorative pieces at the bottom of your hill.
Turn Slopes Into Useable Space
Retaining walls are often built on slopes to add structure. Dirt and gravel fill in to help create a flat, useable space. Not only does this help manage run-off in a less destructive way, but it also increases the amount of useable space you have in your yard. You can use this flat space to add new greenery to your landscape, host family games, and decorate your yard.
Another benefit of a retaining wall is the ability to incorporate DIY projects into your landscaping. If your wall is not holding back an immense amount of land or structural integrity, you can add gaps into your wall that are perfect for herb gardens or ornamental horticulture.
Overall, retaining walls are one of the best ways to add a decorative and valuable personal touch to your backyard. These walls inherently look strong, and well-designed walls help add a finished look to your landscape. The added benefits of creating extra space and making water run-off less dangerous only increase the potential value a retaining wall can add to your home.
Thinking about adding a retaining wall to your landscape? Let’s discuss a beautiful new addition that suits your yard and your budget!