Top 5 Retaining Wall Ideas You Should Consider for your Melbourne Home

Whether you’re planning to finally have a garden or just giving your existing garden a makeover it needs, it’s important to note that any good garden should have a strong foundation to build upon. In many cases, choosing the right retaining wall is the first thing to make sure in order to achieve this. This article listed five retaining wall ideas to get you started!

Quite literally, retaining walls do a heavy work in your garden, designed to hold back the weight of the soil on their backs. Retaining walls are used where extra support and stability are needed between different levels of your yard; fighting soil erosion with their weight-bearing capabilities.

Stone Retaining Walls Melbourne

If you plan to build or replace a retaining wall in your backyard, the task involved can be intimidating at the start. And it can get really tricky and costly if the retaining wall is intended mainly for support of a large, heavy mass of soil. In this case, it’s better to consult with experts in retaining walls or hire them straight up to do the job for you! 

The professionals or retaining wall contractors can build the wall for you, but it’s your decision to choose the type of retaining wall that you want. To help you in that decision, below are the 5 retaining wall ideas that you can choose from.

1.

Block Retaining Wall

One of the most popular choices for retaining wall ideas are concrete blocks. Blocks can be locked into place and give your wall that professional, uniform look. Each individual block can be moulded to be small enough for one person to handle, allowing them lightweight and easy to build and lock into place.

2.

Wood Retaining Wall

A good option for retaining wall ideas is timber or wood, as it can be a cost-effective material to use. Wooden retaining walls are built by laying long sleepers behind shorter cuts and then cemented deep into the ground for footing stability. With a wood retaining wall lining up in your backyard, you will have an earthy rustic charm that can be customised to suit your home’s architecture. Just make sure, though, that when using wood or timber for structures, they must be treated against termites’ attack.

3.

Stone Retaining Wall

If you’ve seen a stone retaining wall, you’d know that they are the most beautiful building material for retaining wall ideas. Stones come in various shapes and sizes along with its natural patterns, they can make your garden or backyard looking gorgeous! Stones are also among the strongest materials for retaining walls – if it’s built properly. Having different sizes and shapes leaves gaps between the stones, allowing water to run through rather than build-up behind the wall, which can be detrimental to the wall itself.

4.

Boulder Retaining Wall

If you build your retaining wall with boulders, then this is serious business for you. Boulder retaining walls are strong, sturdy, and built to last for decades! However, bringing in boulders can be challenging as they are quite heavy to handle and put into place. This is why this job should be done only by professionals, as they have the proper equipment and machinery to handle boulders in building your wall.

5.

Rock-and-Wire Retaining Wall

We have stones and boulders, you may ask, “How about rocks?”. That’s a valid question and the answer is: Yes, rocks can also be used for retaining wall ideas. But rocks alone can’t do the job, they need wires to support its shape. Rocks come in small sizes and wildly random shapes, making it difficult to form a shape for a wall, unless they are cemented or wired together. Make sure the wire used is strong and stainless, so it won’t rust and give out. A rock-and-wire retaining wall provides a contemporary, industrial feel to your garden. Though, that squared look will eventually soften up when plants and hedges crawl above or cover the wall. 

Things to consider when planning to build a retaining wall

At this point, you might already have a good grasp of which of the retaining wall ideas is suitable for your needs. However, before proceeding further, make sure to check out these points to factor into your decision-making:

Most civil or structural projects will require review and approval by the regulating local council before they proceed with the construction. Building a retaining wall might fall in this category. So, check with your local authority to ask if building a retaining wall in your backyard requires their formal approval. If the wall is near the property’s boundary, you might also need to get the approval of the affected neighbour to avoid any kind of conflict later on.

The height of the retaining wall will decide whether you will get the necessary approval from the local council to build it. Normally, you will get approval to build one under a certain height. So, check with your local council for any height limit in getting approval for building a retaining wall.

And lastly, it is not advisable to build the retaining wall yourself unless you have the necessary experience and technical background for it. If you don’t have what it takes to build a safe retaining wall, as well as knowing the tedious aspects of the design or construction process, then it’s better to leave it to the experts. To ensure that your retaining wall doesn’t tumble down and potentially hurt people, it’s only wise to hire a structural engineer or landscape architect, or a retaining wall contractor for the job.

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