Tips and Ideas for a Residential Concrete Retaining Wall

Are you thinking about constructing a concrete retaining wall in your yard? If so, here are some tips and ideas to help.

Wall Options

Concrete retaining walls give you a lot of scope in design as they come in various types, shapes and heights. The wall can be built to be straight, round or winding, whichever best harmonises with the garden. Plus, concrete as a material can be used in various ways. Contractors can pour concrete to form the wall structure, which they can stain and texturise to look like stone. Another possibility is besser blocks with hollow centres. These can be reinforced with steel rods. A quicker construction method that doesn't require mortar uses a modular system of interlocking concrete blocks. These complete systems, in various colours and textures, come with capping blocks to finish the wall design.

Council Approval

For many retaining wall projects, you will need the approval of the local council. Whether this is the case depends on aspects of the installation. The rules vary with different councils. Usually, the wall's height is a determining factor. Once it reaches a certain height, it will require approval. Plus, if a retaining wall is near a building or the property boundary, it may also require permission. The reason for this is that building a wall that holds back soil can affect the integrity of the earth in the surrounding area. In some cases, it could destabilise the ground on your neighbour's property or cause runoff onto their land.

To make sure your retaining wall is safe and up to code, it may need to go through several stages of approval and certification. Your city council can give you advice, and a retaining wall builder can help you through the process.

Different Ways to Use a Retaining Wall 

You can use a retaining wall in different ways, regardless of the contours of your garden. If it's flat, you can add visual interest and build different levels using retaining walls. For example, create a raised garden bed as a centrepiece. Or else, build a sunken patio and use a retaining wall around the border to hold back the soil.

If your garden is hilly, you could build a retaining wall to make it more functional, letting you access more areas. The retaining wall can be cut into a hill to form tiers. Another reason you might want a retaining wall is to deal with a steeply inclined driveway and front garden. You could create a levelled space at the front for a driveway car park and set the retaining wall behind it with a fenced-in front garden at a higher level. 

To find out more, contact a company like Maitland Ready Mixed Concrete Pty Ltd.