Designed to retain soil on one side and free-standing on the other, retaining walls are purpose-built structures that improve the aesthetic qualities of a property but can also convert Melbourne’s uneven topography into usable land space.
Retaining walls are a long-term investment, but designed and built right, can last a lifetime and benefit your property in three areas:
When it comes to landscaping, retaining walls are a wonderful addition to improve the aesthetics and value of a property. Retaining walls come in all shapes, colours, and textures and this in itself adds variety to the overall look of the property.
Retaining walls – whether linear or otherwise – can also be used to break up and define space, and add interesting landscape features such as lighting, planters, and steps that help add character and allure to an otherwise boring space.
Terracing can also be achieved with the help of retaining walls. By utilising this technique, erosion can be prevented on steep areas as well as reduce the difficulty and maintenance costs.
Slopes are great for adding visual impact to a property but can be a huge blocker to space maximisation and the construction of structures – something that a retaining wall can help overcome.
By retaining soil, retaining walls can convert a slope into level ground, allowing for the construction of anything from a deck, to a driveway, to buildings. But even on already level ground, retaining walls can serve a purpose by raising living spaces and elevate planting areas for improved drainage.
On the functional side, retaining walls can be incorporated as part of a property’s boundary fencing because nothing helps keep a property safe like a sturdy wall. The massive load that retaining walls have to withstand from retaining soil means that these heavy barriers are always built with strong materials such as timber, stone, brick, and concrete block.
It’s not just the materials used that make retaining walls great as fencing either because retaining walls have to be strong by design. What this entails is the incorporation of sleepers or galvanised steel uprights (posts for any retaining wall) which are always concreted in ground to provide the necessary support.
