It’s easy to dream about some of the more luxurious amenities that can be installed in a landscape, but there’s an unsung hero of landscapes that can be a surprisingly powerful design element. The retaining wall is a key feature in many successful landscapes in both hilly and flat environments. Here are seven ways a strategically-placed retaining wall can transform your landscape design in Flat Rock and Trenton, MI.
Preventing Erosion
The most practical purpose of a retaining wall is to help prevent erosion. Any landscape renovation that alters the soil will create a vulnerable surface that’s susceptible to further erosion. A retaining wall will help keep a hillside intact and prevent the erosion of soil from the area. It will also prevent soil and water flowing into your activity spaces. Masonry retaining walls are the strongest and durable retaining walls. Place a retaining wall on the uphill side of a driveway to prevent mud and debris from washing over the driveway.
An Elegant Welcome
If you have a particularly long and winding driveway, give it a timeless estate look with a low wall that runs the length of the drive. Integrating landscape lighting into the wall will offer a warm yet elegant welcome to your guests.
An Expanded Outdoor Living Space
The nature of a retaining wall means that it’s going to create two planes of space: vertical and horizontal. The extra horizontal space provides more room for outdoor living, gardening, or even larger features such as a pool. A retaining wall next to your patio will create a cozy space with a distinctly indoor living room feel, except that the “ceiling” is the open sky. When it comes to the vertical plane, a retaining wall could house niches for special artwork, or even a built-in water feature that adds a soothing visual and auditory experience.
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A Cozy Corner
A retaining wall can help block chilly winds and help keep heat in a living space. The masonry structure also provides opportunities for a cozy corner. An outdoor fireplace that’s built into the retaining wall creates an enticing area that makes visitors feel safe and welcome. Alternatively, you could position a fire pit a few feet from the wall and place seating between the wall and the fire pit - a wonderful strategy to take advantage of views.
Expanded Seating
The horizontal surface of a retaining wall can be designed as additional seating. As part of your retaining wall, you can have a lounge area that surrounds your fire pit. Consider integrating the seating into the wall, creating a chic amphitheater-style area with minimal furniture.
A Welcoming Embrace
Have you ever thought about ways to dress up your front walkway? Add a retaining wall. Placed between the walkway and the landscaping, this seat-height wall will create a safe and welcoming feeling for all visitors. Alternatively, the top of the retaining wall could be designed as a raised planter where you can add seasonal color with a rotating collection of annuals, softly billowing ornamental grasses for a touch of romance, or small evergreen shrubs for a more secluded front entry.
A Location for Light Fixtures
No landscape is complete without some adequate lighting to both amplify the beauty of the landscape and create a safe environment. Light fixtures can be integrated into the structure of the retaining wall. This will provide light for walkways, your patio, spotlighting for natural and manmade features, without the visual clutter of post-mounted light fixtures.
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