Retaining Walls

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Your home’s interior is beautiful and reflects your style in every room. But what about your yard? Are you tired of a boring, poorly designed outdoor space? Retaining walls can draw attention to your yard’s specific features and improve its look and function. Mile High Lifescape will explain everything you need, show you 4 common types, and give you some great ideas to make your garden more beautiful.

What is retaining walls?

A retaining wall is a structure that supports your landscaping and helps prevent erosion.

In hilly or mountainous areas, it can create flat or terraced spaces for gardening, recreation, or just making your outdoor space more family-friendly.

If you live in a wet or flood-prone area, having a retaining wall is essential to prevent your soil from washing away.

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Mile High Lifescape offers professional, high-quality hardscaping services. Keeping your home or commercial property’s hardscape neat and maintained is a breeze and hassle-free with our experts. Contact Mile High Lifescape for a quote today!

4 most common types of retaining walls

Come in various types, shapes, and sizes, each designed to meet the specific needs of a project based on the site conditions.

01. Gravity retaining walls

Gravity retaining walls rely on their weight to resist the pressure of the soil behind them. These walls are usually quite massive, as they need a substantial gravity load to counteract the soil's force. They must withstand bearing, sliding, and overturning forces and can be made from various materials, including precast concrete, concrete blocks, stone, or masonry. They are suitable for heights of up to 10 feet.

02. Anchored retaining walls

Anchored retaining walls are ideal for areas with limited space where a thin wall is necessary. They work particularly well for holding back loose soil over rocks. These walls can be built to great heights due to their construction method, which uses deep wires or cable rods driven horizontally into the ground, with the ends secured in poured concrete for anchoring. These anchors, or tiebacks, help counteract sliding pressure and prevent the wall from overturning.

03. Cantilevered retaining walls

Cantilevered retaining walls consist of two main parts: a stem and a base slab, both typically made from precast concrete, prestressed concrete, or reinforced concrete. When the back is submerged under the retained material, it forms an L-shaped structure. These are the most common types. They can be constructed on-site (cast-in-place) or precast offsite.

The base slab includes a heel, located beneath the backfill, and a toe, which supports the rest of the wall. These walls must account for various forces, including bearing, sliding, and overturning pressure. They can be effectively built up to a height of 33 feet.

04. Sheet pile retaining walls

Sheet pile retaining walls are a type of retaining wall that uses steel sheets instead of concrete. These walls are constructed by driving steel sheets deep enough into the ground to counter any forces attempting to push them over. They can be either temporary or permanent and provide high rigidity for retaining lateral pressure to significant depths without risking surrounding structures.

Similar to concrete pile walls, sheet pile retaining walls use steel sheets driven into a slope or excavated to a required depth. However, they cannot withstand the same pressure as concrete pile walls and are only cost-effective up to a height of 20 feet.

How to make your dream come true?

At Mile High Lifescape, we provide practical and cost-effective services to enhance your landscape.

Our team excels in building robust retaining walls that prevent soil erosion and create level spaces in your yard. These walls not only boost the functionality of your outdoor area but also add an aesthetic touch. Whether you need a retaining wall for a garden, driveway, or sloped terrain, we have the skills to design and construct a durable solution tailored to your needs.

Select Mile High Lifescape for reliable service that enhance and transform your garden. Feel free to reach out to us now!

What are the benefits of retaining walls?

If your landscape has steep slopes, retaining walls is a smart choice. Not only do they provide essential support for large amounts of soil, but a well-designed walls can also become an attractive focal point in your backyard. Designing walls offer several other benefits that can help turn your landscape into a functional and beautiful space.

Structural support

Retaining walls are designed to hold soil in place, especially in landscapes with small hills. They act as essential barriers to prevent soil from sliding forward and causing landslides. This makes retaining walls a crucial safety feature for your landscape, protecting you, your home, and your yard's features. There are various options available, depending on the level of support needed. In addition to these benefits, this service offer effective flood control by incorporating water drainage systems to prevent flooding.

Preventing soil erosion and controlling floods

Erosion is common in any landscape, whether caused by wind or water, making retaining walls crucial. This is especially true if your landscape lacks trees and shrubs to hold the soil in place. This service provide necessary soil support and help reduce surface runoff by leveling out steep slopes, which slows down water flow and reduces erosion.

Creating functional space in your yard

While hills and mounds can look appealing, they often take up valuable space and are hard to landscape. By building terraces with a series of retaining walls, you can create more usable space in your yard for planting. Terracing also adds an impressive and attractive look to your yard, allowing you to showcase features like patios and gardens more prominently.

Aesthetics

Retaining walls can be striking and attractive features, depending on their height and the materials used. The contrast of concrete or stone against a natural landscape can greatly enhance your yard. If built at the right height, a retaining wall can also serve as a seating wall, adding to its functionality. With a wide range of materials available, your space can seamlessly blend with other elements in your yard for a beautiful and cohesive look.