Retaining walls are a slippery slope’s best friend. Here’s why.

When you consider the benefit to the walls of your home is keeping your family safe inside, while keeping thieves, inclement weather, and bugs outside, retaining walls are no different. Preventing a hazard in your yard is just as important. There are a few key benefits to building one in your yard, including their structural support – plus the sheer beauty of a well-constructed retaining wall.

Retaining walls support the earth and soil behind them. These powerful walls prevent landslides on your property, working both angles as a lawn feature and a safety measure. Hills and mounds can look incredible in your yard, but if you’re looking for more functional space, look no further than a retaining wall. Our team specializes in excavation and landscaping, making building a retaining wall and reforming the earth around it a cinch.

One little known benefit of retaining walls is the flood control they provide. A retaining wall with a properly designed drainage solution is invaluable at preventing flooding in your yard. Every benefit we’ve mentioned before, of course, is contingent on the team you choose. The right excavation and landscaping team can bring your yard to perfection, while the other can leave you with an unstable, unsafe retaining wall that’ll take your yard down a notch.

For more details on the amazing benefits of adding a retaining wall to your property, check out this marvellous guest article from Mutual Materials.

Climate can easily affect your retaining wall depending on the material you choose. Windsor and Essex County tend to have stable weather without the biting colds of Northern Ontario or any extreme heat, but fast winds, heavy downpour, and pests are still an issue. As inexpensive as it can be, a wood retaining wall may have issues with insects, moisture, and wood decomposition over time. Some of this can be avoided with maintenance, but for peace of mind, we often recommend a more stable material.

Stones, rocks and boulders are a solid idea for your retaining wall. Natural-looking and sturdy, these walls blend in with the beauty of the outdoors. The only challenge is maintenance becomes more difficult due to the natural erosion of stone over time. A common choice is using interlocking concrete or recycled material blocks to create a unfaltering tough wall. The face and shape of these blocks can be stamped or designed, so you won’t lose out on a beautiful look.

As you may have picked up on, any retaining wall you build will degrade over time due to wear and nature … but that doesn’t mean you’ll be replacing a retaining wall each decade. Aside from wood retaining walls, you can expect other types of retaining wall to last at least 50 years – some materials even last up to a century!

For more details on retaining wall materials, read through this fantastic article from Allan Block.

Is your retaining wall leaning or bulging forward instead of leaning back towards the uphill slope behind it? Maybe you’re seeing splits and cracks, soil erosion, or deteriorated timber? The Ghostbusters crew put it best: “we believe you”. These are serious issues that you won’t find in years after working with us, but they’re inevitable decades down the line. No home or yard fixture is permanent on its own. Robust as they may be, retaining walls need to be maintained over time to last.

There are a few other factors that can affect the lifespan of your wall. We see few natural catastrophes in Windsor and Essex County, so we’re counting weather out. The materials chosen can have an effect, though the right team will guide you to the right material in appearance and durability.

Legacy Exteriors Inc.’s construction techniques are always planned out and, thanks to our expert knowledge and hands-on know-how, you won’t have to worry about crumbling stone or cracking wood any time soon. We also focus on developing effective drainage systems to reduce hydrostatic pressure and moisture from dripping through the walls.

For more thoughts on the lifespan and durability factors of retaining walls, look no further than these two articles by Hammer Excavations and Criterium Engineers.