A retaining wall is a perfect solution to those problem yards that have steep or awkward slopes. If you have hard to manage elevated areas on your property and you are not sure what the solution is; you may want to consider installing a retaining wall. Not only will a retaining wall hold back your soil, it can also help create some gorgeous additional levels that can be incorporated into extra outdoor living space. If you are looking for the most trusted and reliable constructors of retaining walls in the tri-city region of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, contact the professional stone masons at Royal masonry. Let us put our extensive experience to work for you in installing the perfect retaining wall.
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What Is A Retaining Wall?
A retaining wall is a strong, rigid wall used to support the soil at two different elevations on either side of the wall. They are usually found on steep, near-vertical or vertical slopes and can restrain soil that would not naturally stay in place at the higher level.
Why Install A Retaining Wall
If you want to maintain a particular ground elevation, but the desired change is higher than the steepest angle of descent(the steepest angle that the soil can be piled without sliding back down, see the diagram below), then you need to construct a retaining wall.
Retaining walls are a great way to deal with a problem slope in your yard or to create elevation in a flat one. You can choose from a wide variety of beautiful styles to add visual appeal to your home or more functional ones if grading is a problem.
Types of Retaining Walls
Gravity Wall
![By No machine-readable author provided. Zimbres assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/566996bfe0327c6cd4b51fdc/1495741330428-RYUS18QBZL4LHEUT0T1T/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kFQxt7WEO6acsPmZslsHv_JZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWhcwhEtWJXoshNdA9f1qD7Xj1nVWs2aaTtWBneO2WM-tCIRNn77ThkQsHSN1VdtanM0fUs272jgnlgV5PtoK8wQ/gravity+wall.jpg?format=original)
By No machine-readable author provided. Zimbres assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
The gravity wall type mainly holds back the earth by its own weight. It can easily pivot or topple over because of the extremely high pressure of the earth it is holding back.
Piling Wall
The piling wall uses long piles which go deep into the ground and is held by the soil on either side underground. If the piles themselves are extremely strong and can resist bending, then this type of wall can hold back high loads of pressure.
Cantilever Wall
The cantilever wall is shaped like a backward “L”. The pressure of the earth pushing against the wall horizontally is balanced by the pressure of the earth pushing down on the lever vertically.
Anchored Wall
This type of design keeps the wall from toppling by having cables driven into the soil or rock, fixed by expanding anchors. Anchors can also be used in the other retaining wall designs to make them more stable.
Materials Used
Retaining walls can be constructed from different materials or, if you prefer, a combination of materials. These includes natural stone, brick, wood, synthetics, and concretes.
Selection of Retaining Wall Designs
Below is a selection of retaining wall designs found on Pinterest. The first picture was originally pinned from North Idaho Masonry & Hardscape Center, the second is from houzz.com, the third by Trulia, and the final one from houzz.com. If you have a design in mind, talk to the experts at Royal Masonry and we will help you make it a reality.
Why Choose Royal Masonry
At Royal Masonry we pride ourselves in the highest quality workmanship combined with superior customer service. We aren’t happy unless you are completely happy. We will take the time to listen to your ideas and help you come up with design and a plan that will meet both your needs and your budget. You can trust us to deliver the finest stone masonry work possible. Contact us today and find out for yourself why Royal Masonry is Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding area’s finest stone masonry company.
Sources
Mehta, A.; Barker, G. C. (1994). “The dynamics of sand”. Reports on Progress in Physics. 57 (4): 383. Bibcode:1994RPPh…57..383M. doi:10.1088/0034-4885/57/4/002.
By Ingolfson at English Wikipedia (Original text: Uploader.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons