Reason to build a retaining wall if you live on a hill

If you live in or are in the market for a home in the Bay Area, odds are you might find a property built on contoured land or in some cases, on the side of a hill. If this is you, you’ll likely run into 2 issues: erosion during the rainy months or a cramped backyard adjacent to a steep hill. Thankfully, these issues are solvable with the application of retaining walls. Here are 3 applications for retaining walls in your home:

Create a more spacious backyard

On paper, your property might have quite a bit of square footage but it likely won’t feel very spacious if a steep hill is encroaching on your backyard space. To solve this problem, crews like ours can carve out additional flat land out of the hillside so you’ll have more usable space. Retaining walls come into play when it comes time to shore up the side of the hill our excavation ended. More than just serving a functional purpose, retaining walls can also contribute to the aesthetic qualities of your space. There are a variety of materials we can use for retaining walls; boulders and geometric pavers to name a few. If you’re interested in seeing examples of retaining walls, you can visit our showroom at 5039 Commercial Circle, Suite F, Concord.

Prevent landfall or erosion

Living in California, we get just a few months of rain but when it comes, it pours. Homes that are built in areas with loose or sandy soil are particularly prone to erosion during these rainy months. If the perimeter of your home is within 30 feet of a hill that doesn’t have a sound retaining wall installed, we highly recommend that you consider installing a retaining wall. Avoid the expensive and potentially life threatening event of landfall near your home.

If you already have a retaining wall installed when you purchased your property, one thing to look out for is the soundness of walls. It used to be standard practice to use pressure treated lumber as the structure for the retaining wall. These perform well for a number of years but after enough exposure to the elements, the wood will degrade. Degradation of wooden retaining walls is apparent. You’ll see the walls leaning to one side or visible signs of rot on the surface. If you notice any of these signs, it’s a good idea to start planning for a new masonry replacement. Retaining walls using masonry products will last you more than a lifetime.

Create space for gardening

Usable space is definitely a luxury if you’re into gardening. Another application of retaining walls
is to create a terraced backyard out of your hillside property. Terracing has been used for
centuries using locally sourced rocks and boulders, the downside to this ancient method is that
the structure doesn’t last as long due to the disuniform rocks used. We borrow from these age
old practices but improve on it using modern masonry and rebar that will last lifetimes.

So in conclusion, if you want more space and better functionality from your property but you’re
hindered by steep contours on your property, we’d be happy to help you think through some
solutions using retaining walls.