Erosion is ever prevalent in any landscape, whether it is due to wind or water. This makes retaining walls all the more important, especially if your landscape does not feature a lot of trees and shrubs to hold the soil in place. In addition to providing necessary support to the soil, retaining walls also help reduce the surface runoff by reducing sharper gradients. This reduces the speed at which water travels over the surface and thereby reduces erosion.

Retaining walls do all this while also providing effective flood control in the form of water drainage aimed at preventing flooding. Channels and drainage pipes can be integrated into the construction to provide further measures for proper drainage and water control.

Lastly, retaining walls also reduce the gradient through terracing which allows water to soak into the soil rather than run off the surface.

Retaining walls are very useful in your landscape

A retaining wall is a specifically designed wall that holds soil on one side and is free standing on the other. They help to accommodate changes in grade in a landscape with uneven ground.

These walls often allow terracing of a yard to yield more usable space on a hillside lot. Hard working retaining walls can be key to creating a level sports lawn or driveway too.

Retaining walls are also used on level ground to raise living spaces above the surrounding ground plain. A well designed retaining wall can elevate planting areas for improved drainage. There is no end to the benefits of these heavy barriers, but they can be costly and must be strictly constructed to prevent failure.

What makes retaining walls so challenging is their strength, which is best illustrated by the incredible loads they carry. Consider the weight of soil, water pressure, and weight of the landscaping behind the wall – trees, shrubs, pools, etc.

Water behind the wall causes buildup of pressure which is the reason for most wall failures. Only through adequately designed drainage structures and waterproofing can the best designed wall survive over time.

Read Rebecca R.'s review of Elite northwest construction on Yelp

I got three bids for a large job.  All the bids were the same amount.  But Elite NW Construction’s bid include rebar instead of wire mesh (a more expensive and sturdy method of construction).  In addition, Tomasi took the time to carefully think about the job and his bid included some piers and stem walls for additional stability (also not in the other bids).  Tomasi and the crew were great to work with.  They did a quality job and double checked to make certain everything was done right.  I would definitely use them again.  Great work at a competitive price.

Jane C.

Tomasi and crew just finished a big project for us….new concrete driveway and major work on our garage (demo and reconstruction of dry rotted interior walls and roof, foundation waterproofing, installation of drainage system).  We are very pleased with the results as well as pricing and overall communication.  A great group to work with…

Sue B.

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