Retaining Walls

Garden Retaining Walls

Retaining walls (sometimes called retention walls) are designed to hold back in-fill material behind the wall. They are also designed to present an architectural style via the format and materials of the stones, blocks, brick, cladding or render used on the facade facing the viewer.

Therefore, retaining walls are one of the key areas in landscape architecture by which you can establish the garden's architectural style, as they represent a blank canvas on which you can paint the look and feel you desire.

Different Styles of Retaining Wall

If you want something rustic and bucolic, then vernacular stone walling with stone that matches local materials is ideal. If you want something traditional and established, then period/reproduction reclamation style old bricks might be just the thing. For contemporary retaining walls, a concrete modular walling system or a raw concrete slab might be ideal. To make a statement or create a feature wall, then cladding (natural stone or porcelain) will give you the opportunity to do something more eye-catching.

• Rustic / Bucolic - Tumbled or Hewn/Fettled Stone
• Period / Traditional - Hand-Thrown Clay Bricks / Dressed & Cut Stone
• Industrial / Modern - Mass Production Bricks / Render
• Post-Modern / Contemporary - Modular Walling Systems / Poured Concrete / Painted Bricks or Breeze Blocks
• Characterful / Statement - Cladding / Gabion Cages / Mosaics

Different Types of Retaining Walls

Because retaining walls must hold back the material behind them, as their height increases and the amount of material behind them increases, so must their structural integrity be increased. For example, if you plan on a simple ankle-high raised bed, the retaining wall could be constructed using unbound stone. However, if the retaining wall is nearer head-height, then the wall will need to be significantly more robust and have high structural integrity to prevent the infill material pushing the wall out/over - and we would recommend consulting an engineer.

• Ankle-high (raised beds / small terraces) - bound and unbound blocks, bricks and stones
• Knee-high (raised beds, seating, garden terracing, raised ponds) - bound blocks, bricks and stones
• Waist-high (garden terraces, sunken gardens, outdoor kitchens, plinths, raised ponds) - bound blocks, bricks and stones, with backstep construction where necessary - consult engineer
• Head-high (garden terraces, sunken gardens) - consult and engineer as at head-height retaining wall need to be very robust and strong due to the potential volume of back-fill material

Architectural Landscape Style

With our range of different construction and facing bricks, blocks and cladding you will be able to find a style that matches the look and feel you are trying to achieve in your garden design. We hope we inspire you to take on a new garden design project where you use retaining wall to maximum effect, so you can enjoy your dream garden.