Guide to Retaining Walls and Landscaping

Retaining Walls and Landscaping

Retaining walls and landscaping are often used in commercial and residential premises. Walls assist with great elevations and slopes to hold back soil and prevent erosion. In landscaping, retaining walls that are low can be used for planting beds and add to the curb appeal of land that was previously flat.

Employing services of landscape designers to layout a retaining wall and landscaping project is important.  Skill and keenness are needed to prevent the wall from leaning, bulging or cracking and becoming useless in the future. Keeping in mind the drainage, base, back fill, and height of the retaining wall is key before commencing construction.

Types of Retaining Walls

There are four major types of retaining walls. Putting them up will depend on the size to be erected, soil type and materials available.

1. Anchored Retaining WallAnchored retaining walls and landscaping

Anchors are mechanically directed into the soil attached by strips and cables to support an assortment of fronts of the retaining wall. Ends of anchors undergo expansion after pressurized concrete or other mechanical means are used to create this physical change. Anchored retaining walls are best for thinner walls.

2. Gravity Retaining Walls and Landscaping

Commonly used by landscapers, gravity retaining walls use mass and weight to keep the soil compact and prevent erosion. Materials used to erect these walls range from bricks, unmortared stone, pavers and dry-stacked stones. For shorter walls, reinforcement is done by digging a trench for the retaining wall to fit into.

3. Sheet Piling Retaining Wall

In areas with limited space, this wall is what you need. A very thin wall made of vinyl, wood or steel is driven in the soil at least 1/3 of the length. Additional reinforcement is done by erecting a corrugated structure vertically. This type of retaining wall is suitable for areas with softer and lighter soil. If you intend to put up a larger wall, strengthen the piling with an anchored retaining wall.

4. Cantilevered Retaining Wall

Usually taking an L-shape, cantilevered retaining walls have steel bars immersed in concrete or retaining walls from masonry attached to a slab foundation. The wall remains sturdy for a long time because the weight of the soil above exerts a lot of pressure on the slab.

Block retaining walls and landscaping are commonly used because the materials used during construction are easily available. The advantage of block retaining walls is their sturdy and durable aspect that makes it an investment. You can now seed your field and with time you will have a lawn growing on healthy conserved soil. This area of landscaping conserves the environment by preventing the occurrence of rills and gullies caused by running water.

Winter Update: Causes of Frost Heave Damage and How to do Frost Heave Repair

Frost Heave Repair

A groundhog sees his shadow and we’re told to wait for winter to pass us by yet again. However, the winter of 2017-2018 has been no picnic for many people. Several states saw extended record low freezing temperatures. The demand for frost heave repair will rise as a result.

Landscapers, contractors, outdoor property management companies, and municipalities will find themselves dealing with the cold hard facts; frost heave and cold weather damages are everywhere.

What Is Frost Heave?

Frost heave happens when the stones that are part of the walkway begin to heave (or shift) after freezing weather. This is a result of the joint sand underneath the stones settling unevenly after freezing and thawing out.

frost heave damage

What Kind Of Walkways Are Most Affected?

The most affected types of walkways are paver, concrete, and flagstone (natural stone) walkways. These types of walkways typically must be deiced during winter. Occasionally, due to severe conditions, frost heave repair is also required.

What Causes Frost Heave Damage?Brick Walkway Frost Heave Repair

Frost damage and heave are caused by the expansion of ice. To put it in simple terms, when water turns to ice, total volume increases. This can cause the following:

  • Paver and stone walkways could crack if they’re old or of poor quality.
  • Joint sand underneath walkways can settle unevenly.
  • If you use the wrong type of bulk salt to remove the ice, your slabs can be damaged.

The end results are: dangerous and ugly cracks in the concrete or flagstone. This will make your patio and/or driveway unsafe and unsightly. And, if these cracks aren’t taken care of right away, moisture will seep into them and make the concrete slabs vulnerable to heaving.

Frost Heave Repair

One solution to the loose flagstones and slabs is to simply remove them. You’ll also have to remove any old cement underneath them.

If you notice any long cracks running from one section of your patio or walkway to another section, then read on to learn more about paver patio repair. This is a clear indication that your foundation also has some serious cracking.

Paver Patio Repair

The best way to fix foundation damage in your patio or walkway is to do the following:

  1. Widen any crack in the foundation to about a full inch in width.
  2. The widened crack will then be filled with a masonry adhesive agent. This must be given enough time to setup.
  3. Bonding agent added to mortar mix will be used to fill the crack.
  4. You may also choose to add steel reinforcements along the crack area.

Conclusion

Flagstone walkways are generally less affected. They are well known for their immense durability. However, they can still get damaged during extremely cold weather, or if something heavy falls on them. Fortunately, removal of the damaged stone and replacement with a new one usually completes the repair.

Paver walkway repair is more time consuming and requires paver removal, subsurface layer repair, and replacement of pavers. In some cases new pavers are needed if frost heave has caused uneven wear or paver deterioration.

With less durable concrete walkways however, frost heave repair isn’t as simple. You should consult with an expert mason to examine your walkway and see if there’s any serious damage to the foundation.

Backyard Hardscapes – Creative Hardscapes for Beauty and Tranquility

Backyard Hardscapes Levels

You’ve meticulously laid out your favorite plants and grasses, but still something seems to be missing…

If you’re like the average homeowner, you may not be aware of the term hardscaping. Hardscaping is in fact the second half of the equation for making a beautiful backyard. It’s a subcategory of landscaping that refers to “hard things” in landscaping.

This includes:

  • walls
  • fences
  • stone pathways and stone benches
  • arbors
  • sprinkler systems
  • swimming pools
  • fountains
  • decks and patios
  • stone and brick walkways
  • driveways
  • and so much more…

As you can see, a thorough landscaping job is much more than just lawn care and flowers…

A well thought out hardscaping plan and landscaping plan are both critical for the success of your backyard makeover.

Hardscapes Ideas to Get You Started

Before you begin, the first question that must be answered is: should you start first with hardscaping or landscaping? The answer is hardscaping because it’s easier to work with. Lay the foundations of hardscaping elements first to avoid damaging the softscaping (grass, flowers etc) elements.

Now that you’ve started thinking about  backyard hardscapes ideas in general, you should keep in mind the usefulness of curves in hardscaping. Curved hardscapes (walls and walkways) work well to soften a landscape with linear lines (linear lines are used in most housing constructions).

Also, a curved path will allow you or your visitors to wander through your landscape, allowing anyone to enjoy the scenery.

Timeless Backyard Hardscapes

A good place to start building a curved path is right from your back door. Make it lead to an area with water. This will be a nice area to relax and unwind. Make the stone pathway interesting. Surround it with flowers or bamboo stalks. Add solar lights to light up the path at night.

You can make some very creative backyard hardscapes by utilizing the concept of hardscape levels. What this means is adding different level hardscapes to your backyard to create more visual appeal.

For example, a stone walkway is one level. A stone wall is another level. Once you have these different hardscape levels, you can let your creativity run wild. You could cover a wall with flowers and add planters to the top of the wall, and you can do the same to your stone walkway if you want.

One more bonus tip: try using citronella torches to keep the bugs away!

As you now see, the possibilities with backyard hardscapes and landscaping are endless; the only limit being your imagination (and budget).

Did we inspire you to make changes in your backyard? If so, share this article and let your friends and family know about the joy of hardscaping. You can also call your local landscape company to find out more!