What Can Your Retaining Wall Design Do?
Retaining Wall Design -- Don't Hold Back on Style

A retaining wall design can be a lot of fun. Want an outdoor room? Try surrounding a patio with a low wall. Some of the wall block companies supply blocks for free-standing walls, also.

Do you need to expand your entertaining area? Try a terrace with a patio on an upper level -- or a series of levels. Small alcoves with built-in benches would create many intimate conversation areas for guests.

Style & Materials

Retaining wall designs have many different styles from rustic to formal, country to old-world. The style is greatly influenced by the materials that are used.

Rounded field stone boulder walls have a rustic, laid-back appeal. They're great for country homes, cabins, and western ranches. The nooks and crannies between the stones are great places to tuck hen and chicks or decorative vines or grasses.

Limestone boulders are another option in Eau Claire. They really have a completely different texture and finish than field stone boulders. They're lighter in color and tend to get a bit mossy.

Cut stone would beautify your home -- whether modern, classic, or something in between. Concrete retaining walls can have any cut stone applied for the look of a stone wall.

You've got a few different options (more than what I've listed), and each one has a slightly different character and color. *Check with local landscapers to find out what stone is available in your area.

Another option for a slightly more formal retaining wall design is the segmented retaining wall or SRW. They are a great way to build walls in Wisconsin where frost and freezing might crack mortar and concrete.

These blocks tend to be slightly more formal than uncut stone, and they do come in a large variety of styles. Tumbled blocks have an aged look. If you're into classic architecture or just want to soften the straight hard lines of a standard block, try the tumbled block.

I love to see staircases on retaining walls. Oh, I know that they're functional items, but many of them can be very beautiful. Take the next picture for example... the autumn leaves tucked in the nooks and crannies. It accents the slight curve and is absolutely enchanting.

A retaining wall can do more than hold back earth. In the pictures below, you can see that the back yard was very cramped for the new owners. They were mostly concerned about the water runoff from the hill, which was extreme -- especially every spring.

When we were done, their water problems were gone and they had almost doubled the size of their backyard!

This beautifully terraced yard and patio is just waiting for the owner to plant her favorite perennials.

Another retaining wall has created a beautiful raised planter at the edge of this crushed granite pathway. The grey in the stone is set off nicely with the silvery tones in the herbs.

And, in case you thought that natural stone is too 'rustic' or 'casual'... this rock retaining wall design has a dual staircase and is dressed up with wrought iron rail. Striking, isn't it?

Note that this wall used mortar, so is different than the segmented retaining wall.

A retaining wall can do many things -- it defines, creates, raises and lowers, divides, invites, distinguishes. With a little bit of planning, your wall can do much more than hold back the earth.