Unlock the Full Potential of Your Hummelstown, PA, Area Backyard by Including a Retaining Wall in Your Design
As you plan the next steps in your landscape renovation, you might be a little stuck with inspiration or even blocked altogether by the restrictions of the land itself. Not every landscape is blessed with flat land that lends itself to outdoor living spaces. The saving grace of uneven or sloped landscapes is the retaining wall. This simple yet incredibly versatile landscape feature can be the key to better outdoor living. In fact, you’ll be amazed at how a retaining wall can expand and enhance your backyard experience. This year, you can unlock the full potential of your Hummelstown, PA area backyard by including a retaining wall in your design.
A More Secure Landscape
Retaining walls are designed to achieve one simple yet complex task: retain the earth. The natural forces of erosion will carve any sloped landscape. A retaining wall can hold an incredible amount of soil in place on the steepest of slopes. This will stabilize the landscape and avoid the destruction of any landscape features or the structure of the home itself. Non-engineered retaining walls can be up to three feet high and are suitable for gently sloped land. Engineered walls intended for steep slopes can be virtually any height, although for the purposes of residential spaces it’s best to take a terraced approach which softens the look of a monolithic wall and adds usable space on attractive terraces.
Expanded Usable Space
When improving a sloped landscape, retaining walls can dramatically increase the amount of usable space. For example, a 6 foot vertical cut into a hillside can add upwards of several hundred or several thousand feet to your outdoor living space depending on the length of the retaining wall. This could set the stage for an expanded patio, an inground swimming pool, a cozy fire pit, a more practical walkway, a safer driveway, and more planting areas. A retaining wall can really be the key to making even the most untamed landscape more usable.
Whether you want your outdoor living space all on one level with a retaining wall along one side; or a series of mini-patios set on terraces that “flow” elegantly down a hillside, you’ll need retaining walls. There are so many design opportunities that come to life with a retaining wall: a space for a hot tub; an amphitheater-style fire nook; a mini-patio for each activity zone (cooking/dining, lounging, and other activities).
Built-Ins
Just like the walls of your home, a retaining wall can serve as the backdrop for an outdoor kitchen, a majestic fireplace, a water feature, a vertical garden, or overflow seating. A retaining wall can give your outdoor living space a living room feel. You can even integrate small niches into a taller wall to house art or other objects; and when covered in hanging plants, a wall becomes a living masterpiece.
Protecting the Infrastructure
Every successful landscape needs some dedicated infrastructure to make the space safer, more beautiful, and more comfortable for everyone. This includes lighting fixtures and the necessary electrical wiring, irrigation sprinklers and their water piping, and potentially gas lines for fire features and outdoor kitchens. A retaining wall can protect each one of these essential pieces of infrastructure and hide them from view for a more attractive clutter-free landscape.
Related: 5 Reasons Why Your Landscape Might Need a Retaining Wall in Harrisburg and Hummelstown, PA