Building Smart: Saving our clients big money on retaining wall projects

Overcoming the Challenges of Sloping Properties with Cost-Effective Retaining Walls

At our design-build landscape company, we frequently encounter a significant challenge: sloping properties. Homeowners often desire beautiful back patios or swimming pool areas, but when their backyards slope away from or towards the house, it complicates the project. Before construction can begin, these spaces need to be leveled, which often necessitates the installation of a retaining wall.

The Need for Retaining Walls

Retaining walls play a crucial role in managing slope issues. Depending on the landscape’s specific features, a retaining wall can be used to either build up the area or cut it away. While this solution is effective, it can also be costly. Traditional segmental retaining walls can consume a large portion of the project budget, making the overall project less feasible for homeowners.

Why Traditional Segmented Retaining Walls Can Be Expensive

The high costs associated with traditional segmental retaining walls stem from several factors:

1. Material Costs: The blocks themselves are expensive and require additional materials such as geo-synthetic fabrics, geo-grids, pins, and caps that need to be glued in place.
2. Labor Intensive: Constructing these walls involves significant labor for cutting and stacking blocks, as well as time-consuming backfilling processes.
3. Hauling Costs: Various aggregates must be transported in, and soil needs to be removed, leading to increased expenses.

While there are situations where segmental walls are the best solution—particularly when space savings or engineered specifications for tall reinforced walls are necessary—many of our projects require only 2-3 feet tall retaining walls or terraced configurations.

An Alternative Solution: Limestone Boulder Retaining Walls

For these scenarios, limestone boulder retaining walls can serve as an excellent alternative. Here’s why they can save our clients thousands of dollars:

• Cost-Effective Materials: Limestone boulders are generally less expensive than standard retaining wall blocks.
• Reduced Material Needs: These walls typically do not require a gravel footer or gravel backfill, which means less material needs to be hauled away and less needs to be imported.
• Efficient Installation: Using our specialized excavators equipped with grapple attachments, we can install limestone boulders much more quickly than traditional segmental walls.
• Durability: The heavy weight of the boulders ensures that they remain stable during heavy rains and freeze-thaw cycles, providing long-lasting performance.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Limestone boulders offer a natural and attractive appearance that enhances the landscape.

Conclusion

When dealing with sloping properties, we understand that budget constraints can make construction challenging. However, by considering limestone boulder retaining walls as an alternative to traditional segmental walls, homeowners can achieve beautiful and functional outdoor spaces without compromise. If you’re facing challenges with your sloping yard, contact us today to explore how our boulder retaining walls can provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for your landscaping needs.