There are varying degrees of treatment to ties. Some will last a very long time. They do tend to look "tired" after only a couple of years. There is also the question of how your installer constructs the wall on how well it will retain and hold its shape. He may do a great, a good, an adequate, or an inadequate job. It is reinforced by using a lot of timbers that you won't see. Timbers = money - money that can be spent on timbers or used as profit or to keep the price of the project low enough to get it.

There are a number of better looking retaining wall products out there. "Roman Pisa" is one of the good looking ones you might search on the net.

As laag pointed out--there are other attractive stone wall systems out there...Anchor makes several that are attractive and less expensive than natural stone.

Linked below...

melanie

Here is a link that might be useful: Anchor Wall home page

Versa-Lok is another brand that I found on the net...linked below.

melanie

Here is a link that might be useful: Versa-Lok site

And, finally, Belgard's retaining wall page. We used Belgard pavers in a big project in 2004. I was pleased with the product...though I'd rather have had stone!

melanie

Here is a link that might be useful: Belgard retaining walls

I'll throw my 2-cents in here. I have a cross-tie retaining wall down my driveway on both sides which I just replaced last month after 30 years of good service. It looks like the same one that was there before except it really looks cleaner.

Don't be mislead about the cost of ties. I bought mine (8"x8"x8') from Lowe's Garden Center for $13 a piece (have them order them if they don't have them). I think my job took 30, but they'll last a really long time and if correctly installed will not budge when those tree roots start pushing on that wall.

Thanks for the helpful info! What is the relative cost of some of these stone walls to the cost of ties?

Ties from different sources have different levels of toxins in them too. The ties that lasted 30 years are probably treated with something banned now, and the new ones may not last as long. I grew up near a rail yard and knew some people who used real ties treated with what I believe is creosote. They last good, but grass won't grow within about 4" of them. The toxicity may not matter to you, but if you have kids or pets it might, so I thought I'd mention it. Their used to be a long post with tons of links, but I can't remember where. A search should bring it up though.

Ziggy

I don't know what the relative costs are...I'm an amature who knows how to google. ;~) I'd suggest calling a couple of the dealers and asking them about cost estimates. Most of the linked sites say homeowners can do their own install up to heights of 4 feet...

melanie

My head goes all funny when I read posts like this. Cheap may not be economical. I would expect a landscape designer to advise me on how to "define my lawn" I would call another guy for the waterproofing of my foundations. If you have a waterproofing problem at your foundation would wood be the best material to keep it at bay? "an estimate on waterproofing our foundation and providing a new lawn" may be a strange brief on the face of it.

What strikes me about this, is that we aren't talking about a functional wall. It's only purpose is to look nice. If it doesn't look nice because of the wrong materials, or the wrong layout, it's useless. It would be like bad tasting dessert complete with tons of calories.

Wait--did I misread the original post? I thought the OP was looking for a retaining wall...as a way of dealing with a slope that wasn't working for him. Rather like the folks with the two foot drop in grade in their backyard. Why wouldn't that be considered functional?

Perhaps I made a silly leap--but around here, folks who deal with drainage issues are usually landscapers of some nature...and often know whereof they speak when it comes to retaining walls. Perhaps it's a regional thing. Certainly, the build firm that put up The Great Wall of Chapel Hill and solved our drainage issue (4" of rain in under two hours, and no water in our basement yesterday!)were one and the same...

melanie

The landscaper I'm using runs a reputable, full-service business, so I'm confident he will do both jobs well. The waterproofing will be both along the outside of the house where our crawlspace is and he will also run a secondary drain at the bottom of the slope where the wall will be. He'll tie them into a dry well in the back of the house
My concern is the look and durability of a tie wall. I like the look in the pics he's showing me. I also am limited budget wise because the job is so big...were talking between 15 and 18K for this...

Im building one that will look like this, however the construction methods have changed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Treated wood retaining wall

"We recently had a ladscape (sic) designer come to our home to give an estimate on waterproofing our foundation and providing a new lawn" since saying that, this designer has morphed into a landscaper both in mel's post and the OP's.

Well, perhaps I was mind-reading! SENSING the OP's intent...rather than carefully reading? Wouldn't be the first time! I'm off to college graduation (one college tuition down, one to go!)...have a great weekend all!

inkognito...I'm sorry my original post seems to bother you. I was just looking for opinions on a tie wall.

It doesn't bother me mike, it is your property and you are free to make your own decisions I just wondered if you had gone to the optician to get your teeth fixed; that's all.

and now you just proved that you're a moron...

You'll be much happier with a segmental retaining wall like those described here, rather than a chemical-infested tie wall that will eventually fall apart or cave in. Pay now, or pay later. I find the Versa-Lok system to be the easiest to install and best looking wall by far, especially if you go with their weathered Mosaic system.

Here is a link that might be useful: Versa-Lok gallery

Thanks, raindog. Versa Lok looks great...I'm going to get an idea of the price. Hopefully not much more than ties

You are free to choose any kind of wall you like the look of. If done correctly any material made for the job will work.

At first I was confused about the term "tie" that you were refering to. Ties are usually railroad ties and are toxic, dirty and ugly IMO. Treated timbers are another material all together. A "timber" wall is made from treated 6x6s containing, if I recall correctly, 6.0 copper cyanide. The copper gives them a green color. They retain thier treatment and don't leach it into the ground or on your hands if you touch them but bugs wont eat them and they rot extremely slowly.

I have built many retaining walls with timbers and I like the look. If your contractor is good at it, it will look nice and last, if he's not so good it might look good to start with and start leaning over in a few years and finally start to fail.

The block walls are more failsafe because they fit together in such a way that if the foundation they are on is good, they stand little chance of failing. They are more idiot proof I would say. But I like the timber look more.

In either case, the foundation your wall is built on is critical to your walls longevity. cheers!