Need suggestions for landscaping slope above retaining wall
Bhanu Gilla
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Bhanu Gilla
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
Suggestions for retaining slight slope in yard by sidewalk
Comments (9)@karinl When I say "properly dig" I mean what I did in my back yard with pavers. I used Allan Blocks (12" w x 8" h and like 80 lbs) and dug a trench 12" deep, filled with 4" of packed gravel, and laid one row of pavers below grade. I dug out another foot behind the pavers to backfill with packed gravel. (see link I posted below) I live in Massachusetts. You can see the sidewalk in the photo, which is about 3' wide. The maple is on the other side of that sidewalk, out of the photo. So if I dug a 1' deep x 2' wide trench along the front yard for a permanent wall I'd be only 3' from this maple and there would be a lot of root damage, and these street trees can be a bit unstable anyway (one down the street came down in a storm last year). @tanokicki The cinderblocks didn't so much hold it back as much as there was also a chain link fence there. With the fence gone, the cinderblocks are kind of just propped against the slope and fall over a lot. I think what I might do is partially bury some square stones to form a sort of garden border. Then above that it will slope down some which I can mulch. This should help erosion and since it's more of a border than a wall, it won't be a big deal if one stone falls over from a frost heave. If I actually built a wall where there was more than 1 row of stones, it might start to look ugly and be a hassle if I had to keep repairing the wall. Here is a link that might be useful: Retaining wall in backyard I built last year...See MoreAdditional Retaining wall for a steep slope
Comments (5)Design wise there is almost always a way to do this, it is the engineering that has to be sorted out . Your best bet would to speak to a local structural or soils engineer and they can either draw you up a set of plans with footing details and the appropriate required calculations for your building permit and or you can work in tandum with a designer and an engineer. In most locations you will require a permit to build such a structure that has the attached calculations and is wet stamped by an engineer....See Moreretaining wall questions/suggestions needed
Comments (20)bgav, you used the term "sinkhole" but the general discussion does not indicate that a sinkhole is likely. It's probably a hole caused by surface erosion in which case solving erosion problems would take care of it. While slopes can present erosion problems, these are not unsolvable. Usually, all that's needed are groundcover-like plants whose roots form a network that holds soil in place and whose tops protect the soil surface from slamming rain and flowing water. Sometimes it can be difficult to establish such plants (if rain washes them out before they are established,) but it's not impossible if one dedicates one's self to the process. I would consider retaining walls necessary only if the grade is so steep that it cannot possibly stay in place as a slope. Do you have slopes so steep that no planting can possibly hold them? Look around the neighborhood and see if like slopes exist and if they are stabilized by plants. It such slopes exist elsewhere, they can exist on your property as well. You would only need to find plants capable of stabilizing them and working with your overall landscape goals. While the last picture you added is still too close-up, the slopes seen in it do not seem overly difficult. It's likely that if you have plenty of places where retaining walls COULD go, but limiting them to places where they are actually NEEDED might be a better strategy. We would not be able to suggest where such places might be without seeing some overall, wide shots of the areas. If you seek advice about where retaining walls could go from contractors who sell them, it is likely you will be advised to add a lot more walls than you need. Consider hiring a landscape architect or a qualified designer to advise on where walls would make the most sense....See MoreNeed ideas for landscaping small retaining wall
Comments (7)How tall do you need it to be? Choisya ternata, Mexican orange - will eventually grow to 8' x 8' (evergreen) Ceanothus 'Victoria' can get to be around 10' x 12' (evergreen) Morella californica, Pacific wax Myrtle - 15' x 15' (evergreen) Cotinus 'Grace' - maybe 20' x 15' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' - 8' x 8' You would only need a single specimen of any of these in that space to provide a reasonable degree of privacy screening. And there are bunch of lower growing shrubs that work as well, as well as a wide number of dwarf conifers. I hesitate to suggest the more common privacy shrubs like laurel or holly as they are both borderline invasive here....See MoreBhanu Gilla
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoBhanu Gilla
4 years agoBhanu Gilla
4 years agoBhanu Gilla
4 years agoBhanu Gilla
4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agoBhanu Gilla
4 years ago
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