A Wood Retaining Wall Delivers Great Utility and Value

Well-built retaining walls can transform slopes and enhance your gardening efforts. They are budget-friendly since they are less expensive than stone or concrete wall block. In the right setting, a timber retaining wall blends into a landscape more naturally than any other material. When stained to match a home’s exterior, it complements your landscape for a more unified appearance. In the woodland garden, they are particularly beautiful — composed of the very trees that surround them. Atlanta Decking employs timbers that are decay-resistant, giving you the results you need at an affordable cost.

Wood retaining walls can be used to border steps created for a sloped yard. Retaining walls can accent a driveway to offer protection from the elements, provide needed protection for a back porch, create a playground area for the kids, establish raised garden beds, or frame the perimeter of an open space in your backyard.

Retaining Wall Design & Construction

A timber retaining wall doesn’t have to be boring. Beams can be staggered, incorporate bench seating or flush lighting, incorporate posts or other design details. The timber style, which is the most common, gets most of its strength from 6×6s set perpendicular to the face of the wall. A crossed 6×6 at the rear adds additional support. The timbers can be stacked and reinforced by steel rods inserted through holes drilled through to grade. As with other types of walls, the timbers are typically set on a gravel base and provide good drainage behind the wall.

In most cases, it’s the simple construction and low costs that make timber retaining walls popular. This kind of wall is also an affordable way to control short slopes that may erode or prove unstable over time. In recent years the demand for raised bed food gardens has brought a lighter version of this retaining wall into many new landscape projects.

A timber retaining wall is usually less than four feet tall. There are two basic construction methods, each one suited to different conditions. One utilizes upright stanchions anchored in a concrete footing, with horizontal wall planks, usually 2×6. This is often used for raised beds in the kitchen garden. The other method is composed exclusively of very large timbers, usually 6×6, stacked and reinforced by steel rods inserted through holes drilled through to grade. Extensions behind the wall known as deadmen extend back into the slope and provide additional reinforcement against bowing. Your contractor will select the best construction method for your landscape application.

To maximize your timber wall longevity, Atlanta Decking pays close attention to water, where it gathers and pools both on top and behind the wall. The accumulation of moisture speeds the decomposition of wood, so drainage structures are very important as is the overall grades both at the top and toe of the wall.

Our quality-constructed timber retaining walls will last for years and give your landscaping a natural, yet structured look. Contact us and we will be happy to assess your property and propose a timber retaining wall solution that brings you great functionality at an outstanding value.