Building walls around your compound is a long-term investment that will help you accommodate changes in your living space and landscaped areas with uneven topography. Unlike other elements of landscaping such as driveways and paths that can be replaced and repaired continuously, walls are permanent. To build long-lasting walls that match up the different aspects of your home, you will need to seek services of a professional landscaper.
A well-executed landscaping project will enhance your sense of wellbeing while making your living space beautiful and appealing. If you are in Orange County, CA, or the neighboring counties, we invite you to contact The Landscape Expert for any of your landscaping projects. Our skilled landscapers will ensure that all your landscaping needs are met.
What is a Landscaping Wall?
Walls are the structures that define your living space, providing shelter, security, and general beauty of your outdoor area. There are different types of walls depending on their intended purposes. Walls could either be a part of your buildings, creating an interior structure or even retaining walls that are meant to hold back noisy water and dirt from ruining other elements of your compound.
Most homeowners use the retaining walls not only to decorate and improve the appeal of their outdoor spaces but also separate the garden area from other elements of their landscape. With the help of a competent landscaper, you can transform the overall look and feel of your home or commercial premise using the landscaping walls.
What Factors Should I Consider When Choosing Landscaping Wall Materials?
When selecting materials to build your walls, it is crucial to consider the initial appeal according to your taste. You need to purchase materials that blend in well with other aspects of your outdoor landscape to create a uniform and aesthetic feel. Before deciding to buy a particular material, you should check out with different dealers and manufacturers to ensure you get the best quality within your budget. Some of the factors that you should reflect on before making your choice include:
- Durability
Some materials, regardless of their appeal, deteriorate rapidly. The product you choose to build the walls around your home should be able to adapt well with changing weather conditions, especially in wet seasons. Depending on the weather of your home area, you should choose a material that will need little maintenance and replacement and can last through the normal serviceable life of the whole structure.
- Ease of Installation
Sometimes you may be attracted by something and decide to purchase it without considering the challenges that you may face during its installation. Before you commit to buying a particular material, it is essential to do some research and consult with your landscaper on how easy it is to install them, thus, avoiding more costs that result from poor installation.
- Availability
You should choose a material that is readily available for your wall landscaping needs. Using materials that require importation could delay the project besides increasing the overall cost. You should consider using some locally available materials that can be made at the site of your construction to reduce the cost of transportation and protect the contents from damage that could occur during the transit process.
- Ability to Recycle
The best materials to use for your wall landscaping are those that can be reused since they reduce the cost of acquiring new ones in the future. The design with which the materials are installed is an excellent determinant of whether the item can be reused or not.
However, the shorter the lifespan of the structure, the more significant the reliance on installing the materials should be compared to the permanently fixed structures.
- Cost
Cost of the building and decoration materials is among the most crucial considerations when choosing the content for your walls. The price of materials varies widely depending on the quality and design. However, it is not advisable to always go for the cheapest materials since the class may not meet your standards.
Besides, you need to choose materials that are within your landscaping budget and those that you can afford to maintain and replace in case of damage.
- Aesthetics
When it comes to selecting the best material to use for your project, you will need to consider your desired outcome. What one individual considers appealing may not seem attractive to the other person since tastes and preferences differ.
The ability of the material to blend in with other aspects of your compound landscaping and bring out the sense of belonging to you and your family should also be a consideration when choosing the product to use.
- Performance and Maintenance
It is wise to select a material that can support heavy loads for your wall constructions. The preferred elements should have the ability to support the intended weight without breakage or cracking. Strong materials help to prevent accidents that could occur as a result of collapsing walls.
Your walls will require maintenance to keep the excellent quality and preserve the aesthetic feel of your living space. When choosing a material for your wall landscape, consider their ease of maintenance. Excellent and reliable quality materials are likely to require less maintaining compared to the cheaper ones. Depending on the lifespan of your project, materials used should ensure the project continues to look good for as long as possible.
- Safety of the Material
Several accidents can occur during the lifetime of a landscaping project. The main aim when choosing the material to use is minimizing the occurrence of tragedies such as fire or collapsing of your walls. Therefore, the elements you decide to purchase should be fire resistant and durable enough to avoid collapsing. Furthermore, the building design you use for your landscaping should minimize waste, hence, reducing environmental pollution through waste disposal.
Some materials used for landscaping, especially solvents, are harmful to people when inhaled. To limit these adverse effects, paints, and primers used for your project should contain less harmful substances. Besides, you should ensure that the manufacturer’s regulations are followed when using the materials of your choice to avoid environmental hazards.
Different Types of Wall Landscaping Ideas
Walls serve different purposes in your living space including separation of garden and pathways as well as creating a perimeter around your pool and other entertainment areas. The ability of a barrier to serving its desired purpose is determined by the types of material used to build and decorate. Some of the most commonly used wall landscaping styles you could try for your home include:
Concrete Blocks
Concrete blocks are a very sophisticated material which brings out a modern look for your home. There are different varieties to choose from since these blocks are artificially made. Concrete walls are laid on compacted gravel and have the ability to remain strong even under intense pressure.
Installation of solid blocks for your walls is not complex, and these walls can last for a whole century without requiring constant repairs. Also, concrete does not produce any toxic substances, making it eco-friendly. To create the best design for your walls using concrete blocks, you should seek advice from a landscaping expert.
Poured Concrete
The poured concrete is a standard architectural option used for walls. It is created by directly pouring the concrete on the construction site. The high density of poured concrete walls makes it stronger than a wall made of concrete blocks.
Concrete could be poured in different forms depending on the design, therefore, offers flexibility to fit your taste. Although it looks quite neutral, poured concrete gives a sense of consistency to your wall landscape. However, the poured concrete walls have increased vulnerability to cracking; hence, its installation requires expert skills and constant maintenance.
Stone Veneer
The stone veneer is more of a protective material used for decorations purposes. On its own, stone veneer is an aesthetic element and requires other solid materials to make a strong wall. However, its stunning look brings a unique appearance to the walls around your property.
The solid core of veneer is flexible enough to make into different shapes, sizes and patterns hence create a natural look which is not easy to duplicate with other materials. Walls built with stone veneer can last for an extended period due to its ability to withstand any pressure without breaking.
Brick walls
Brick is the most common material used for the building of walls. Unlike the concrete and stone, brick walls are natural to the eye’s appeal and bring out a warm feeling to your home. The bricks retain their color; hence, you don’t need constant repainting. Having been made from natural materials, bricks are eco-friendly and don’t pose a threat to the people or environment.
A well-constructed brick wall lasts for long periods without cracking since these bricks can withstand damp conditions as well as being resistant to fire. Damaged brick walls are not easy to repair; therefore, you need to ensure proper installation.
Gabion-Made Walls
Gabions are simple cages made from wire and filled with rocks. Use of gabions is an ancient method of making your walls. Its ability to use almost all kinds of recycled materials has made it common among homeowners.
Gabion walls withstand all-weather conditions, and its ability to use waste materials from other parts of landscape projects makes it a cheap option for most people. Building these walls is easy and does not necessarily require much architecture. With the help of an expert landscaper, you can correctly match your gabion wall with other elements of your compound. However, proper care and maintenance are required for these walls since they are prone to rust.
Use of Timber
Timber is the end product of the processed wood that is cut into different shapes and sizes. Timer walls are very affordable; even at a low budget, you can create a great appeal of your compound using this material. Regardless of the type of wood you choose, it adds an old-school feel to your property and a great impression. Timber walls are easy to construct. Hence, you can do it without incurring the cost of hiring someone to piece the timber together for you.
Although the timber structures are very appealing, be ready to do frequent replacements due to damage by pests and its inability to withstand dampness.
Challenges Faced During Construction of Landscaping Walls
Landscaping walls could seem like an easy project to carry out, but in some circumstances, poor planning and choices of materials can lead to failure of the project. The good news is that most challenges faced in the construction of landscaping walls can be fixed.
Poor drainage is one of the primary issues facing the landscape walls. Especially during the wet seasons, water is likely to accumulate and can damage the walls. To avoid wall damage by the water, a drainage system should be put in place or weep holes drilled to lead the water away from your walls.
Like other landscape structures, quality walls need a firm foundation to prevent cracking and collapsing. Ensuring you build a wall that suits the soil structure on your property, in addition, to properly compacting the soil before laying the foundation. These could save you the cost of having to re-do the walls.
Due to extra weight and poor construction, some walls may end up leaning over and eventually collapsing. You should find an experienced landscaper who can do some quality work for you. When working with your landscaper, it is essential to let them understand the purpose of the wall you want to build. This will help the landscaper to design a structure that will support the intended use.
