Key Takeaways
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Join us as we take a closer look at how retaining walls work. It’ll guide us in choosing the most appropriate structure to embrace our landscape and keep dirt out of our waterways.
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Exploring different materials like wood, stone, or concrete allows us to pick what fits our style, budget, and Ottawa’s climate best.
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Beyond simple aesthetics, there are many practical advantages to building a retaining wall—from creating new usable space to increasing our property’s overall value and curb appeal.
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By paying special attention to design fundamentals such as drainage, wall height, and wall placement, we can avoid future headaches. This method ensures a strong and long-lasting wall.
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Ottawa’s weather and soil conditions mean we must select materials and designs that can withstand freeze-thaw cycles and heavy rainfall.
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Working with experienced retaining wall contractors sets us up for success, while regular inspections and maintenance will keep our wall strong for years to come.
Retaining walls contractors are important partners in helping us achieve quality, safe outdoor spaces. We work with skilled teams who know how to shape yards, stop soil from washing away, and add style to gardens.
Many of our projects require durable retaining walls that can withstand Canada’s extreme weather, including wet spring conditions and blizzard-like winter storms. We just enjoy giving back with our own stories and advice!
This way, everyone who starts on a backyard project can learn what does best in actual yards like ours.
What Makes a Wall Retain?
The way we construct our retaining walls with careful, strategic steps minimizes that danger and allows them to stand strong and stable. We always incorporate weep holes to allow the water to escape, preventing pressure build-up.
To prevent the backfill soil from washing behind the wall, we typically fill the space behind the wall with gravel to allow water to drain quickly. We actually place a perforated pipe to drain excess water away so that the wall doesn’t settle.
We put the geogrid between the blocks as we’re stacking them and trail the geogrid back into the slope. This adjustment allows the wall and the hillside to function as a much more effective team.
In this manner, the blocks, geogrid, and compacted soil load each other and maintain higher loads. By keeping this arrangement, we reduce costs and expedite projects.
Exploring Wall Material Options
This is the beauty of the right wall. It completely transforms a space. Concrete and stone walls can last 50 to 100 years if we maintain them.
Wood performance spans 20 to 40 years. Boulder walls hold soil well and work on slopes. Every stone brings its own look, so no two walls match.
For a dramatic effect, we usually like to use large boulders that are 60 to 90 cm in diameter for a bold, natural appearance. Brick affords many other unique advantages, as the result is a wall that stays up for decades with minimal maintenance.
Costs bounce from $65 to $2,600 per square meter, and most folks spend about $6,065 for a job based on Angi. In the long run, our material choices determine not just the look of our yards but their cycle of life.
Why Build a Retaining Wall?
It’s amazing the good we see come from adding a retaining wall. These walls protect against erosion, protect water quality, and sculpt the landscape, providing more usable outdoor space.
We utilize them to make the backyard we do have seem a little bigger. They allow us to create an intimate gathering space near the patio.
In materials such as regular lumber are measured in years, pressure treated wood can exceed 20 years. In many jurisdictions, we can construct walls under 4 feet tall without a building permit or inspection.
If we do want to build higher walls, we need to provide an engineering blueprint. Construction costs can vary widely based on how we build and how we use these structures.
Yet, it is only when we walk out our front doors that the true value is realized.
Key Design Factors to Consider
Here’s a few factors we consider when designing and constructing retaining walls.
Soil type and compaction. This is the first and most critical factor. Sandy soil requires walls to have deep, strong footings, where clay soil, which retains water, exerts tremendous pressure against the wall.
We inspect the slope. Steep slopes require taller walls or steps, which produces a different construction pattern.
Drainage is the other huge one. We back-fill with gravel and use drain pipes to let water flow out. This makes the wall impermeable, even during torrential rain.
For materials, we pick between concrete blocks, stone, or wood, based on what fits the yard and lasts long in our weather. Each option provides a unique appearance and experience and we work to guide people towards what fits their aesthetic and functional needs.
Ottawa Specific Wall Considerations
We’re all too aware of Ottawa’s harsh climate, and it makes a strong case for doing it right when building retaining walls. In our experience, we always put the footing at least a foot below the frost line. This method seismically isolates the wall and protects it from freeze and thaw cycles.
Most walls taller than 1.2 meters require a permit here, and that’s not only a good idea—it’s required by law for structural safety. Ottawa’s code defines a retaining wall as “a wall that retains earth or water where the natural ground elevation varies considerably from place to place.
For anything more than 1.2 meters high, we involve a geo-technical engineer who reviews the design and signs off. We would maintain the base slab a minimum of two feet deep, every single instance.
It’s the reason why you often see homeowners selecting walls based primarily on aesthetic appeal, rather than function.
Hiring Retaining Walls Contractors
We all understand that an effective retaining wall needs to do more than just hold back earth. Hiring an expert adds to our attractiveness right off the bat. This can increase our home value by up to 10 percent!
A properly constructed wall enhances our home’s appearance and protects the contents of our house. We have witnessed quality craftsmanship stand the test of time, transforming uninspired landscapes into inviting havens, not rigid or pretentious.
Hiring a contractor who has true hardscape chops ensures our space is striking and unique, just like Solid Masonry.
Nothing makes a great beautiful wall to lift our spirits and enliven our home, office or community. It helps draw potential buyers to our street.
Long-Term Wall Care Tips
We’ve all heard that a beautiful wall begins with a firm foundation, but it requires a little post-installation TLC. Like any old hardscape, the older these walls get, the more maintenance entails inspecting walls for loose stone or brick and repointing/replacing with new mix.
When it rains heavily, we excavate dirt that would otherwise push too much on one flank. Lush plants, such as moss or small weeds, often grow in between stones, and we remove them before roots can damage the stone.
In winter, we sweep snow off to prevent water from melting and coming through and freezing. We inspect for bulges or cracks, addressing minor repairs before they have the chance to develop.
That’s why by making time for these minor measures, we protect our walls and help them continue to impress for years to come.
Conclusion
We understand that a strong retaining wall is about more than keeping soil at bay. It serves as an aesthetic feature for our yard, and it stops water from eroding the soil underneath. It welcomes us with a comfortable place to linger or garden.
We’ve watched tiny backyards transform quickly with the right wall and a little creative design. Finding a good crew in Ottawa takes a lot of worry off of us as well. Good stone, clean lines, and a solid team that understands the craft are the elements that spell success. We maintain our walls as they age with minimal intervention, allowing them to withstand extreme winters and summers and endure for centuries to come.
Looking to launch your own complete streets project? Contact us today and take the first step toward figuring out what’s best for your yard.