Building A Retaining Wall In Cairns? Let’s Take A Look At Your Options.
Often the most questionable part of building a retaining wall is the material you’ll use. Depending on what you’re building a retaining wall for. There are certain materials recommended for certain types of retaining walls.
For an example. If you needed a structural retaining wall to hold back solid earth, for either a house or bordering tiered land, you wouldn’t use a sandstone block. You’d go for a stronger retaining wall like concrete sleepers, and vice versa. If you were to build a small garden retaining wall you wouldn’t use concrete sleepers. Even though that’s pretty obvious.
Most of the time when clients come to us they already have a pretty good idea what they want. Although open to better options if we feel there’s other options. Having said that, this article is all about the materials you have available.
So today I’d like to look into the different types of materials you can use for a retaining wall. Let’s jump in.
Timber Retaining Walls
Timber retaining walls can be used in a number of ways. A structural type wall. You can also use them in gardens where they blend in well with the natural feel of your garden. Most of the timber retaining walls you see today are built from treated pine or hardwood sleepers. But there are other options as well, these are just the popular ones.
Although a good option in southern states. In North Queensland, they are often not used. Due to moisture and other issues. If this is an option you’d like to look at, chat to us about your thoughts and we’ll advise you on whether we feel this might work.
Natural Stone Retaining Walls
Classic retaining wall material is natural stone. These walls never go out of style and they look very natural built into a garden setting. The key to a lasting stone retaining wall is in the construction process, making sure you get the foundation and drainage right. This is across the board with all retaining walls anyway.
Getting a retaining wall Builders that’s experienced in this type of wall design really know how to build them to last. And they look amazing.
Brick Retaining Walls
Bricks are another great option for your next retaining wall. They are a very versatile material to use. You have a few options here. You can either leave it as is, featuring the brick style or you can render it for a more modern look. Rendering it also gives you a few colour options as well, as well as added strength.
Again brick retaining walls need solid structure and drainage. So make sure you mention this or make sure it’s in the quote. A good example of a brick retaining wall is actually a fence. Especially if it’s rendered.
Retaining Wall Blocks
Retaining wall blocks are made from concrete using different styles of moulds. They have the effect of looking just like natural stone and have a great finish. They’re very easy to install as they are designed to just lock together. They come in a number of colours and styles. These are a great option for a feature garden retaining wall.
Bluestone And Sandstone Retaining Walls
Bluestone and sandstone are both classic types of walls. They and a very popular building material. Building a bluestone or sandstone retaining wall gives you that extra visual appeal and colour to your garden.
Rock Retaining Walls.
Rock retaining walls is another natural style of wall. These are great when levelling out a sloping area and you need to create new and usable space. Once in place, these boulders won’t go anywhere. This is probably the only wall where you can create a garden within the actual wall. One of my favourite walls.
As our name suggests. We build quality retaining walls Cairns. If you’re after a competitive quote on your retaining wall please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you build your ideal retaining walls.