You may be asking yourself, “What is a retaining wall?” Simply put, a retaining wall holds back soil and act as a barricade between your building’s foundation and soil that will keep the ground around your property from becoming damaged. They have been around since ancient times to increase the practicality, productivity, and aesthetics of different types of property, including commercial property. Commercial properties easily benefit from having one or more retaining walls. The following are purposes of retaining walls on commercial properties.
Improves the Property’s Appearance
When materials are chosen properly, retaining walls create a very pleasing, aesthetic look for your property. They can be built along driveways and corridors to define the area and are great for creating features in the landscape. Consider adding landscape lighting, the right plants, and maybe even a set of stairs to your property to help it stand out.
Create a Flat Space
Flat ground is usually more practical than a steep slope. If you have a slope on your property, a retaining wall can turn it into a flat level space and allow for the building of structures.
Make a Slope Useful
Sloping can cause lateral pressure that could lead to the soil moving downwards. Retaining walls help redistribute and accommodate this pressure. This will then allow for you to landscape without the soil sliding downwards. Using the technique of terracing can stop erosion from occurring on steep areas and can make a steep landscape much easier, and less costly, to maintain. It can also help create pedestrian access on a slope.
Provide Handicapped Accessibility
Retaining walls are well-known for creating slightly sloped ramps for wheelchair access.
Improve Site Drainage
Retaining walls can come in very handy when directing water on a property. If you are thinking of building a retaining wall to direct water, keep in mind that are local and state regulations that need to be followed. Make sure you find out what the permitting requirements are before you start designing.
Makes Maintenance Easier
It is simpler to keep a flat area maintained than it is to have to prune, mow, or plant on a slope. Retaining walls also allow for a natural separation between the turf and beds. The significant amount of money that it costs for landscape maintenance can be cut back over time with these easy-care features.
Prevents Soil Erosion
Retaining walls stop soil from washing away and keeps rainwater and water from irrigation activities from washing soil off of your property.
All-in-all, retaining walls are very useful with many functions for commercial properties. They can significantly improve the usability, maintainability, and visual attractiveness of many different types of property, as well as increasing the value. If you are looking to make your commercial property more usable and visually pleasing, contact Bluegrass Landscape and Snow Management at 314-770-2828 so our experts can give you retaining wall options to help meet your landscape needs. We are experienced in doing simple designs to large-scale jobs and would be happy to help you design your project.
