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Is a Retaining Wall Right for Your Yard?

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If your property, yard, or outdoor living space has an unusable sloping area that you cannot use for any purpose, it will be helpful for you to learn about retaining walls. With just a bit of basic information, you will be better equipped to decide if a retaining wall is a good solution for your property and your situation.

How do retaining walls work?

Vertical structures designed to hold back soil in order to prevent soil from eroding, retaining walls also assure that unlevel areas can become level. They are made from a range of materials such as stone, concrete, and wood. The materials used for construction and the method of construction are determinants affecting how durable and stable the retaining wall is.

These walls can include curves, or they can be straight. And one of their most added value features is how they can elevate or spotlight features of your landscaping. For example, with coping that is smooth, they can actually be made to be sitting areas or they can add a welcome layer of privacy to an area that may be a bit overexposed.

What are the options when choosing a retaining wall?

You have four primary styles of retaining walls to select from: Anchored Walls; Piling Walls; Cantilever Walls; Gravity Walls. Naturally, each of these types has individualized advantages and strong points.

Using tension supports that serve as anchors to the rock or soil in order to resist pressure and lend wall support, anchor walls can be combined with others so this type of retaining wall has enhanced support.

Using the wall’s weight to keep soil back, gravity walls are ideal for smaller slopes that are under three feet high.

Featuring poles that are long and go into the ground, piling walls uses the poles for wall support and stability. Comparable to gravity walls, cantilever walls have a slab as a base that goes into the ground. This slab relies upon the soil’s weight and backfill materials, so the wall is stable.

What else should you know about retaining walls?

You need to understand certain conditions of your property; namely, how close the wall will be to other types of structures, the conditions of the soil and drainage. If your property has a grade that is steep, your water runoff will be extreme and severe. A retaining wall can aide in controlling rainwater’s flow by including drainage that guides the water. In fact, this water can even be guided to hydrate dry spots in your yard and to water plant beds.

If your home is downhill the water runoff and erosion could wash out soil that surrounds the foundation. This is a major problem that a retaining wall can help preempt and prevent by redirecting water.  This in itself is an important reason to consider a retaining wall.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

Give JJW Brick a call today to learn more about retaining walls and other hardscape options we offer at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We look forward to hearing from you!

What is the Connection Between Winter and Retaining Walls?

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It’s the thick of winter. You look outside and whatever you see, it typically isn’t very pretty. You’re either looking at dirty, sloppy varying sized mounds of snow, or new mounds of snow accumulating. Maybe all the snow from the previous week is letting or has melted. In that case, you’re looking at muddy puddles and a very soggy lawn. And there’s still many more week to go before that picture in your rearview mirror.

But all doesn’t have to be disheartening. Take another lookout at your lawn and property. Do you have any steep sloping areas? IF so, what would it be like if you could actually convert that area into useable outdoor living space?

Now, before you wonder where this conversation is going, there is a connection. Basically, steep slopes, wintertime and winter conditions have a connection. And that connection is through retaining walls.

What is the retaining wall-winter connection?

First of all, winter is an ideal time to design your retaining wall, as long as you work with a professional. You are advised to never embark upon a retaining wall project on your own. This is one home improvement project that truly requires a professional. If for no other reason, depending on your state’s and municipality’s codes, retaining walls over a certain height can require a building permit.

But, aside from that, retaining walls involve a great deal of digging; the soil has to be moved to the correct location. Furthermore, the expertise a retaining wall designer brings to the project is critical to the retaining wall accurately and optimally performing its function.

And, once again we come back to winter. Winter is the ideal time of year to begin designing your retaining wall. Winter is the time of year when professional landscapers, especially those who specialize in retaining walls, have much lighter schedules. Winter is their slowest time of year. This gives them the time, energy, and dedicated attention to invest in your needs, circumstances, and preferences. And, once you have completed the design, your retaining wall job is at the top of their queue when the conditions are right for breaking ground on the job.

Why should you begin designing a retaining wall this winter?

It’s all about the steep sloping area on your property.  As it is now, it’s probably not useable. But a retaining wall will create a functional, useable space that you currently don’t have. There are many functions and applications for a retaining wall on the property with a sloping section.

You can create a terrace that can support a beautiful pathway leading to either a dedicated play area or additional plants and greenery.

Also, if placed correctly, a retaining wall can serve as a seating area or bench. The wall itself can become a relaxing, lovely area for additional seating. And this can now occur in an area of your yard that otherwise would go unused and unnoticed

Schedule a Free Retaining Wall Quote Today!

Give JJW Brick a call today to learn more about our hardscape services, to include retaining walls at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We hope to work with you soon!

Planning to Get a Retaining Wall? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Retaining walls do an excellent job of extending a property’s outdoor area. Extensively used in both residential and commercial spaces and buildings, these walls primarily serve the purpose of creating support for various architectural features, including patios and sidewalks.

How Are Retaining Walls Created?

While creating retaining walls, the contractor must first create a stable base over which the surface of the wall can be created. However, there are a few things the contractor must keep in mind while building retaining walls.

  • Close to 10% of the wall should stay underneath the ground. This part of the wall provides a solid foundation for the structure built on top.
  • The construction of the wall must include a drainage stone, installed about four feet behind the retaining wall. Further, the backfill must be made from proper wall materials.

What Are the Different Types of Retaining Walls?

Though there are many different types of retaining walls, here we discuss the three most common types.

Retaining Walls Made from Wood Timbers

Retaining walls made from wood timbers are ideal for small spaces that need small walls. However, these walls need proper care and attention as wood rots over time.

Retaining Walls Made from Natural Stone

When it comes to retaining walls, natural stone remains the most popular choice as it gives the wall and property a natural look.

Retaining Walls Made from Brick

These types of retaining walls constitute interlocked structures made using brick. These walls are also quite sturdy and easily last long years.

Why Should You Get Retaining Walls?

If you have been thinking of getting a retaining wall, here are a few reasons to convince you of why it is a good idea to get a retaining wall.

They Add Space to Your Property

Retaining walls add space to properties. if you are planning to create a party zone or a kid’s area, erecting a retaining wall is the perfect way to do so. Further, several property owners use retaining walls to convert slopes into flat areas. These flat areas can then be converted into gardens or a space dedicated to fun activities.

They Provide Support

Property owners with land in hilly regions use retaining walls to provide support to different architectural pieces. Further, retaining walls provide support to soil and stops it from entering the home, thereby keeping the house clean at all times. Retaining walls are, therefore, hugely advantageous in those sloppy areas that receive too much rainfall throughout the year.

They Enhance the Beauty of Buildings

Be it a commercial property or a home, retaining walls do an excellent job of beautifying any building. They add a certain kind of charm to buildings that is hard to resist. Further, when it comes to retaining walls, several different options are readily available these days, which allows property owners to choose the kind of external look they wish to give their property. To further enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home, use a retaining wall as a focal point and add different architectural features around it to beautify your home.

The Final Word

If you have been thinking about getting a retaining wall, go ahead without thinking twice. However, make sure to do some research and find yourself an experienced contractor you can trust.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

Give JJW Brick a call today to learn more about hardscape at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Everything You Need to Know About Retaining Walls

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Retaining walls, can be found at both residential and commercial properties but somehow remain unnoticed. These walls, can serve as a valuable extension to your outdoor living spaces.  Retaining walls provide support to other architectural features like sidewalks and patios.  In this post, we discuss everything that you need to know about retaining walls.

What Are the Benefits of Retaining Walls?

The warm spring season is the perfect time when you can invest in hardscaping or landscaping projects. If you want to add a focal point to your home, you might want to have a retaining wall first. Here are some key benefits of having a retaining wall on your property.

Provides Support

If your property has slopes or is situated in a hilly area, the best thing you can do it to have a retaining wall. The best thing about having a retaining wall is that is keeps the soil in its place and keeps it from entering your home. During a rainstorm, the soil can easily landslide into your home, causing a mess and more clean-up that you shouldn’t have to worry about.

Ads to the Aesthetics

Apart from being an excellent support system, a retaining wall adds to the aesthetics of your property.  It enhances the overall look of your property. Its visual appeal depends heavily upon the material it has been built with. A retaining wall can serve as a focal point of your exterior living space and allows you to add other features around it.

Extra Space

By adding a retaining wall to your landscape you can add more features, and also make room for fun activities on your property. Another interesting feature of using a retaining wall is its ability to turn a slope into a flat surface. Flat pieces of land can be used as perfect gardening sites where plants can be grown. A retaining wall can be used for a beautiful summer garden where exotic and colorful flowers can be cultivated with lush green grass. Not only does a retaining wall beautify your space but also increase its functionality.

How to Build a Retaining Wall?

When it comes to the construction of a retaining wall, the contractor must first lay the base material in order to build a surface over it. To construct a retaining wall that is long lasting and strong, around 10% of the wall will have to stay beneath the ground. In order to avoid erosion, the drainage stone needs to be installed around 4 feet behind the retaining wall. The excavated slope should be as stable as possible, so as to ensure a longer life for the retaining wall. In order to keep the property safe, the backfill must have the proper wall materials.

How Many Kinds of Retaining Walls Are There?

Following are three of the most common types of retaining walls.

Natural Stone

This material works best with smaller walls and provides your walls with a natural look.

Segmented Retaining Walls/ Brick Retaining Walls

These walls are made up of building blocks that interlock with one another and fortify the structure of the wall.

Wood Timbers

This material too provides natural aesthetics and works well with smaller walls. However, unlike stone this wood will rot overtime.

If you want to extend and beautify you exterior living space with a retaining wall, call JJW Brick today!  We can be reached at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS and would love to answer any questions about adding or replacing a retaining wall at your home this summer!

Do You Need a Retaining Wall?

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Homeowners use retaining walls in many different ways, and they always prove to be really great options for beautifying the home’s landscape. Retain walls are built in areas where the earth needs extra support to prevent it from moving downhill due to erosion. They support the land so that you can have a functional garden without worrying about soil erosion.

Basic Functions of Retaining Walls

There are many positive benefits of retaining walls. Some of them can include the following functions.

  1. They Provide Usable Land: Retaining walls have been popularly used since millennia to create terraces on slopes. This creates usable land that you can plant flowers and vegetation on. Even in the ancient South Asian civilizations and sacred lands in Peru, this technique was used so that people living in the mountains had a place to grow crops.
  2. They Manage Water Runoff: The retaining wall can help you by slowing down the flow of rainwater. The water helps keep the humidity of the soil at optimum levels which helps with lawn care and gardening. The walls also keep polluted or dirty water away from nearby rivers. You can also use a water-thirst wall to make a rain garden design.
  3. They Provide Extra Seating: The landscape seating in your garden is perfect for an evening tea or relaxation point.

Why You May Need a Retaining Wall?

There are many reasons why a retaining wall could end up being perfect for your home. The following reasons may be crucial factors in pushing you to invest in a retaining wall.

Erosion

Retaining walls are the perfect way to control downhill erosion and drastically improve the health of your soil. It stops erosion materials from clogging areas along your property and minimizes erosion by holding back soil.

Fault Lines

If your home is downhill from all soil fault lines, you should probably call an expert right now and build a retaining wall. The erosion levels may not be threatening enough to harm your home, but it could cause a lot of destruction under the right conditions. For example, in case of an earthquake, the land can often slide away from the fault lines and begin to fall downhill. If your home is located at the base or even in the way of the avalanche, it can really damage your house.

The Foundation

The sliding hill also places huge pressure on your foundation. Erosion is a huge threat to the foundation of your home since the soil beneath your house may start washing away. It can actually weaken the structure of your home and in severe cases, cause complete collapse. This can create huge costs for you, not to mention potentially injure the residents of the home.

Retaining walls are a really beautiful way to improve the health of your soil and prevent erosion. If you do plan on getting one installed in your home, then make sure you hire a professional. Connect with the professionals at JJW Brick today to get help with installing your retaining wall this spring!  Give us a call today at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS!

What You Need to Know About Retaining Walls and Drainage

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If you’ve seen properties on a sloping piece of land, then you’re no stranger to retaining walls.

They may come in different shapes and sizes but they all have the same objective: to hold the earth back so that a leveled surface can be created on the property.

Retaining walls are necessary so you can make use of land that would otherwise be unusable. That’s the practical side of their purpose. When it comes to aesthetics, they’re quite the design piece as well.

Let’s take a closer look at how both their form and function serve to improve your home.

What are retaining walls for?

You’ll often see them on the edge of a property with a house on elevated land, or at the side of a driveway that’s higher up than usual, leading to a garage. They’re a necessary structure to keep the foundations of a property in place when it is built on sloping land.

Any type of building can only be constructed if the land it will be built on is leveled. For residential properties, retaining walls are a great way to level out the land while also providing an attractive design accent. This is mainly due to the different materials retaining walls can be made from.

How are they built?

Retaining walls can be built from many different materials. There’s wood, concrete, stones, brick pavers, and many more. The construction tools necessary will also depend on the material.

Since you’ll be dealing with the foundations of your property, this is not a job that just anyone can do. You’ll need the help of a professional contractor who specializes in this field to ensure you won’t damage your property and that the retaining walls will last.

Why is drainage important to think about?

One area that should be properly planned for in the construction of a retaining wall is the water drainage. Retaining walls should only hold back the earth. Any water that seeps down to the ground that it’s holding back should have a way to flow out.

If a proper draining system is not in place, there are several problems that can occur. These include unwanted growth on the walls, mineral deposits, and rust stains from the wall ties.

If you live in a place with cold winters, a good drainage system is even more vital. The constant freezing and thawing will definitely take a toll on the structure of the retaining wall if water drainage is not taken care of.

As an important part of your property, you don’t want to take any chances with your retaining walls. Let the experts handle the job to ensure the safety and quality of the work.

PMS Brick Pavers provides hardscape design, installation, repair and maintenance services. We’ll make sure that your retaining walls are built to the highest standards. And when it comes to its design, we will also make sure that enhances the overall look of your property. Get in touch with us today.

New Retaining Wall Installation in Shelby Twp., MI

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Retaining Wall Installation Shelby Twp MI

Home owner had a new brick retaining wall installed at their home in Shelby Twp, MI.  Retaining wall was 55 feet long and 2 feet high.  Home owner also had brick paver patio power washed and poly sanded.

Home is located at 7294 William Dr. in Shelby Twp.

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