Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
7 Out-of-the-Box Retaining Wall Ideas
Go Beyond Railroad Ties With Stylish Rock, Metal, Blocks, and Poured Concrete
I'm a home makeover TV show producer, interior designer and the creator of Decor Demon, lifestyle editorial with an edge. http://www.decordemon.com
I'm a home makeover TV show producer, interior designer and the creator... More »
When I first started working behind-the-scenes on home improvement TV shows in 2003, I was shocked at how much a good retaining wall could cost — mainly for the labor and skill involved. Since I grew up in South Florida, the flattest and most humid peninsula ever, retaining walls were kinda new to me.
Now an Atlantan, I tend to see the same exact type of retaining wall again and again: 8x8 railroad timbers stacked about 4-feet high with pine straw at the crest. There are so many other options out there to make your retaining wall a bit more personal. Take a gander at these fantastic ideas, then think about your own retaining wall before running out to snatch those railroad timbers again.
Now an Atlantan, I tend to see the same exact type of retaining wall again and again: 8x8 railroad timbers stacked about 4-feet high with pine straw at the crest. There are so many other options out there to make your retaining wall a bit more personal. Take a gander at these fantastic ideas, then think about your own retaining wall before running out to snatch those railroad timbers again.
| First up, the gabion: natural stone piled up and held together with wire. It's unexpected and packs both an industrial and natural look. Here's a materials secret: Builders often fill the center with something inexpensive, sturdy and heavy, taking up up a ton of space for less cost. Then higher-quality stone can be poured into the parts we can actually see. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Sometimes just a little bit of texture is all it takes. Rust-ridden sheet metal not only contains your planting beds, but its appearance will actually change over time. The patina will continue to change the longer it's exposed to the elements. |
| Poured concrete is simple, sleek and surprisingly sophisticated. Did you ever wonder exactly how this is made? Perhaps you thought a huge truck schlepped each piece over, then champion strongmen unloaded them one at a time? Nope! Poured concrete is all about molds and forms. Usually, plywood forms are set up and secured in place. Then the concrete is poured between the pieces. After it sets and dries, the forms are removed, a craftsman adds some finishing touches with acid stain and/or sealer, and KAZAM! you've got modern retaining walls. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Stacked concrete blocks can create a linear, mid-century look; however, it doesn't work with standard, builder-grade cinder block. In this case, each block contains an aggregate of pebbles which achieve a slightly organic aesthetic. Once stacked, the blocks' color and mortar between takes it to the next level.
These are also easy to work with; many aggregate blocks come in ultra lightweight forms and are readily available in light and dark gray finishes.
These are also easy to work with; many aggregate blocks come in ultra lightweight forms and are readily available in light and dark gray finishes.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Although stacked stone looks super expensive, it's rather affordable. Each piece is simply a thin, 1-inch veneer often stocked in a 6x12 size. In order to install as a retaining wall, a contractor first builds the structure out either with pressure-treated plywood or poured concrete. The veneer acts simply as a facade. One thing that definitely drives up cost is mitered corners. This involves hundreds of cuts with a wet saw which takes way more time than simply, stacking, staggering and adding mortar. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Here's something you may or may not have come across: wood-look concrete. How does it get that wood plank appearance? It's all about the form, my friends. When the form is created, a contractor can opt for rugged wood planks instead of super smooth panels. As the concrete dries against the rough textures of the wood planks, they leave wood grain impressions which give an entirely different dimension to the otherwise flat concrete.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
If you're a big lover of natural wood, here's a modern approach. 2-inch wood paneled boxes can contain your planting beds, add warmth and also have somewhat of a furniture look. The only real drawback is upkeep; you'll probably have to restain and reseal the wood twice a year.
Next: More photos of retaining walls
Next: More photos of retaining walls
Comments
Fiorella Design Love!
2 years ago · Like
Stone Farm Interesting ideas...western ideas. Check out this retaining wall from where I am from in New England. Reclaimed granite building blocks 
2 years ago · Like
· 
2
2
sherine123 excellent site
2 years ago · Like
MFAMB aka Jenny i am in love with pic number 2. the retaining wall is beautiful, but the landscaping is so pretty too!
2 years ago · Like
pencilshavings Love the first one. It's clever and it lends itself to the outdoor environment.
2 years ago · Like
Kathryn Peltier Design We added a 2 story carriage-house style garage to our 1890 Victorian. Our retaining wall is a long (about 30 feet) and high (about 11 feet at it's highest), and would have cost a fortune in any kind of manufactured material (plus, I despise those colored cement interlocking blocks). I got our material - recycled concrete pieces - from a cement contractor who was replacing sidewalks for a neighboring city - he delivered it for free, too. It was a big job - no doubt about it - but my husband and I built it ourselves. They are large pieces (irregular, about 18" x 18" or larger) - we had to sledgehammer some of the pieces and some were unuseable because they had big pieces of rebar in them - basically dry stacked upon each other. We live in Michigan, so have wide temperature shifts, and we have never had any problem with heaving, etc. The steps were just dug out of the hill and are grass treads with railroad tie risers. We installed a natural picket fence (scavenged from a neighbor who tore it out) at the top for safety, but set it back about 3 feet and planted in front of it. The wall is covered in ivy and sempervivums, and sedum in the spring (sorry, don't have a photo of this!). All in all, almost no cost and pretty low maintenance - although it sometimes does require a little weeding! We used the leftover pieces to make a dry stacked low wall on the edge of our property. 
2 years ago · Like
· 1
1
Kathryn Peltier Design I forgot to add that the concrete pieces were installed with the aggregate side showing.
2 years ago · Like
Becky Harris My fave was always the gabion, and I would use them in my designs in school all the time, until I heard about some winery out west had used them as their walls and that SNAKES would hang out in there.
2 years ago · Like
anitawjones What does concrete cost in comparison to stacked stone or other DIY options? Also where do you find sheets of steel?
4 months ago · Like
Kim Thiebault i love the look with native grassed with the walls www.boulder-walls.com
3 months ago · Like
regis1478 Limestone boulders work pretty well also.... 
4 weeks ago · Like
Ideabook published on Feb. 16, 2011.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
