Incorporating a Retaining Wall into Your Paver Patio Design in Goshen, NY
From fixing a slope problem in your Goshen, NY landscape to increasing the privacy of a patio, retaining walls perform many landscape functions. Here are some ways to use retaining walls in your patio design to increase the function and create more beauty.
Related: The Benefits of a Retaining Wall in a Sloped Backyard in Chester and Middletown, NY Areas
Are you familiar with a retaining wall?
A retaining wall is a natural rock or wall stone wall that holds back dirt to create more usable space in your landscape. Most retaining walls are not exceptionally high but when they are over four feet, they must be engineered in a specific way to hold back the dirt in a stable manner. They are customizable and offer many landscape benefits.
Types of Retaining Walls
Fix a slope: When your yard has a slope that makes having a patio difficult, you need a retaining wall. Your landscape professional can take that slope and build a patio that is taller on one side than the other to accommodate for the unlevel terrain. With wide stone steps to access the grassy space below, the patio remains level at the top and is easy to descend to the yard.
This can be especially helpful when you want more space to install a full outdoor kitchen but the slope prevents using the yard as you wish. You no longer have to worry about the slope because your landscaper has remedied that issue.
Many homeowners like the idea of a two or three level patio to allow for multiple areas. One patio space can have the outdoor couches, the next can hold the outdoor kitchen, and the bottom space can be home to the fire pit.
Define the landscape: A retaining wall can also define your landscape and create specific sections for a more appealing aesthetic. When a retaining wall follows a natural line in your landscape such as when a small gulley exists, this wall structure can join the two parts of the landscape. Not only does the gulley no longer exist but the space above and below the wall offers more area to add attractive shrubs and flowers.
A retaining wall can define spaces within a patio, too. If you want to designate a specific area as the dining spot, your landscaper can build a retaining wall to encircle that part of the patio. You can also change the patio paver and laying pattern for more differentiation. A bonus is the extra seating space you gain from the flat top of the wall.
To add privacy: When your home and outdoor space is close to neighbors, you might want more privacy and intimacy when you spend time on your patio. Many homeowners add a retaining wall around the perimeter of the patio to bring more seclusion to the space. Because retaining walls can be higher in some areas than others, even adding a partial retaining wall can screen the view of your patio from nearby neighbors.
A retaining wall can also offer more seating space and serving space when you entertain large groups. This can especially be true when your patio is designed as more than one level. Your landscaper can make each area a unique spot for a particular activity.
As you consider the ways to incorporate a retaining wall into your patio design, a landscape professional can help you think through the ways that you can utilize a retaining wall.
Related: 5 Ways a Retaining Wall Can Be Included in a Landscape Design in Cornwall NY