Need To Firm Up Your Soil? 3 Considerations When Planning To Construct Retaining Walls In Your Home
If you have loose ground soil that needs to be blocked for your landscaping needs, then building retaining walls is a good idea. Retaining walls are able to firm up loose soil seamlessly, but you will need to consider certain factors before building them. This guide will help you in your quest to plan retaining walls for your home's surroundings with a local builder.
Establish Your Local Council Regulations
Every individual council across Australia typically has their own rules for building retaining wall structures, so you will need to check with your local council for establishing regulations related to height and dimensions. For instance, in NSW, you will need council permission for building retaining walls above 600 mm in height, while in Queensland's Gold Coast and in Victoria, you need approval for building walls above 1 metre in height. Apart from height, you may also need to look into other factors. In NSW, retaining walls should be at least 900 mm away from the boundary line. In some areas in Queensland, retaining walls need to be at least 1.5 metres away from an adjacent property. Get in touch with your local council to establish your specific approval needs before going ahead with the construction process.
Consider Your Retaining Wall Design
When it comes to planning the design for your retaining walls, you'll instinctively want something that echoes your existing décor. You can work with structural engineers and designers to establish the final look and feel of your retaining wall while taking factors like structural strength, existing home design and ground pressure into account. Once you have your retaining wall goal, you can finalise your design. For instance, square or oval retaining walls are perfect choices when you want to secure a specific landscaping lawn, so you can revolve your design around the shape and existing material of your home to establish a cohesive appearance.
Choose Your Material
You have plenty of choices when it comes to choosing the material for retaining walls, including timber, concrete, brick blocks, natural stone and limestone. Limestone is a popular choice in Western Australia because of the abundance of the material available in the region. Timber, concrete, brick blocks and natural stone retaining walls are also popular choices depending on the look you're trying to create. Concrete and timber can easily be manipulated to include curves into the wall design, so these are good choices when you're looking for curved retaining wall features.
Consider these factors when working with contractors to build retaining walls for your home's landscaping needs.