While many people see a steep slope in their yard as “unusable space,” at best, or a potential danger, at worst, we see a ton of untapped potential! In this post, I will showcase a job of ours that included one of our favorite slope remedies, retaining walls. Though, they are only one of many solutions we offer for slope management and beautification, walls are probably the top preferred method of slope amelioration per our clients.

     I could not discuss the benefits of retaining walls without showcasing some of our work for a truly terrific client. We will call her “Mrs. N,” to be respectful of her privacy. She has been a loyal client of ours for over a decade, and we always look forward to working in her yard (sometimes, she even brings us chocolate chip cookies!).

     When we arrived for the first consult for Mrs. N, she showed us the problem right away – a steep slope that started only feet off the foundation of her beautiful, villa home on a picturesque golf course. Her view of the golf course was breathtaking, but the potential for serious ankle sprains and unpleasant affairs with gravity was too great to ignore. So, we got to work on a design right away.

There was also absolutely no aesthetic value to the yard other than the carefully manicured, deep green lawn. Mrs. N told us she and her husband intended to stay in that home for a very long time, so we were given the green light to “go big.” We finally came to an agreement on expanding existing patio space, adding walkways, installing colorful plantings, putting in a gorgeous, low-maintenance, pond-less waterfall, and, of course, introducing the pièce de résistance – an oversized double retaining wall using high-quality Techo-Bloc and a natural stone cap!

In only a matter of weeks, Mrs. N’s back yard became the talk of the neighborhood. Not only was her yard looking less like a ski slope, it was absolutely breathtaking! The pinks, blues, and oranges of the wall block were complemented by the warm, coppery tones of the natural stone cap. Delicate sprays of variegated abelias and the cheery faces of echinacea blooms danced along the face of the top wall while the soporific trickle of water spilled down into the basin of the waterfall.

And, finally, Mrs. N felt more confident about inviting extended family to her home to enjoy cookouts on the expanded patio space! The young grandkids enjoyed splashing in the waterfall without risk of drowning in a pond basin. It was easier to walk from one side of the house to the next without sliding down the slippery hill into the rocky drainage swale at the bottom!

If you have a slope “problem” in your yard and wish to remedy it in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and reliable, please give us a call for a FREE consult – (804) 690-5516 or contact us online.