Add style with retaining walls

Until they saw snakes, Jim and Mary Jo Crooks had not been concerned about the condition of the retaining walls at their Suwanee house.

But the snakes and what looked like rotting timbers prompted the couple to seek help. Several referrals later, the Crooks hired Phillip Smith and North Georgia Retaining Walls in Woodstock.

In January, Smiths company cleared the scrubby underbrush and removed several levels of rotten timber walls. In place of the stacked timbers, a block-like retaining wall system was built. The old wooden steps down the steep slope were replaced with Rockwood blocks. And to ensure safe footing, soft accent lights were built in to the risers.

Though not in the original plan, the Crooks wanted to add some useable space in their back yard. Smith built a four-foot wall and designed the circular-shaped patio at the bottom of the stairs. He installed a fire pit and created a seating wall with built-in lights.

The Crooks are delighted by the beauty of their new, functional space.

We hadnt expected it to be so pretty, said Mary Jo. We also cant wait to use the fire pit.

Retaining walls are a functional and attractive solution to uneven and sloped terrains, according to Al Pfannenstein, the national retaining wall manager for Belgard Hardscapes by Oldcastle. But retaining walls can do more.

As the trend for more outdoor living space continues, retaining walls continue to grow in popularity for their function and the aesthetics they provide in a landscape design, said Pfannenstein.

Homeowners are incorporating retaining walls into the backyard landscape designs as a way to add built-in seating, a childrens play area, an outdoor fireplace/fire pit and raised-bed gardens, said Smith and Pfannenstein. Retaining walls also create more functional areas for outdoor kitchens, patios, pools, spas, driveways or any construction that requires a flat surface.

If you are looking for ways to add structure and usable space to your yard, a retaining wall (or walls) may be the way to go. For help, consider these tips from Smith, Al Pfannenstein and Lynn Saussy, an Atlanta-area landscape architect.

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Add style with retaining walls