On sloping or deep grounds, it will sometimes be necessary to build a retaining wall to hold back the earth and why not plant plants. Many materials are suitable for this type of construction, here are some examples.
The installation
A retaining wall often requires the rental of a mini-excavator to dig the trench for the future foundations and to clear the earth. You can rent this type of machine by the day. If you have never used one before, find out how it works and allow half a day to get the hang of it.
The various materials
To create a retaining wall, there are many possibilities:
Riprap
It is made of large stones that it is always preferable to find on site for more harmony with your environment. This type of construction is not the easiest to realize because it requires a perfect mastery of the mini-excavator and the layout of the stones. If you don't feel ready, call a professional.
The dry stone wall
Very aesthetic, the dry stone walls give cachet to the garden. Be careful, here again, the implementation requires training because the structure must be solid without any addition of concrete!
The gabion
These are iron cages containing large stones chosen according to your taste or the desired effect. Easy to install, gabions are a modern and aesthetic solution to create a retaining wall.
Hollow concrete modules (Taluroc)
These are hollow concrete modules weighing 30 kg each that are installed in staggered rows and allow for a few mistakes since this type of wall is not primarily intended to be exceptionally straight. The modules are then filled with soil and ready to receive your plants.
Modules to be broken
Again, these are preformed concrete modules with the appearance of natural stone or raw concrete that can be broken with a sledgehammer to achieve the desired finish. This type of product can be found at Antari or Vauban for example. These modules are placed on a horizontal concrete base and ensure a very clean finish.
Blocks to be bricked up
This type of construction requires the use of heavy means because once the foundation is in place and the concrete footing is poured, you will have to stack the blocks straight. The work doesn't stop there, as the facing must be finished.
The wood
Wooden sleeper walls are very technical to build. It is important to choose a wood species of class 4 or higher so that the wood does not rot and is not attacked by xylophagous insects. For more simplicity of installation, there are logs with preformed notches to be inserted in grooved posts (Solosar). The result is very natural and fits in most gardens.
