Large hills can be helpful for bobsled but with our lack of annual snowfall in the Houston area, sloped front yard spaces aren’t useful. On a day-to-day basis, having a large slope in your yard can make household chores, like mowing your lawn, dangerous. But in the long-term, a sloped yard can also impact your home’s value and marketability.
One benefit of having a sloped front yard? It gives you the unique opportunity to make your home stand out while boosting your curb appeal by adding a retaining wall! Rather than have the cookie-cutter front yard with one Bradford Pear tree and a handful of bushes near the front door, you can elevate the presence of your yard with retaining walls that can give curving landscaped tiers with various textures or an expanded yard space to add a patio to. The possibilities are endless!
Retaining walls are no longer the boring uniform gray stone or wooden beam wall you most likely think of. Today, retaining walls can be constructed using pavers in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Rather than a boring wall in your front yard, retaining walls for sloped front yards can now guide your eye through a story that tells about your own personal style.
Read on to discover several ways to elevate your home and better utilize a sloped yard with a retaining wall.
3 Retaining Wall Ideas for Sloped Front Yards
1. Transform Retaining Walls into Focal Points
Why blend in when you were made to stand out? Let your home and retaining wall do the same thing. You can transform a useful retaining wall into a stunning feature using colors and different styles.
For a modern look, use flat pavers in contrasting colors to create a modern-looking wall. If you want to take it a step further, you can also create an extra stand-alone decorative wall to hide staircases or walkways. If you want a more classic look, top a cream-colored retaining wall with large concrete vases that can be filled with ferns and flowers cascading over the edge.
2. Play with Hidden Features
When building a retaining wall, consider adding some extra enhancements. Small details can add tremendous value and overall enjoyment to your yard.
Some of our favorite retaining wall ideas for sloped yards here at Pavertime is to add lighting, a seating bench, or a water feature. Adding low-voltage lighting to the wall will not only make your yard safer by allowing you to see while it’s dark out, but will also provide a delightful ambiance in the evening. Wall benches can easily be added to your retaining wall design to add additional seating to your yard. Do you want to stop your neighbors and visitors in their tracks? A water feature will do just that! Water features added onto your retaining are the perfect, jaw-dropping surprise.
2. Multiply Your Options with Tiers and Terraces
One of the best reasons to install a retaining wall is to reclaim usable space, but if you choose to create tiers and terraces with different levels of retaining walls, you can divide your front yard space into separate spaces for various uses.
For example, one tier could easily be turned into a raised garden bed. Then, the next tier could be transformed into a terraced patio with seating and a patio umbrella. Depending on your budget, a curving serpentine-style wall could be used, with tiers on each end to allow for a bubbling style water feature, decorative seating with shade structure, or eye-catching landscaping. Custom stairs with a wall wrap-around can easily tie the different levels together while adding to the overall design.
Pro Tip: Not sure what retaining wall ideas for sloped front yards work for you and your budget? Our team of retaining wall experts can help you determine what is needed to make your dream a reality.
How to Choose a Retaining Wall Contractor
Choosing the right wall contractor is the key to successfully reclaiming your unusable yard space and boosting your home’s value. To find the best retaining wall contractor in your local area, start by asking friends and neighbors if they have any recommendations. We also recommend readoing reviews for any contractors friends or family recommend or that you find through online searches.
Once you’ve narrowed down your search, ask the contractor to look at your property and yard and provide a consultation and quote.Consultations with retaining wall contractors or other hardscape contractors are crucial. During this time, there are several questions you need to ask.
Make sure to ask:
- Do you work with a wall engineer?
- What is the timeline?
- Do you have referrals and photos of completed work?
The goal of these questions is to help you gauge a company’s communication and customer service. Great companies can easily describe their process, timeline, and work ethic.
Once all your questions have been answered and you’ve had your consultations, it’s time to look at the quotes provided by the contractors. After talking to different contractors in person and comparing quotes with your budget, you’re ready to pick a contractor to start working on your front yard retaining wall project.
Pro Tip: Any retaining wall over 4 feet must be planned by a wall engineer. Only use a company that is willing to meet the necessary requirements. Pavertime works with professional wall engineers to ensure our clients get the best walls without compromising safety.
Pavertime is Your Local Retaining Wall Contractor
Whether you need a small retaining wall for your sloped front yard or you want to go big with an intricate serpentine wall complete with a water feature, Pavertime is the company you can trust.
We have years of experience backed by extensive knowledge and training. Our teams are also certified in retaining wall installation meaning you can count on us to get your wall installed correctly the first time.
Not only will we build a stable, lasting retaining wall, but our design team can help transform your front yard into the area of your dreams. One call is all you need to make to get the ball rolling. Call us today to schedule your free consultation. 832-831-6058.
