Clean, straight lines are the hallmark of modern design. But what if you want a more organic or traditional look? Maybe you’ve even looked at a large, flat retaining wall before and thought it doesn’t fit your personal taste or style.
Here’s the best news: Needing a retaining wall does not mean you’ll have a boring, blank wall stretching across your yard.
In fact, we’d like to counter that idea by saying that when installed by professionals such as Pavertime, a curved retaining wall gives you countless ideas and adds a little oomph to life.
If you want to spruce up your home and need a retaining wall, let us introduce the curved retaining wall.
Three Types of Curved Retaining Walls
People need retaining walls for various reasons. Suppose you’re considering adding a retaining wall to your yard. In that case, chances are you either need it to prevent erosion while improving drainage or you want to reclaim unusable yard space due to a slope.
How does a curved retaining wall differ from a traditional straight retaining wall? The only difference between them is their shape. Regardless of shape, the ultimate goal for building a retaining wall in your yard remains the same.
However, utilizing one of the three types of curved retaining walls can give your yard a totally different look and feel.
1 – Curved Retaining Wall with Outside Curves
A curved retaining wall with outside curves is simply a wall that has curves facing outward or away from the main line of the retaining wall. Often, these curves that face outward help form a border or delineate property lines.
Using a retaining wall with outside curves can also help build a stately appearance to the retaining wall that will help it resemble more of a castle or turret rather than a harsh, flat wall. (Who doesn’t want their home and yard to look like a castle?)
Suppose you top a curved retaining wall with a patio. Outside curves can be used to create a rounded shape for the patio, which would add a fantastic touch to any backyard.
2 – Curved Retaining Wall with Inside Curves
Inside curves on a retaining wall mean that the curve, or rounded shape, pulls inward, cutting into the main line of the retaining wall. This retaining wall shape is the perfect fit for anyone who loves smores or firepits.
Depending on how great the curve is, inside curves can help create alcoves and benches for fire pits or even a dreamy area to place a small hidden patio.
Waist-high retaining walls created using an inside curve would also make the perfect raised vegetable garden, with easy access to all your growing plants.
3. Curved Retaining Wall with Serpentine Curves
What if you can’t decide whether you want outside or inside curves? Or maybe you want an organic flow back and forth that resembles the shape of a snake? Serpentine curves switch gently between inside and outside curves, creating an idyllic shape and style for any retaining wall.
The best news about serpentine walls is that you can choose to use a very subtle curve simply to remove harsh lines or exaggerated curves to create an eye-catching detail.
Serpentine walls also work well built in layers, with the curves alternating. This leaves some larger areas for unique plants to become focal pieces while creating depth and dimension.
Which Retaining Wall is the Perfect Fit for Your Yard?
If you’re not sure what shape of retaining wall would best suit your home and yard, it’s easy to experiment. Using a disconnected water hose laid where you need a retaining wall, you can easily experiment with different shapes and ideas for your curved retaining wall.
When exploring the shapes and paths of your retaining wall, remember to also include important home value-boosting details. For instance, if your yard has a large slope, consider adding a gentle paver staircase that will follow around the outside curve of your curved retaining wall.
Pro Tip: Retaining walls ultimately serve essential purposes. A wall engineer will need to plan any wall over 4 feet tall. However, at Pavertime, we still want to know your ideas and will do our best to help you create the perfect curved retaining wall for your yard.
Let Pavertime Help You Spruce Up Your Home
Pavertime is your retaining wall expert in the Houston area. Whether you need a driveway retaining wall, a retaining wall topped by a bench, or are even considering adding a curved retaining wall to your yard, we’re here to help.
With our expertise and training, we can help you discover the little details that will amaze your friends and family while providing lasting value and construction. But you don’t just have to take our word for it. Read our reviews to find out what past customers have said about trusting their yards to Pavertime.
