Create a Functional and Beautiful Space by Including a Retaining Wall into Your Landscape Design in the Grand Haven, MI Area
Ideally, a landscape design makes an outdoor space not only more functional but more beautiful, too. One of the best single landscape additions you can make is a retaining wall, and there are a number of good reasons for this. Here is how a useful retaining wall may be artfully used at your Grand Haven, MI home, from helping to maintain the landscape to enlarging and improving your outdoor living spaces.
Related: Add Warmth and Ambiance to Your Ada and Grand Haven, MI Area Backyard with a Fire Pit
Use the Natural Boundaries to Your Advantage
Masonry retaining walls can conform to the terrain and follow the landscape’s natural contours for a lovely naturalistic landscape design. A well-designed retaining wall meant for a more rustic environment will draw inspiration from the natural world rather than fighting against it. Using natural stone, soft curves, and proportional design can make the wall seem well incorporated.
Creating Continuity
The design of the retaining wall, whether it is made of natural stone or contemporary concrete blocks, could take into account other masonry features used in your landscape, such as the outdoor fireplace. A sense of cohesiveness among landscape features does not necessarily mean using the same materials throughout. It could mean using similar colors or textures. A modern landscape design, for example, would feature mostly smooth surfaces, such as the blocks used for the retaining wall and nearby patio pavers.
Hiding Light Fixtures
For ambiance at night, every landscape needs good lighting. A retaining wall is a great place to install outdoor lighting fixtures. It is one of the greatest locations to use in lighting design because of the sheer scale of the wall, its proximity to other landscape features, and the ability to place fixtures within it if needed. To highlight the textures of the wall while illuminating the surroundings, you can encase light fixtures in the wall itself and angle them directly up or down.
Increasing Usable Space
Two new surfaces are created when a retaining wall is installed on a hillside. The retaining wall's vertical surfaces stand out in the landscape and offer a fantastic chance for design. At the same time, the additional horizontal space can be a welcome addition to your outdoor living space, allowing you to designate separate areas for outdoor dining, sitting by the fire pit, soaking in the hot tub, and other activities.
Adding More Seating
There will surely be a demand for more seating when you have an extended and inviting outdoor living area. A retaining wall can double as a seating wall, providing a place to gather at any time, even when you run out of room on your patio.
Integration With Other Features
Wall blocks can work beautifully as part of an outdoor fireplace, water feature, or outdoor kitchen. The inclusion of an integrated water element, such as a precipitous descent cascade or Roman fountain, would improve the experience even more.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a faith-based, veteran-owned company, we are passionate about creating beautiful outdoor spaces where our customers can retreat to find peace and connection with friends, family, and God. With nearly six decades in business, we are known as the premier lawn and landscape contractor in West Michigan. Using only premium materials, our artisans built a stunning poolscape oasis where our happy customer now spends her sacred Sundays enjoying the tranquility and beauty of nature.
