Aside from its primary roles of holding back soil and preventing erosion, a retaining wall, when designed in the right material and color, can enhance the look of your Sussex County, NJ, landscape. Natural stone retaining walls can even serve as focal features that will enrich the aesthetics of your outdoor living space.
Why Choose Natural Stone for Retaining Walls?
The term natural stone is used to describe any quarried stone used for construction. This includes an enormously wide variety of rock classifications and regional variations - some perfect for the load-bearing capabilities of a retaining wall, some best left to less demanding duties. EP Jansens offers a huge range of natural stone in a variety of different forms, ideal for use in attractive, but functional retaining walls, from granite to sandstone; boulders to slabs and cut blocks.
RELATED: 6 LANDSCAPE MATERIALS FOR YOUR SUMMER LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Building a retaining wall that is more than just a functional landscape element requires choosing a tone and style that will match your existing landscape. The best thing about constructing your retaining wall from natural stone is its timeless, detail-rich look.
Boulder Walls
As with all landscape features, it is important to build retaining walls from materials that complement other surrounding landscape elements. One of the most popular retaining wall options is the boulder rock. This type of retaining wall gives the landscape a less manufactured look and offers a bold, authentic appearance. Boulder walls are made by stacking large, heavy boulders, either with or without mortar, depending on the purpose of the wall and the skill of the mason. Boulder retaining walls can be used for many purposes in your landscape, including leveling a sloped terrain, marking the boundaries of a plot, or just as a decorative feature with an authentic look and feel. As they come in different sizes, shapes and textures, boulders are also popular features for pools, waterfalls, and other decorative landscape elements.
Rubble Walls
Rubble walls are made from smaller stones than boulders, but are just as effective in creating an attractive retaining feature wall, and offer a more finely detailed construction. Rubble is essentially stone that has been broken into irregular sizes and shapes, and offers a rugged texture that is ideal for both traditional and contemporary style homes.
Stacked Slates or Slabs
Stacked slabs or thin slates of natural stone, such as flagstone or slate, make for a wall that is rich with irregular textures and lines. Although some engineering may be required when using natural stone for retaining walls, this style of wall offers a high degree of uniqueness and visual interest.
RELATED: USING BLUESTONE FOR STUNNING LANDSCAPE EFFECTS
Stone Blocks
For a more refined look for your retaining wall, try incorporating cut stone blocks. Stone blocks are cut into fairly regular pieces that can be used in construction similarly to bricks.
Creating a simple focal point for your landscape has never been easier. Just form a well-shaped retaining wall around your raised plant bed and flowers or integrate a water feature and you’ll enjoy a landscape with eye-catching elegance.
RELATED: THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIABLE AND RESPONSIBLE STONE SUPPLY
