Retaining Wall

How Long Will a Wooden Retaining Wall Last? 

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Forty years! Yes, wooden retaining walls can last up to forty years if only the walls are handled properly. After forty years or so, you need to build a new retaining wall.

But if it is a concrete wall, it has no age limit like the wooden ones, and concrete walls do not need much care. retaining wall ideas add beauty to the landscape of the properties. Various walls have various qualities, and all elicit different sorts of styles.

The raw material may be timber or maybe concrete, but both materials serve the same purposes.

Let us go through the article below to learn about the wooden retaining walls.

The wooden retaining walls bring a natural and a soothing look to your gardens, open spaces, etc. Planning is essential before building one. Because it involves several things within it.

If you plan to build a wooden wall, perhaps building a timber retaining wall is one of the best ideas one could barely have. These walls do not last more than thirty to forty years, as already mentioned above.

So, much more care is needed than usual, and this is a temporary retaining wall, not a permanent solution! Whenever building one, make sure that the wood you will be using for the wall that should be of a good quality.

Undoubtedly, the timber retaining walls mix themselves with nature, and no other retaining walls have got the ability to do this. Beautiful potted plants can be kept along with the timber wall to produce an attractive natural green environment.

This can bring serenity, which can be done easily at homes or in the farmhouses. You can buy ceramic pots for your plants online to enhance the place.

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A timber retaining wall would last for more than twenty years if it is built with proper and high-quality raw materials. As mentioned above, good quality materials should be used! Especially the wood should be of premium quality because this wood stays attached to the soil throughout. And as there is moisture content present in the soil, the wood may start to rot a few days later after the installation process.

This shortens the lifespan of the wood retaining walls and in no way lets these walls survive more than thirty years or so. This thing does not happen with the concrete walls.

timber retaining walls

Behind the timber retaining walls, mostly plants are planted by the owners, and as you all know, watering the plants is mandatory.

The water content put into the plants every day is to be taken care of very minutely. Water should not gather in a particular place behind the timber retaining wall. This isn’t good for the wall.

Both the moisture and the water content speeds up together and decomposes the wall. Hence, a drainage system is essential if you are planning to have a timber retaining wall. This would bring some positivity and help the wooden wall stay safe for the long forty years.

Timber is very expensive, and if you are not willing to spend more on retaining walls, then you may go for other reasonable alternatives which are available in the local marketplace.

You can add a waterproof sheet in the backside of your timber retaining wall to separate the direct contact of the soil and the wall. Gravel packing is also possible behind the wall.

This is done at the bottom of the wall, where usually the water gets accumulated during the rainy season. The gravel increases the length of the wall, and therefore water does not accumulate there.

This ensures both a bit of safety and positivity. But during installation, if there are any weep holes found in the bottom, this will risk the life of the wall.

So, better take precautions before it is too late and let your wooden retaining wall live more than thirty years.

Allan Block
Allan Block holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a career spanning 20 years in retaining wall design and outdoor planning. Joining our platform in 2021, Allan focuses on providing practical advice on retaining wall projects, soil management, and aesthetic landscaping. His background includes working in urban development and freelance landscape design. Allan is an amateur geologist and participates in community greening initiatives in his free time.

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