Retaining and GardenWalls

Retaining and garden walls are technically challenging with many different factors which need to be taken into account, such as: soil type; location; positioning; design; drainage; size and wall type.

Two basic fundamentals remain for all forms of walling; a good solid foundation and the provision of adequate drainage. The retaining and garden wall’s foundation needs to be able to support its weight and provide structural strength. The drainage system needs to be sufficiently robust to allow for any water to freely flow away, as the increase in weight and pressure applied to walling can become immense.

The weakest part of any walling is usually the foundation. If this is undermined through defects in the construction process or compromised by a lack of free flowing drainage, the result will invariably be a collapsed wall.

Freestanding Garden walls allow for greater flexibility in terms of material choice and aesthetic outcome and are often less expensive than Retaining Walls (where strength is the main concern). However, a common assumption that is made is that Freestanding Walls should be low cost, as they don’t need to be as strong.

Reinforced concrete walls

Reinforced Concrete walls are very ubiquitous in their use because of their strength and practical application. Solid footings and adequate drainage are very important elements of this type of wall.

Aggregates behind the wall and drainage pipes at the level of the footings will prevent the wall from acting like a dam, which normally prevents water from escaping. The aesthetic look and finish of the reinforced concrete wall will have a major bearing on the building specifications and cost.

Concrete can take a number of years to ‘cure’ depending on the wall’s thickness; hence its overall strength will increase as it ages. However, if the building specifications are not sufficiently robust, the wall may start to list and crack and may eventually fall down. Any such degradation may only become evident over the course of many years, but the economic cost as well as emotional toll on the owner cannot be over estimated.

Our builders have great experience in building substantially large reinforced concrete and garden walls. You can rely on the experts at LT Construction to build you a wall that is not only structurally strong but also aesthetically beautiful.

The appearance of walling is often the last thing to be considered when building a wall, with cost being the primary decision driver. In purchasing an existing home, owners can sometimes inherit unsightly or rather plain looking walls. Dressing a wall can greatly improve its appearance at a reasonable cost. Walls can be dressed in a variety of different stone cladding or false brickwork.

Contact us in English or Spanish to find out more about Retaining and Garden Walls in Malaga Province and the Costa del Sol and what we can do for you.