Scotts Valley Retaining Walls

When you are choosing material to build a retaining wall in your yard or garden, there are many different choices on the market.

Wood retaining walls, like the ones we just finished in the picture to the right, are low cost and very sturdy. 


For this retaining wall job in Scotts Valley, just outside of Santa Cruz, we used 6x6 posts with 2x12 boards. When building a wooden retaining wall make sure to always use pressure treated lumber. 

Drainage is also a crucial part in the design and installation of a wood, or any type of, retaining wall construction.


Without drainage, the retaining wall could fail due to hydro-static pressure. Hydro-static pressure is caused by over saturation of water in the soils behind the retaining wall.


A French Drain in the best way to ensure proper drainage behind your wall. A French Drain is constructed using a perforated pipe behind the wall, at the base. The pipe is wrapped in filter fabric and back-filled with drain rock. Although you can't see it, we installed a French Drain behind each retaining wall in the construction of this project.

Another drainage system that we use in our retaining wall construction is called EZ-flow. This system uses perforated pipe wrapped in styrofoam and geo-textile fabric. It can hold more water than a traditional French Drain, and it much easier to install. We used the EZ-flow system on the wood retaining walls we just finished. EZ-flow is great for retaining wall projects with difficult access. 

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Pergola in Felton, Ca. #3

Here is the near finished Pergola.

We had to build around the established Wisteria vines in some places.

We also added a Redwood fence and a 6x6 timber retaining wall.

Old Wisteria Vines

As we were building this Pergola, we were able to meet a lot of the neighbors on the street. This is a really friendly neighborhood and everyone seems to know each other. As people walked by with their families or their dogs, we found out that a large percentage of the  neighborhood comes by to see the Wisteria in bloom every year.  Some people say the come by to take pictures even. The people we talked to were very happy that we were taking extra precautions to save this neighborhood heirloom.

I have yet to see this old vine in bloom, but I am happy to be a part of a somewhat historical restoration and plant preservation. 

Working Around the Wisteria

We will come back in a week or two for some final touch ups. We still need to sand and stain the entire structure and tie up some vines that are loose.

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Retaining Wall Los Gatos

We have had an amazingly busy January and February. This is probably our busiest yet for our landscaping company. We have been working hard on a couple of different projects this week. Here is a look at the construction of a wonderful retaining wall we are building.

Retaining Wall excavation

We are installing an Allen Block Retaining Wall in the hills above Los Gatos, which is just outside Santa Cruz. We dug out the footer and laid our base course to the retaining wall this week. This can take up about 70% of the total time in the construction of an Allen Block Retaining Wall. However, once the base course is set, the rest of the retaining wall can go up in a day!

So, we laid out our lines and dug in our footer. We all had our fair share of digging in the great Santa Cruz mountain clay! After the excavation, we set our footer of compacted drain rock and laid in our first course of block. Our clients chose the Classic AB block in the tan color, which not only make an attractive retaining wall but very secure as well.

In particular Allen Block is a great choice for retaining walls. It is functional and visually appealing. It has excellent drainage and will last a lifetime.

These retaining walls will be used to retain our clients garden space, as well as give an excellent access to their upper patio. We will also be building in two sets of stairs that will run from the lower garden to the upper patio area, which will make this landscaping project not only very functional, but beautiful as well.


If you have any questions, comments, or job requests please visit our website: www.livingwaterslandscaping.com

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Retaining Walls

A retaining wall is a structure constructed to resist the pressure of soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation. There are several different types of retaining walls and many of the walls we have built are a wonderful addition to any of our landscaping projects in Santa Cruz. Below you will see several examples of retaining walls you might consider as you look for creative ways to: stop erosion, channel water through or over your landscape, or create more usable space on your Santa Cruz property. 

 

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We offer a broad range of retaining wall options. Our walls are built to last, while maintaining beauty and artistry in the landscaping. We specialize in dry stacked natural stone walls, but enjoy building with a variety of products and have built many retaining walls in and throughout Santa Cruz using many different materials. 

Here is a short list of the materials we are able to build your retaining wall with:

 

-Allen block

-Keystone

-Timber/ wood

-Concrete

-Natural stone

-Boulder walls

Below are some wonderful examples of what a retaining wall can look like in your landscaping design. Retaining walls are not ugly walls that hold dirt, but can be incredible landscaping works of art. When considering the future of your landscaping design why not picture one of these beautiful features.

 

If you have any questions or comments please visit our website at: http://livingwaterslandscaping.com

We look forward to speaking to you about all of your landscaping needs in and around Santa Cruz County.