How To Build A Retaining Wall: A Comprehensive Guide

So, you’re considering adding a retaining wall to your property. Whether you’re looking to contain a hillside, prevent soil erosion, create more usable space, or simply enhance your landscape’s visual appeal, a well-planned retaining wall can transform your outdoor living space.

But how do you build and use a retaining wall in your yard that’s both functional and beautiful?

Retaining walls are more than just practical structures—they’re opportunities to add character and value to your property. When properly designed and installed, they create level areas for terraces, gardens, parking, play areas, and patios while preventing erosion and protecting your home’s foundation. In fact, around 30% of retaining walls fail within just a few years of being built, often due to poor drainage, inadequate reinforcement, or improper design.

Follow this comprehensive guide to help you plan, design, and construct the ideal retaining wall for your needs, ensuring it lasts for years.

Before You Break Ground: Lot Lines and Utilities

Before you bring out the shovels, you need to make sure the location of your retaining wall won’t cause any problems. Confirm the lot lines of your property before you begin. Your local municipality will have your lot survey on record. This can be used to identify property lines. The last thing you want is to get halfway through your project only to have your neighbor complain that you have crossed the property line, causing you to start all over.

Just as important is confirming the location of underground utilities. As with any project that requires digging in your yard, you should call your utility companies to confirm the location of underground wires and pipes. Damaging or destroying pipes and wires can disrupt services and cost you a pretty penny for repair fees. Even more importantly, breaking a gas line or electric wire can be extremely dangerous, causing serious injury or even death.

As with any project, safety comes first. Follow these steps before you start digging, and you’ll make sure both you and your neighbors stay happy.

Choosing Your Retaining Wall Material and Design

Although a retaining wall is hugely practical, you mustn’t overlook the aesthetic component. As the retaining wall can have a significant impact on the look of your garden and establishment as a whole, taking your time when it comes to selecting the materials is a must.

Unlike wood, properly built retaining walls don’t rot or need to be replaced. Working with modern wall systems is relatively straightforward, too. Besides building a wall that will last, you can find many pre-engineered wall systems that are just the right look for your project.

Important Considerations When Selecting Materials

Make sure you have a good idea of the overall look and design you want to achieve, as the material you select for your retaining wall can enhance this. A natural material, for example, could give your outdoor area a more rustic, homely feel than plain grey stone. However, stone can still look great and almost provide a more modern, sleek feel if that’s the look you’re going for!

When selecting your material for the retaining wall, make sure you also think about the materials used elsewhere in your garden. If you have a patio made from concrete pavers, then concrete blocks used in your retaining wall will enhance this nicely. According to Angi, retaining walls built using concrete, stone, and brick walls (properly executed) can last 50 to 100+ years.

Ask yourself these questions to help make your decision:

• What is your budget?
• What is the overall aesthetic feel you are going for?
• Who is building the wall?
• Are we/they familiar with the material?
• How tall does the wall need to be?
• What other materials are already present in your landscape?

Three Main Types of Retaining Walls

1. Interlocking Retaining Wall Systems

Interlocking retaining wall systems are perfect for homeowners or professionals looking to build a strong wall without using concrete or mortar. Central Home Supply has a full range of styles and colors available in the form of interlocking systems that look great, are sturdy, and can be tailored to your tastes easily.

There are many attractive styles of pre-engineered wall blocks that are good for walls up to 4 feet tall without needing to get a permit! Some of the blocks rely on a system of pins to remain in place, but others come with a self-locking flange, so they are very strong and more than capable of retaining large hillsides.

Popular brands include:

• Allan Block
• Keystone
• Geo Pro
• Geo Max
• Versa-Lok
• Estate Wall
• BelAir Wall
• Sterling Wall

Homeowners can feel confident about doing their project right after speaking with our experienced sales staff—we take the time to make sure your project will be a success!

Pro tip: Interlocking block walls are much easier than pouring concrete. They’re just as strong and are much more pleasing to the eye, with abundant options to choose from.

2. Gabion Rock Walls

If you’re looking for a rugged and natural look, gabion rock walls might be the perfect choice. Gabion retaining rock walls are essentially heavy-duty wire mesh cages that are filled with 4-8″ chunks of granite. This is the perfect choice for creating a minimalist yet interesting effect, especially when using a mix of larger and smaller stones.

Gabion rock walls are environmentally friendly and come with several advantages, including:

• Easy to transport construction material
• Gravel and rocks used in a gabion rock wall can endure decades of wear and tear
• Highly versatile and can be used in creeks and steep ravines
• Available in many sizes to suit your needs
• Great solution for challenging terrain

3. Stone Walls

A stone retaining wall is an elegant and timeless look that is highly functional as well. Central Home Supply also has natural stones for your retaining wall that give less of a rugged appearance than gabion rocks but create a sophisticated, natural aesthetic.

Besides beautiful looks and adding value to your home, stone walls are great for erosion control and creating a natural setting. A series of boulders with smaller stones stacked in between can be used to build strong retaining walls or create decorative edging.

At Central Home Supply, you will find a vast selection of colors, sizes, and textures for your next stone project. If you have a photo of your ideal material, let us know, and we can find it or a solution for you.

We also supply many types of thin veneer stone, which are sliced thin to cover a traditional wall of concrete or cinder block, yet look like it was built from stone. With careful planning, you can achieve the appearance of a beautiful and natural-looking wall that will last for centuries!

4. Conventional Cinder Block

This might not make the most attractive choice for everyone, but it can certainly create a substantial retaining wall that does the job it’s supposed to do. It’s also an economical option that can later be enhanced with thin veneer stone for improved aesthetics.

Should a Retaining Wall Have Water Drainage?

Water drainage is one of the most important things to consider when putting up a retaining wall. After all, you want to help protect your largest investment (home). That means it’s essential that the retaining wall is built to prevent erosion, protect the property from flooding or a landslide, and reinforce the foundation.

First of all, your garden requires good watering conditions. Each plant requires different amounts of water. That is why it’s important to make sure you set up the right drainage conditions depending on what kind of garden you have.

Secondly, you need proper drainage to make sure that run-off from rain doesn’t flood unwanted areas, such as your basement. If you don’t make sure that water drains away from your house, then you could find yourself dealing with water damage every time it rains hard.

Water drainage is all about finding the right direction to make water go. When you add a retaining wall to your yard, you also must make sure that water is redirected away from the top or the bottom of the wall. When water concentrates in these areas, it can damage the wall, causing it to collapse.

On the other hand, if you direct water flow under the wall and to a proper drainage area, then your wall can last a lifetime. The main point is to avoid water damage and make sure your retaining wall is diverting or collecting water in a way that keeps it from venturing under your home or causing flooding or mold.

In summary, here are some important things to keep in mind when it comes to water drainage and retaining walls:

Make sure your gardens are sloped so that water moves away from the foundation of your house.

Make sure proper pipes and drains are set up to ensure that your plants receive the right amount of water.

Direct water to flow under your retaining wall so that it doesn’t sit on the top or bottom of the wall and cause damage to the structure.

What Kind of Soil Do You Need for a Retaining Wall?

Soil conditions are just as important as water conditions when it comes to the plants in your garden. Every landscape type requires different types of soil beds, so it is important to research which kind is best for the plants in your yard.

The three most common types of soil are:

Sandy Soils: Will remind you of the beach. These soils are easy to work with, and they drain very easily. But not many plants grow well in these conditions. Just think about how many plants you saw the last time you were on a sandy beach.

Clay Soils: On the other hand, they are much harder, which means they drain poorly. The hard soil can also make it difficult for plants to grow their roots.

Organic Soils: Are the most common type for garden planting beds. Most plants thrive best in garden beds with well-drained organic soil.

Depending on your landscape and what kind of plants you are trying to cultivate in your yard, you may need to remove and replace your current soil bed. That is why it is important to identify the soil in your yard before installing your retaining wall. Remember to also consider what kind of plants you want in your garden, and which soil conditions will work best for them.

Use Wall Rocks Underneath Your Wall Base

Once you have figured out the water drainage and soil conditions for your yard, it’s time to think about the wall base. A good retaining wall needs a firm foundation. Even with proper drainage that redirects most of the water away from the wall, some water will still go through the wall and end up at the base. This is especially true in areas with heavy rainfall.

For this reason, it is important to use wall rocks at the base of your garden wall. You should plan on using a clean, granular wall rock underneath your wall base. When properly compacted at the base, wall rocks make sure water is properly drained away from the wall, adding to the performance and look of your finished garden wall.

DIY vs. Professional Retaining Wall Installation

If you’re thinking of making a retaining wall in your garden, you’re going to need to figure out whether it’s something you’re going to do yourself or whether you’re going to hire somebody to do it. You could build a wall yourself if it’s only 3 feet tall, and all you need is average DIY skills and a reasonably strong back. Anything taller should be left to the professionals.

A professional will have all of the engineering skills needed, as well as be up to speed with the building codes that are relevant in your area. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to build a wall like this yourself or hire somebody else to do it for you.

Central Home Supply is happy to provide free quotations and advice, and we’re also happy to recommend an experienced contractor if you need one.

Conclusion

Retaining walls can be one of the essential parts of a garden, so you need a trustworthy retaining wall supplier to help you gather the right materials and get the right advice. If you follow these necessary steps as a guide, then you will find that your retaining wall construction project will turn out right and look great!

Strong, durable, and easy-to-install retaining wall systems are available at Central Home Supply. We are one of the largest retaining wall suppliers in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Santa Clara, and Monterey counties. Browse our selection of interlocking retaining wall systems, gabion rock walls, stone walls, conventional cinder block, and 20 kinds of dry-stack retaining wall products.

All you need to do is call us at (831) 440-0763 or get in touch using our contact form, and a friendly member of staff will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Published: February 26, 2020
Updates: September 21, 2025