Retaining Walls
At Tierra Projects, we create retaining walls that do more than hold back soil—they unlock potential. Retaining walls are essential for transforming sloped or uneven land into stable, functional spaces. Whether you’re planning a garden terrace, need to manage stormwater, or want to enhance the look of your outdoor area, a well-designed retaining wall adds structure, value, and style to your landscape.
Why Retaining Walls Matter
Preventing Soil Erosion
On sloping sites, heavy rain can cause significant soil movement and long-term damage. Retaining walls play a critical role in soil erosion control by keeping the earth in place and protecting your garden and hardscaped areas.
Creating Usable Spaces
Retaining walls allow you to reclaim steep or awkward sections of your land. They’re ideal for creating level zones for lawns, garden beds, patios, and play areas—turning difficult terrain into practical, beautiful spaces.
Improving Drainage
When built correctly, retaining walls are an important part of landscape drainage solutions. By managing water runoff and directing flow, they help prevent pooling, soggy spots, and water damage around the home and garden.
Types of Retaining Walls
We design and build a variety of retaining walls to suit your site’s unique needs and aesthetic preferences:
Gravity Walls
These walls rely on their own weight to hold back soil. Ideal for lower wall heights, gravity walls are often constructed from dense, heavy materials like natural stone, brick, or Compressed Earth Blocks, giving a classic and earthy look.
Cantilever Walls
Built with an L-shaped design, cantilever walls use leverage and weight distribution for strength. They are well-suited for larger engineered structures and typically made with core-filled concrete blocks and reinforced concrete slabs.
Post and Wale Systems
This type of wall uses posts set deep into the ground to support materials like timber sleepers, concrete panels, or corten steel. It’s a flexible and cost-effective solution for both residential and commercial landscapes.
Key Considerations in Retaining Wall Design
In NSW, retaining walls over 600mm in height or those near property boundaries or that meet other certain criteria will require council approval. We ensure all work aligns with NSW development standards and if needed can assist with permits and council requirements.
Site Analysis
Each site is different. Before building, we assess soil type, slope stability, and water flow to ensure the wall is built for strength and longevity.
Material Selection
Your retaining wall should work with the natural tones and textures of your property. We’ll help you choose the right materials—natural stone, timber, concrete, or corten steel—that are both durable and beautiful.
Drainage Solutions
No retaining wall is complete without proper drainage. We incorporate behind-wall drainage systems like gravel or drain cell backfill, geotextile filters, agi pipe, weep holes and connection to stormwater systems to protect your structure from water pressure and damage.
Ready to Reshape Your Landscape?
Whether it’s for garden terracing, soil erosion control, or simply to create more usable outdoor space, Tierra Projects delivers thoughtful retaining wall design and construction tailored to your needs.
