Whether you are enclosing an area in a garden or retaining a 10 foot drop-off, block retaining walls are typically the strongest and most versatile when built properly. These segmental retaining walls comprise of interlocking pre-cast concrete units to hold back the load of the soil. Similar to gravity walls, they use the force of gravity to resist overturn and sliding. They come in many styles, shapes, and colors and are easy to make custom bends and steps for a functional, yet elegant design. Unfortunately, block retaining walls are prone to failure over time in frost-heaving environments such as Alaska. During the winter season, variations in temperature cause water to freeze and unfreeze causing soils to expand and compact. This leads to movement behind retaining walls. For this reason, modular block retaining walls require engineering such as drainage systems, geogrid soil reinforcement, and certified installers to ensure your wall lasts for years to come. This is the number one product of other installers in Anchorage, Alaska that we are consistently called out to fix.
We consider our professional installers at Titan to be the leaders in constructing strong and elegant rock retaining walls in Anchorage, Alaska. The rocks that we use for our projects are blasted directly from the quarries in the Chugiak Valley. The rocks and stones that are used in the construction of these retaining walls must be a certain shape in order to be suitable for rock walls. Each one is meticulously hand-picked and placed by our professional installers to give the effect of a beautiful natural wall with the flat edge on the outside pieced together like a puzzle. When the rocks are stacked together, some styles have spaces left between the rocks. These spaces or gaps are filled with organic soil and drainage rock. If plants and organics are allowed to grow in between the rocks, it will strengthen the retaining walls. The roots will prevent soil and rocks from becoming loose and control soil erosion. Furthermore, the cracks in the retaining wall allow for water to pass in and out, reducing the effect of frost heaving and ensuring that your rock wall is there to stay! Our call backs on natural rock retaining walls is almost zero for this reason.
A well-built wood retaining wall can add to any landscape, providing both visual beauty and a high degree of safety to any sloped property. When put together correctly, a wood retaining wall built out of landscape timbers provides as much stability as any rock or concrete block wall, with the added good looks that only wood provides. The other quality is the functionality that wood provides, allowing for any number of designs that can be customized for each individual landscape. A wood retaining wall is just as durable and functional as any stone, or block wall as well as being a safe and effective way to add a dynamic feature to your landscape. Wood adds a certain luster to any landscaping project and is a great material to utilize in the yard.