Terrace retaining walls are an essential part of building a terrace garden. These terrace walls can be made from a variety of different materials. When building terrace retaining walls, leave plenty of room for drainage and keep safety in mind, as well. Most counties require you to file permits in order to build retaining walls for a patio terrace. Before you begin your project, learn about the rules for your county.

Types of Terrace Walls

The terrace garden dates back to Roman times, when people would create level planting areas by placing large stones in the soil and back building the soil up against the stones. Today you can use a similar method when building a terrace. Or you can try one of the many other types of terrace retaining walls. Common materials for terrace walls include:

• Brick and mortar walls
• Concrete
• Railroad ties.

Some local codes are very specific about the type of material you can use when building a terrace, so be sure to investigate this before you build your terrace walls. Keep in mind that wood is not as secure as brick or stone. If you choose railroad ties, they should be pressure treated in order to avoid too much splintering of the wood.

Excavating the Slope for Your Terrace Walls

One-level retaining walls that run up against the side of your patio terrace don’t require excavation. However, if you are building several terraces into a hillside, you’ll need to carve out space for your terrace walls before you begin. For most terraces, you’ll need to dig out an L-shaped level with a slight tilt toward the hill. This will help prevent erosion of your terrace walls.

If you’re building a terrace with brick and mortared terrace retaining walls, you’ll have another preparation step. In order to secure your terrace walls, and make them stand for a long time, create a concrete footing below the frost line. This will keep your terrace retaining walls standing strong.

No matter what type of material you use for terrace walls, it’s very important that you leave enough space for drainage when building a terrace. Home improvement professionals recommend that you place gravel right behind terrace walls for this purpose. You can also build a drain pipe below your terrace retaining walls once you have given them a few days to set.

Finally, don’t forget to include steps along with your retaining walls, especially if you have a very high hill. Building a terrace with steps will allow you to reach the upper most terraces, without stepping on the plants in your terrace garden.