There are a few different options to choose from when you’re looking at building a retaining wall. But the one we recommend, and the one we see most frequently recommended by engineers, are timber retaining walls with galvanised steel uprights.

Why?

They’re made to last.

The benefits of timber retaining walls

Longevity

For timber retaining walls, we recommend using treated pine, which has a life expectancy of 20 to 30 years. Pair treated pine with galvanised steel uprights and you’re assured of safety, durability and longevity. 

Cost effective

Timber retaining walls are very cost effective, particularly when you consider their long life expectancy.

Natural aesthetics

Timber retaining walls boast a natural aesthetic that blends seamlessly with the great outdoors. A timber retaining wall can be simple or complex. It can have upright pieces and capping or be a simple design with no ornamentation other than the natural appearance of the timber.

Considering alternatives to timber retaining walls?

If you’re considering brick or block retaining walls as an alternative, be mindful that this option can end up being quite expensive. Not only do you have to factor in the cost of materials, but due to the nature of the job and the amount of work involved, labour costs can often soar and break your budget. If steel uprights and timber is professionally installed, it can last many years and enhance the appearance of your yard.

Examples of our timber retaining walls

Building your own timber retaining wall?

You’ll find a lot of DIY articles on how to build timber retaining walls on the internet, but as always, we advise against it. A retaining wall is a specially engineered stabilising structure. If it should fail significant damage may follow so trying to cut costs could end up being costly.

To ensure your retaining wall is fit for purpose, ask a retaining wall expert to assess your needs and make a recommendation on materials best suited in terms of safety, functionality, performance and design.

Remember free consultations/quotes are available.

About Empire Retaining Walls

Licensed and registered with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), Adam Ilic of Empire Retaining Walls has been a trusted service provider of residential and commercial clients, including builders and architects, across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula for more than 12 years.

Our customer centric approach means that each client receives personalised service and a custom solution. We take great pride in delivering top quality finished products made of the finest materials. And when it comes to retaining walls, we guarantee our workmanship from the ground up.

To ensure the integrity of your design and the safety of you home and family, contact us for a free quote and consultation today.

• Call Adam on 0421 573 001
• Email Adam at email empirewalls@live.com.au
• Follow us on Facebook
• To find out more about our service areas, please visit empirewalls.com.au.

Your garden has sprung or is slowly springing back to life. Your grass is greening, your flowers are blooming, and your desire to head outside and enjoy the good weather is increasing. Here are a few spring garden care tips that will set you up well for summer.

Care for your lawn

After its winter snooze, your lawn is springing to life – or trying to – which means it’s hungry. Spring garden care rule #1: Feed your lawn with a lawn builder. This will help strengthen roots, promote growth and thicken your lawn.

If your lawn is looking patchy, sow some seed and apply top dress to fill in dips and holes. Use either a specialised weed free top dressing mix or a washed sand.

Spread the top dressing over the top of the lawn at a depth of about 4 to 7mm, rubbing it into the lawn with the back of a rack or lawn level. Ensure that at least 1/3 of the leaf is poking through the soil.

For established lawns, weekly watering will be sufficient. Ensure heavy watering periods rather than shallow water applications, as this will promote deeper roots and a healthier lawn.

Mowing the lawn at a longer length will also help the roots grow longer, building a more drought resistant lawn – and let’s face it, there are some pretty bloody hot days awaiting us!

Plant a veggie patch

Make a great summer salad from your very own veggie patch!

Plant beans, carrots, celery, chillies, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, leek, lettuce, melon, potato, pumpkin and tomato.

Prepare vegetable gardens by forking mushroom compost or cow manure through the garden, then giving a thorough water before planting. Add blood and bone and sweeten the soil with garden lime.

Protect vegetable and flower seedlings with animal-friendly snail pellets (use as per product instructions).

For a great harvest, plant blue, purple or yellow flowers near your veggie patch. Bees are especially attracted to these colours and will help pollinate your vegies.

Spring garden care rule #2: Water gardens regularly as spring flowering plants use a lot of water when in flower.

Get on deck

Spring garden care rule #3 – make the most of the warmer months!

In 2012, domain.com.au estimated that adding a deck could increase a property’s value by up to $100,000. Given how the property market has skyrocketed since, it’s probably more now. Cheaper than adding a large extension to your home, decking is the most cost effective and time efficient method of adding square metres to your home.

But getting decked out is about more than just finance, it’s about lifestyle.

Australians love outdoor entertaining – especially during the summer months, which are fast approaching! One of the ways you can have more fun in the sun while investing in the value of your property is to add a deck.

If you home lends itself to it, create flow between internal and external spaces by having your outdoor living area lead off an indoor entertaining area. You’ll get more use of the deck if it’s accessible from a communal space.

Check if you need to get council approval. Not all decks need it, but some do.

And remember this is an investment in quality time with your family and friends, as well as the value of your property. That means you want a structurally sound deck that will withstand the test of time. So make sure you have it professionally designed and installed.

About Empire Walls

We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services, which also includes decking.

• For examples of our work or if you’re after a service not listed here, please see empirewalls.com.au.
• For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. Here we consider the three top retaining wall trends for Spring-Summer 2017.

Rendered retaining walls

A contemporary finish that has become increasingly popular recently, the rendered retaining wall is simple yet statement, making it perfect for the modern day minimalist. The rendered retaining wall finish can be applied to both brick and block retaining walls. The rendered retaining wall is available in a variety of colours, which means they can be finished in a way that blends them into your surrounding landscape or makes them a feature of it.

Split level gardens

Retaining wall landscaping works for yards of all shapes and sizes, and tiered garden beds are a great example of why and how… Have a small space? Make the most of it by adding height and layers. If you’re working with a larger space, imagine having a split level backyard – overflowing flowerbeds, outdoor entertaining areas, a grassy knoll or two. You might even want to throw in some stairs!

Garden edging

You could go to Bunning and buy some of that cheap and nasty plastic edging stuff, but that isn’t going to take you from drab to fab, is it? No. Using retaining walls as garden edging is a great idea. It’s practical because it’s significantly more durable and, with a range of materials and finishes to choose from, aesthetically pleasing. Nothing cheap and nasty looking here; it’s all class!

Safety tip

Before installing any of the above, first consult with experts like Empire Retaining Walls. We can assess your needs and make a recommendation on materials best suited in terms of safety, functionality, performance and design. This will ensure your retaining wall is fit for purpose.

About Empire Walls

We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work or If you’re after a service not listed here, please see empirewalls.com.au.
• For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

The weather will be warming up soon and you’ll be heading outdoors with family, friends, or even by yourself. But how inviting will your backyard be looking after a few months of hibernation? Here are some trends to get on top of before spring is sprung.

Split level yards

Whether you’ve got a big yard, small yard, sloping yard, you can have a split level yard.

If you have a small yard, a split level yard can maximise the ground space you have available by adding vertical layers to your garden.

Retaining walls make sloping yards, once inaccessible, dangerous or prone to flooding, a thing of the past. With some smart engineering, now you can access all areas!

If you have a rather large block and you want to reduce the mowing, weeding and general gardening, while increasing the value of your house by adding square metres to the floor plan.

How? Get on deck!

And that brings us to our next point…

Outdoor entertaining

In 2012, domain.com.au estimated that adding a deck could increase a property’s value by up to $100,000. Given how the property market has skyrocketed since, it’s probably more now.

Cheaper than adding a large extension to your home, decking is the most cost effective and time efficient method of adding square metres to your home.

If you home lends itself to it, create flow between internal and external spaces by having your outdoor living area lead off an indoor entertaining area. You’ll get more use of the deck if it’s accessible from a communal space.

Concrete finishes

A natural and durable material, concrete lends itself to a variety of forms and finishes – sandblasted, honed, burnished – for a contemporary industrial yet refined feel. Use it instead of the traditional tile or pavers for walls, floors and other landscaping features.

About the author: Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’. 
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this listfor details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

1. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll save money by reading some DIY articles online;
2. Don’t think that watching a YouTube tutorial makes you an expert;
3. Don’t go to a commercial hardware store and think you’re going to get the materials and advice you need.

Now we’re not talking about a little edging around your flower bed. We’re talking about retaining walls intended to withstand the pressure of soil and water and other loads.

A retaining wall is a specially engineered stabilising structure. If not properly installed, the stability and longevity of the retaining wall is called into question.

If you do it yourself, how do you guarantee the structural integrity and safety of the wall? You can’t, which means you could be putting people, property and even pets at risk. If it should fail significant damage may follow so trying to cut costs could end up being costly.

Remember professionals like Empire Retaining Walls offer free consultations/quotes.

Here’s what you should be doing:

1. Firstly, you need to consider whether you’re choosing the right kind of retaining wall. Google isn’t going to be able to provide you with a professional recommendation based on your particular specifications. You need to speak to an expert.
2. Secondly, you need to ensure there’s effective drainage. Without it pressure will build up behind the wall. This may create bulging, cracking and eventually, collapse. Well-designed retaining walls will not tip over and will support, not only the earth behind the wall, but any loads that may be applied – cars for example.
3. Basically, if you’re installing a retaining wall, always seek expert advice. Look for someone who is experienced working with engineering specs and guarantees their work from the ground up, like Empire Retaining Walls.

About Empire Retaining Walls

Empire Retaining Walls specialise in – you guessed it! – retaining walls; provided independent or as part of our complete landscaping services across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. Empire Retaining Walls has been a trusted service provider of residential and commercial clients, including builders and architects, for almost 10 years. Headed up by Frankston local Adam Ilic, who is supported by a small but experienced team, Empire Retaining Walls services the following suburbs>

Winter is coming. It’s going to be cold, wet and you probably will retreat inside. But here are some winter garden care tips to help you enjoy the crisp great outdoors and ensure your garden is looking its best come spring.

Caring for your lawn

Aerate your soil: If the soil has any drainage problems, winter is the season when they’ll expose themselves. Use a garden fork to push vertical holes into heavy soils.

Increase mowing height: As daylight hours decrease so does the ability of lawns to photosynthesise, by increasing mowing heights and leaving more green leaf we increase the food supply to the grass.

Fertilise your lawn: Put down a high quality winter fertiliser in May. Winter fertilisers contain higher levels of Iron which is essential for good lawn health through Winter. The next application of Winter fertiliser should be in July.

General winter garden care

Winter is the perfect time of year to try and remove as many competitors as possible before the weather starts warming up again.

Where possible, bring tropical plants into a protected space – your patio for example. Or construct frames around the plants that are likely to be damaged by the cold or frosts.

Keeping some colour

Plant up a couple of pots with annuals. Choose pansies or polyanthus that are already in flower for an instant show. Water well after planting and keep in bloom by deadheading and watering every 10 days with a liquid plant food.

Reduce watering of potted plants and take the chill off tap water by mixing in a small amount of hot water. It shouldn’t feel warm – just slightly tepid to the touch. This means it won’t shock the roots so much.

Need a hand? We can help you all year long, Learn about our complete landscaping services at www.empirewalls.com.au.

Retaining walls are specially engineered stabilising structures, designed to hold sloping soil in place. One of the most important factors, but certainly not the only one, to ensuring a safe and stable structure is correct retaining wall drainage.

What happens without effective retaining wall drainage?

Without effective retaining wall drainage, pressure will build up behind the wall. This may create bulging, cracking and eventually, collapse. Well-designed retaining walls will not tip over and will support, not only the earth behind the wall, but any loads that may be applied – cars for example.

Water build-up behind a retaining wall will increase the lateral load on the wall and therefore the risk of structural integrity being compromised.

What are some options for improving retaining wall drainage?

There are quite a few variations in design that will prevent water build-up behind, which will be dependent on the purpose and location of the wall, among other circumstances.

Sometimes, there is an opportunity for gravel backfill. Other times, there may be an opportunity to install a pipe that feeds into a stormwater drain. Perhaps weep holes will be integrated to help water drain out from behind the wall.

There may also be times when providing adequate drainage isn’t enough to prevent water from migrating through a retaining wall. Water in the wall can create a host of problems – for example, steel supporting rods may corrode over time. Retaining wall waterproofing may, in some instances, need to be considered.

Why should retaining wall drainage should be left to the experts?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, retaining walls are not a DIY job. If a retaining wall should fail, and here are some signs that one might, significant damage and even injury may result.

Retaining wall drainage is just one of many important safety considerations Google can’t make you an expert in.

That’s why you should call in the experts – experts that do this every day; experts that guarantee their work from the ground up; experts like Empire Retaining Walls and Landscaping who have been servicing residential, commercial and industrial clients around Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula for more than 10 years.

Contact us for a free quote and consultation today.

1. It’s more than a wall. Retaining walls are primarily functional but can double as a fashionable landscaping feature, especially if accompanied by low garden walls and edging with the same finish. There are lots of retaining wall landscaping ideas out there worthy of consideration.
2. You’re spoilt for choice. When it comes to retaining walls, there’s something to suit all styles – timber, concrete sleeper, reinforced besser block, brick, stack stone, segmental, rendered, the list goes on! Of course you need to consider which materials are best suited to your specific wants and needs.
3. They’re great for creating more space in small areas. Yes, retaining walls are more commonly seen in large, sloping yards. But they’re fabulous in small spaces too! Maximise the ground space you have by adding vertical layers to your garden. And ad stairs into the retaining wall design to open up even more opportunity. Here’s some inspiration.
4. DIY is not advised! Fundamentally, all retaining walls are stablising structures primarily designed and constructed to support soil at a slope steeper than can naturally be supported. It is a specially engineered stabilising structure. As a result, if the retaining wall should fail, significant damage can follow. For this reason DIY jobs are definitely not advised!
5. There are warning signs your retaining wall needs to be repaired or replaced. These include tilting, sloping, cracks and crevices in the wall or adjacent flooring, crumbling of the surface of the wall, or one section becoming separated from the surrounding structure. Do not ignore the signs – call in experts who can access the best way to proceed.

About Empire Walls

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

For examples of our work or If you’re after a service not listed here, please see www.empirewalls.com.au.

For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.

For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

Height

If you need to take things up a notch, retaining wall fences are the way to go.

Sight

Not only will a retaining wall fence improve your privacy, it will also block unattractive views… like that couple in the matching jogging outfits that go for a run every morning, while you’re chowing down on your second bacon and egg roll. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Put up a retaining wall fence and block them out.

Sound

A retaining wall fence will reduce the noise you’ll hear from the road … like the pavement pounding that perfect suburban couple is participating in, but also cars, bikes, barking dogs, screaming children and the like.

Strength

Retaining wall fences are more durable than the average fence and will withstand the test of time, especially if you have them installed by someone who guarantees their retaining walls from the ground up … like us!

Style

Retaining wall fences certainly can make a statement, particularly with the right finish … rendered in this case.

Exterior facade of a contemporary Australian home near the beach.

About the author: Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’. 
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this listfor details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

First impressions are important. And since your front yard is the first thing people see – whether they are coming to visit, or to inspect your property for purchase or lease – here are a few ideas landscaping ideas for your front yard, so you can make a positive first impression.

Install a fence

Other than increasing street appeal, other benefits include:

* Increased child and pet safety

* Block unattractive views

* Increased privacy

* Reduced noise

* Creates a sense of space

* Evokes a sense of security

And it doesn’t need to be a traditional, whimsical, white picket fence. Make a statement with a strong, durable retaining wall – although that could probably be incorporated if you wanted!

Here are some pictures to inspire you.

Please note, council approval may be required.

Make an entrance

If your house lends itself to it and you don’t already have one, install a front landing.

Decorate it with a small outdoor setting and some pot plants to create a warm, welcoming entrance to your home.

Protect it from the elements by installing an awning, so you can use it all year around. Even enclose it with some railings so as to again:

* Increase child and pet safety

* Create a sense of space

* Evoke a sense of security

Best of all you’ve got an awesome new outdoor entertainment area! If someone pops over unannounced and the house is a mess, you can have a cuppa outside and not feel any less the entertainer.

Or you could go for a statement entrance like this.

Easy care lawns and gardens

If you’re looking for designer appeal at a fraction of the cost and also without the crazy maintenance schedule, consider the following:

* If your lawn is dead, dying or patchy as hell, consider installing hardy new turf. The best time to do this is towards the end of winter, start of spring.

* Minimise the number of plant species in your garden to make it easy to care for and to give a more uniform look.

* Install an irrigation system – especially if you have a tendency not to water your plants and let them all die.

* Lay down some wood chip – this will help your plants retain water, while also keeping weeds at bay.

About the author: Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’. 
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this list for details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.