Brian's House Building Blog

What You Should Know About Using Concrete Sleepers Instead of Timber Retaining Walls

by Peyton Sanders

If you are looking for a way to prevent erosion, then you could be thinking about building some type of retaining wall on your property. This can be a good way to protect your property and your home, but of course, you will need to decide what type of retaining wall you want to build. Two popular options that are used for residential applications and more are concrete sleepers and timber retaining walls. If you're thinking about using concrete sleepers, these are some of the things that you will probably want to know.

You Don't Have to Worry About Wood Rot

One of the main reasons to consider using concrete sleepers instead of timber retaining walls is the fact that you don't have to worry about wood rot, which can be a problem with timber that is constantly exposed to the elements and used for dealing with water. 

You'll Probably Find They Last Longer

In addition to not having to worry about wood rot, you will probably find that your concrete sleepers are more durable overall. For example, they should be better at standing up against high winds. Therefore, if you choose concrete sleepers, you can probably count on them to last for quite some time in comparison to timber retaining walls.

They Do Take Up More Space

One downside of concrete sleepers is that they typically take up more space than timber retaining walls. Therefore, if you're short on space, this might be something you'll want to think about. If you have plenty of space to work with, however, it might still be worth considering concrete sleepers because of their other benefits.

They Can Be More Costly

Although you might want to protect your yard from erosion, you might not want to spend a lot of money on doing so. This is understandable, of course, and it's one thing you should think about when choosing between concrete sleepers and timber retaining walls.

You'll Probably Need Professional Help

If you are handy with tools and don't mind working with timber on a weekend project, you might actually be able to build your own timber retaining walls. However, this can be a pretty big project, and you'll need to make sure that they are built properly. If you opt for concrete sleepers, on the other hand, you're probably going to need professional help. A professional can either bring the concrete sleepers to your property and set them up, or they can pour the concrete on-site. Either way, this probably isn't a project you're going to want to try to do by yourself.

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