Not Just Wood: Build Your Own Retaining Wall With This Striking And Durable Material

There are several ways the woodscaping trend can benefit your yard, and using wood for a retaining wall can be a straightforward and affordable approach. However, along with stone, it can have a bit of a 'same old same old' look to it. If you fancy something more adventurous and contemporary, you might want to consider using corrugated steel roof panels. They are strong, durable, and come in a variety of colors.

Roof panels (also called roofing sheets) are most often made of galvanized steel, which has a zinc coating to protect it from rust, or galvalume steel, which is coated in aluminum, zinc, and silicone for even greater durability. The corrugations aren't just decorative, either. They add strength to the finished sheet, so it's more rigid under load. It's best to avoid polycarbonate or PVC panels for this project. They are too fragile, and even colored ones can be semi-transparent, so all the dirt, rocks, and roots would show through. With the metal panels, instead of having them fitted vertically, as you would on a roof, they are laid horizontally to create the retaining wall. Wood is still used to provide the supporting framework but won't be the focal point when the wall is finished. The results are very sleek and modern. Further, if you can't find a color you like, you can buy plain galvanized panels and paint them yourself. 

There are a number of do's and don'ts to building a retaining wall, so the structure lasts for decades. It's important to understand that a wood and metal roofing panel version will only hold back so much dirt. You cannot safely exceed more than one panel high. However, that could still give you a wall up to about 3 feet tall.

For starters, make the fence line as level as possible. Use temporary stakes and string as a guide. For the framing, 4-by-4 posts should be set 4 feet apart, with ⅓ of the total height buried in the ground (make an allowance for this when cutting the posts to size). Then, secure the posts in place with quick-setting concrete. Once the concrete has hardened, screw or nail 2-by-4 horizontal rails between each post. You'll need one at the center, and two others a couple of inches from the top and the bottom (though not touching the ground). This is where you'll attach the metal panels. Although they're not particularly heavy, the sheets can be cumbersome, so it's a good idea to have a helping hand at this stage. Be sure to use proper roofing screws and washers to secure the metal sheets in place. These should be available where you got your panels.

Pressure-treated lumber is relatively inexpensive. Roofing sheets come in a variety of sizes, with 3-by-8-foot galvanized panels, for example, costing around $40 each. So this is a simple garden DIY you can do on a budget. Better yet, the finished retaining wall will be both structurally strong and visually striking.