Only by way of a descriptive analysis of every type of wall can we hope to assess the differences of each.
Flagstone Retaining Walls: Flagstone has been around since the dawn of time and useful for everything. They were found to be plentiful in the mountain regions and carried all over since they were so flat and an easy task to stack. Quickly stacked by homeowners to help keep any garden free from livestock, they truly became permanent elements of any farm or ranch near enough to use them.
Mining operations found the larger stones and soon, especially in Europe and Great Britain, they were being used to construct buildings and also castles. Made of sandstone, a sedimentary stone, they were easily shaped however necessary. Where the larger stones were shaped and useful for retaining walls, the structures could be quite sturdy and virtually indestructible.
Segmental Retaining Walls: These retaining wall systems are created by using solid, high density concrete blocks in a number of manners. Whether using interlocking pins, bars, or lips formed on the trunk edge of the block, they are all designed to withstand the stresses required of a retaining wall. It is the only thing they were designed to do.
Demanding specifications have been formulated by each manufacturer through rigorous testing to produce systems that will not fail if installed properly. Such conditions as soil density, wall height, load types, back fill, drainage, etc are all calculated when designing the best application for every location. This is actually the only true case of engineering as relates to residential retaining walls.
Concrete Block Retaining Walls: Concrete blocks have been utilized by housing contractors to create retaining walls given that they first came out. It was easy to hire the same subcontractor who they useful for the walls of the home to generate the retaining wall. Some contractors go on it one step farther by pouring the block cavities full of concrete. This creates a far stronger wall especially when they put re-bar into the block aswell. Doing a lot more than building the wall and pushing dirt in behind it is rare.
The walls created this way are good to look at and can be bricked, stuccoed or painted to complement the home as needed. Unfortunately, the finished product normally does not have any drainage behind it nor packed back-fill. Many of them fail within the first five years while most of those that don't fall down form cracks which are non-repairable to state nothing of ugly.
Field Stone Retaining Walls: Field stones were first useful for retaining walls for much the same reason as any other stone. These were plentiful and free. Farmers and ranchers had a need to move them up out of your fields so they became natural walls. Ireland has a huge selection of miles of the type walls to support the livestock. They simply unstack and re-stack sections to generate openings when needed.
Much has been finished with field stone in America because they develop a very natural structure even though the structural integrity can't be measured. No testing has ever been done to provide installers with any type of construction guidelines.
Railroad Tie Retaining Walls: Because of the regular shape, low priced, and easy accessibility, they are used by almost every installer at one time or another. They have been referred to as the indegent mans retaining wall. Some very elaborate walls have already been constructed using this material, some even in the commercial construction arena to support buildings.
As with all wood that contacts the bottom, it rots from the ground contact side outward. The data of the rot isn't even visible before timbers give way. Another issue may be the center of any large timber because the treatment isn't absorbed that far inside.
If there was ever a case of availability dictating use, railroad ties are the perfect example. The availability was only made possible because they were utilized by the railroad and removed when damaged or old. They flooded the market as an inexpensive material and the very best use was for outdoor construction. Retaining wall construction was a natural fit. Only recently has the EPA considered the creosote treatment as dangerous for the environment.
Landscape Timber Retaining Walls: They are the round edged timbers sold by many of the large landscape and hardware companies for use in homeowner landscaping. The level of treatment used in these timbers is far below what is essential for ground contact. But they are cheap and the homeowner is nearly always swayed by cost total other considerations.
Landscape timbers can make an extremely pretty wall, are very easy to assemble, and can last for up to five years if they are not under any type of pressure, like the earth behind them attempting to move. Make sure Dry Stone Walling Middleham put in a lot of drainage.
If a retaining wall is in your future, think about the options carefully accounting for durability, dependability, and overall effectiveness. Much has been done in the last 5 years to create an old style look to the new style retaining wall materials. You might be surprised at what you find.