Question
S.D.-
We have issues with a retaining wall along the patio outside the walkout basement of our new home.  Dirt erodes around the wall and onto the patio.  We have filled the area several times and continue to loose soil.  We planned to fill and sod the area since seed has not held in place, however we now realize that we really need some sort of steps to allow people to safely walk down the steep slope to the patio.  The front yard slopes toward the wall as well as downhill along the edge of the wall (n to s and e to w slope).  What sort of natural looking steps could we utilize on such a steep area? We don't want the steps to run too closely to the wall as we also need a buffer area to prevent our four small children from falling off the wall onto the patio (a 7 ft fall onto concrete at the highest point).  It is difficult to describe, but I posted photos on my blog when we first began our patio v. dirt battle in February.  Maybe the pics will help:

http://thejohnstonshouse.blogspot.com/2008/02/little-dirt-lots-of-work-then-it-r...

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Answer
Jennifer,

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If you and your husband would like to communicate directly on the erosion and safety problem of your retaining wall or need any further assistance, I would be delighted to help you. You may contact me directly at [email protected].
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Above all else, greetings in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. what a joy it was to open your family blog and before anything else was seen, to hear the intro to Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. You guys Rock!

I am a single dad of three boys of which two are surviving and serving God as young adults. The three of us have non-stop worship music filling our home at most times when we are at home, and Casting Crowns is always mixed in, whether it is from our library or one of my sons' picking up a guitar in the evening and worshipping as they close out our day. It is always a blessing to cross the path of other family's who are actively serving our Father. Our family gives you a standing ovation!!!

In order to address your safety and erosion challenge surrounding your retaining wall, there are a few things that you will need to consider in determining the best course of action; soil and its density, slope of elevation, drainage alternatives, climate, and aesthetics.

From the appearance of the soil, it would suggest that you have a large amount of red clay content in your landscape which would put your home in or close to the red clay state of Georgia. Am I correct in my observation?  When working on slopes with high clay content there are some options to be considered next to a retaining wall as yours. But prior to addressing the erosion issue, I would like to suggest that you consider the most obvious solution for the safety sake of your children or the children of others in the future , i.e.  a section of fence that would follow the retaining wall to its end or to a point where safety is no longer a concern for small children (or unobserving adults) who could stumble over the wall by accident. I have provided a description of a few possible designs of fencing you could use. This fence does not have to be but thirty inches in height to provide sufficient protection from accidental encroachment on the wall that would lead to an injury, especially if you incorporated the fencing into  a planned planting of shrubs that would intermingle with the fence and eventually leave the fence only subtly seen as a part of the planting while still providing sufficient safety and limitation of liability to your homeowners policy in the event of an accident by someone other than a member of your family.

3-rail vertical flat top fence. This aluminum fence at 30" high is a standard for pool applications (which are typically sixty inches).  I would provides a clean contemporary look.

3-rail vertical alternating picket fence. This aluminum fence offers the traditional look of spear points, with a clean contemporary top.

Vertical Traditional Victorian style. Crimped spears duplicate the classic wrought iron styling.

Vertical Alternating picket pressed spear top fence. The alternating picket length adds variety to the traditional style. This would sort of scare a potential little climber from wanting to climb the fence but not presenting any danger to them since the spear tops are not sharpened. I would not recommend this type if any part of it would be under a balcony, window, or overhang where someone could fall from.

Vertical 3-rail double picket fence. This aluminum fence has double the amount of pickets for to keep small dogs safely in your yard.

If you would like a diagram of these styles, please provide an e-mail that i can forward them to you at.

You have probably noticed that all the fencing options utilize vertical slats to deter the temptation of climbing by not offering any foothold to speak of. I would recommend that with this option, you do a planting that has a habit of growth such as confederate jasmine that could eventually hide most of the fence and provide other benefits like that of wind block, privacy, and seasonal fragrance. Another planting that could provide an alternative to the bushy vine habit of growth would be Nandina Domestica (heavenly bamboo). Its habit of growth is upright and propagates by rhizomes (roots that send out new shoots). This would eventually provide a covering similar to the confederate jasmine but growing to as much as 7 foot at maturity. It is very showy and would almost completely hide the fence once mature. Depending on the climate zone you are in, you could use Plumbago since it is a flowing/sprawling shrub that could cascade over your wall. You could even consider a combination of plants to complement the fencing. The key here is primarily safety for your children or other children that could make their way near that wall. The fence is first defense, the plants a deterrent to want to attempt to climb on fence, i.e. function and aesthetic. I would suggest the planting be on the outside of the fence and not the wall side, and that the fencing be placed approximately 1 foot from retaining wall.

Concerning the erosion issue, I have most often addressed this sort of erosion by a combination of approaches. The most often used for drainage issues in clay areas is the excavation of the clay and installation of permeable materials as a part of a French drain system where the water is taken away to another part of the yard or into an existing drain system. I do suggest that if the drainage issue is partially related to the lack of gutters on your home that you install adequate gutters, and appropriate subterranean plumbing to take the roof runoff away, i.e. direct burial of a 6-eight inches waste water pipe to either a retention pond for its reclamation into the ground to replenish the aquifer or for a water feature that could use replenishing at times, such as a waterfall or natural fountain area.  You may consider aeration of the grounds where the water accumulates as well. This can be most effectively done through tilling the area and adding saw dust and sand in with clay approximately sixteen inches deep. This would aid in absorbing water instead of allowing it to run over and accumulate in lower areas of your lawn or congregate into a run-off that seems to be causing your erosion. Professional landscape contractors would have already advised you of this and in some instance reputable builders prepare the soils on slopes that present these conditions that you have as a part of their site preparation. You could also consider reducing the 憆un-off?factor by elevation of the ground at the end of your retaining wall whereas you would add a short wall that runs perpendicular to the retaining wall the recedes into the lawn approximately 6 feet into the lawn. This would allow you to use the added planting area at the walls end for absorbent planting materials and a congregating area for your French drain that would ultimately take the water away from your patio and not letting it bring erosion to your patio.

The best solution for walkway stairs would be to use the same granite as in your retention wall to build a gradually cascading walk way down from your higher elevations that finds itself at the end of your retention wall. This would require some back work from a bunch of your friends in return for a BBQ and lots of refreshments to keep them motivated through out the day. Its really just a matter of cutting out the shape and length of your stairway in the soil, having a few pallets of flagstone or granite delivered that you like (I suggest that you pick it out yourself at the quarry or showroom for the quarry). You can get a fairly good estimate of how much you will need of both granite and flagstone by measuring your cutouts once they are done. (footnote: you can use the cut out soil for the steps and part of the retaining wall addition that I just eluded to as long as it is not too rich in non permeable material such as clay).

I hope this helps you in getting started in the thought process for your solution to this fairly common problem in diverse elevations within a landscape. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.