If you need to have a retaining wall built on your property, then you need to talk to a masonry contractor to have them come to your house and evaluate the place where you want the wall to be. They will tell you what kind of retaining wall they recommend and what kind of material they suggest the wall be made out of. In general, retaining walls are made out of masonry of some kind. There are different kinds of masonry that the contractor can choose to use for your retaining wall. 

Masonry

Masonry refers to both the building process and the building materials. Masonry walls are built by putting separate pieces of material together so that they form a whole unit. The mason may or may not have grout in between the materials in order to hold them together. Dry stone walls are a kind of masonry wall that don't use grout or mortar to hold them together. Instead, they are just made by fitting stones together and can last for many, many years. What are some of the most common kinds of masonry materials that the contractor might use on your retaining wall?

Cinder Blocks

These blocks may also be called breeze blocks. They are usually made out of cement with some cinders for fly ash mixed in. The blocks are shaped like a rectangle, have two holes in the center blocks, and often have connectors at the end which let the cinder blocks interlock where they are placed. Cinder blocks are pretty commonly used when building retaining walls, and are even often used in building structures. Cinder blocks can be used alone, or they can be used in combination with other materials. For example, rubble may be placed in the holes of the cinder blocks in order to give the wall more strength. 

Stone

When it comes to stone, you have all kinds of options. You can use natural stone, you can use cultured stone, or you can have the wall made out of something like cinder blocks and then a thin stone veneer can be placed over the blocks. That will give you the look of stone, but may save you money on the retaining wall. Talk to your contractor to see what kind of stone they recommend. 

If you need or want a retaining wall on your property, then you need to talk to a masonry contractor. They will be able to evaluate the area where you want the wall, and then tell you what your options are. For more information on masonry, contact a contractor near you.