Abstract: An inexpensive, yet beautiful retaining wall may be formed with architecturally pleasing, coordinating or matching materials such as marble, granite, stone, metal or the like. Architecturally pleasing, thin decorative facing panels are attached to plastic blocks which have hollow spaces to be filled with gravel or the like. The retaining wall is formed from several rows of such plastic blocks with the blocks in an upper row stacked upon the blocks in an adjacent lower row below the upper row and with the bottom edges of the upper row blocks being supported on adjacent lower row blocks. Decorative facing panels are provided which are substantially smaller in size than the plastic blocks and include a rear face attached to the front face of the plastic blocks to change the outward appearance of the front faces of the plastic blocks. Reinforcing ribs are formed in the walls of the hollow plastic blocks to add strength and rigidity while reducing the amount of plastic needed for the blocks.

Abstract: An inexpensive, yet beautiful retaining wall may be formed with architecturally pleasing, coordinating or matching materials such as marble, granite or the like. Architecturally pleasing, thin decorative facing panels are attached to masonry blocks. The retaining wall is formed from several rows of such masonry blocks with the blocks each including a top edge and a bottom edge and a front face having a masonry appearance extending between the top and bottom edges. The blocks in an upper row are stacked upon the blocks in an adjacent lower row below the upper row, with the bottom edges of the upper row blocks supported on adjacent lower row blocks. Decorative facing panels are provided which are substantially smaller in size than the masonry blocks and include a rear face attached to the front face of the masonry blocks to change the outward appearance of the front faces of the masonry blocks.