Commercial Retaining Walls

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Finishing Options for your Allan Block wall

Monday, February 9th, 2009
finishing1

Finishing Options

Do you want to know a cost effective way to finish your wall? There are several options. You could use materials like mulch, rock or plantings to save money and time on finishing your project.

I found the raised front-lip Allan Block has provides a convenient built-in edging for a variety of finishing materials like mulch or landscape rock. You can plant right up to the front of the block by filling the top course of blocks with organic soils and your favorite planting materials. You could also consider hanging plants that drape over a wall; it really adds a dramatic effect. Allan Block Capstones can also be an option that gives the
wall a nice clean finish.

There are also several different options for ending and stepping down walls. If you want to find out more information on this topic click on the above link or visit allanblock.com.

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Dirt Makes a Difference When Building a Retaining Wall

Monday, February 9th, 2009
clay48

Soil types

Want to build a landscape retaining wall that looks good and will last a lifetime. There are some simple things you can do when building your project that will ensure your wall stands tall and straight and beautiful for years to come. One commonly overlooked factor is the soil you are building on and trying to retain. So it’s all in the dirt…

Look around your neighborhood…you will probably notice some of the existing walls are bulging, cracking, leaning or are simply uneven. This is because many of these walls aren’t built to handle the weight of the hillside they are supposed to be holding back.

Even a small retaining wall needs to contain heavy loads. Remarkably, soil weighs a lot and the type of soil you have can really change the way your wall is built. Soil types can range from clay to gravel to organic types. First you need to figure out the type of soil you have.

Check out the information on soil types that Allan Block has on their website, to see what type of soil you have. And then get building on the right kind of soil, and your wall can be the one in the neighborhood that stands straight and tall…the envy of the neighborhood!

-Danelle

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Don’t Let a Rainy Day Spoil Your Project

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Water Management

Water Management

Building a retaining wall can be easy. Just a few simple steps and some thoughtful planning can make just about any wall design a reality. A common step in the planning process that is often overlooked is managing the water on the site. The success of your wall project can depend on how well this is done. So where does the water go?

The idea is to keep the water that flows on the site to travel away from or around the retaining wall – not through or behind the wall. This causes extra pressure and weight on the wall and could potentially cause the wall to fail. To avoid this type of scenario simply plan an appropriate path for this water to travel.

When designing your wall, take a look at the layout of your entire site. Where does the water flow? Once the wall is in, where will that water go? You may need to incorporate swales or berms to deter the water from heading toward the wall. The Allan Block Landscape Walls Guide has some good information on this. Click here to check it out.

Aside from where the water goes after the wall is built, you may also want to take some time to think about water while building and staging your materials. If you get a heavy down pour during construction, you definitely want to make sure that water travels away from your wall.

With the water on your project managed properly you can rest easy knowing that your wall will stand tall and stay dry for a long time to come.

-Danelle

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Why Mortarless Construction?

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Why would anyone want to build a 4-foot (3.05 m) gravity wall or even a 30-foot (9.1 m) retaining wall without mortar? A better question is: Why not?

What is Mortarless Construction?
Mortarless construction is a method of building structures without the limits of mortar. Simply stacking concrete block or stones has proven to be a durable and flexible alternative to creating amazing structures. To learn more, visit our Built-In Engineering page on the Allan Block website.

Brief History of Mortarless Constructionmortarless construction
Mortarless construction is not a new concept; one of the most commonly cited examples of constructing without mortar are the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Although this accomplishment is hard to beat, the Inca’s craftsmanship in South America is a great example of architecture and mastery of mortarless construction. A remarkable portion of what they built is still in use. Even more remarkable is this is a seismic region! Retaining walls and other structures the Inca built over 500-years ago have survived many earthquakes, while modern day buildings topple. From the terraced walls in the mountains, to walls in Cusco supporting important present day buildings, their achievements have stood the test of time.

Why use a Dry Stacking System?
A dry stacking, mortarless system has many advantages over other construction methods. Among these advantages are a flexible system with potential for unmatched site adaptability and being able to use a labor force that does not rely on masonry experience and skills. By reviewing these advantages you can see how the overall project cost could be reduced.

  • Site Adaptability – A retaining wall constructed using a segmental retaining wall (SRW) block such as Allan Block, conforms to site your conditions with ease.
    • Frost – No need to build or design your retaining walls or landscape walls below frost depth. The system is flexible meaning the wall will not crack like a rigid retaining wall would. Also, your overall construction cost will be reduced in labor and materials because you are not burying unnecessary block.
    • Slopes – Stepping up the base course of retaining wall block or mortarless fence block is done with ease. There is no need to bury more block than necessary, so you will not be buying additional block or concrete.
  • Site Adaptability – A retaining wall constructed using a segmental retaining wall (SRW) block such as Allan Block, conforms to site your conditions with ease.
  • General Labor Force – Masonry experience is not necessary to build a landscape wall out of Allan Block modular concrete retaining wall blocks. Utilizing your average do-it-yourselfer, or a contractor certified by our outstanding contractor certification program, a retaining wall can be constructed without the highly skilled know-how of a mason or concrete worker.

Whether your construction project is a small landscape wall in your front yard, or a 50-foot (15.25 m) retaining wall, a mortarless system is worth investigation. These systems have stood the test of time, are flexible, cost effective, and with today’s technology can be the perfect solution for your project.

Tom

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