Retaining Wall Planning for All Seasons

While it is hot outside now and snow is the last thing on our minds, it is important to consider when designing retaining walls in areas where the beautiful white flakes fall. For those of us this live in areas where snow is a part of winter life, one must consider the plowing process and understand where snow may be dumped on a site.  Even though it is seasonal, the wall design may need to account for additional weight of large piles of snow, which can add significant weight to the wall as well as the future water (snow melt) that will occur to ensure they do not cause the wall to fail. 

Snow, just as a pool, driveway, parking lot and many other items may act as a surcharge (or load) on a retaining wall that sits below it.  When the wall is below a parking lot or drive, the placement of snow is often times the last thing anyone considers.  

Asking the question about the placement of snow and potentially designing for the surcharge may be the best route.  Educating the owners on the negatives of placing large piles of snow on top of a retaining wall is a great practice as well.  If you have any questions as you design your segmental retaining wall, please feel free to call us at any time.

Allan Block Corp.
(800) 899-5309
info@allanblock.com

How Much Does an AB Classic Retaining Wall Block Weigh?

Allan Block AB Classic blocks are used in many commercial and residential applications so better understand this popular retaining wall block, here is a comparison that we think you can relate to. 

What Weighs the Same as a 75 lbs AB Classic Block?

1.  An Adult German Shepherd.  The AB Classic blocks are a bit easier to carry than ake a wiggling moving hairy dog. But it won't fetch the paper for you either.

2.  Three 2 year olds.  These are a little harder to contain than one dog, but trying to weigh at the same time could be a fun summer afternoon event. 

3.  Nine Gallons of Water.  For those math people out there (you know who you are), this is just a numbers thing. Weight for weight. Get out the kiddie pool...

4.  37,500 M&M’s.  The candy -  not the fun animated characters.  I am currently working on this comparison one candy at a time.

5.  100 FULL Cans of Beer.  But you don't have to take our word for it, do your own testing.  Or maybe find out how many EMPTY Cans of Beer it takes... (best call in some friends to help with this one).

What other items  can we compare AB Classics to?  Try your own experiments and share them  with us.  The next time you get started on a retaining wall project - just remember, AB Classics are easier to install than it is to round up  three 2 years olds but not as fun as drinking 100 cans of beer.

To all those AB Certified Contractors that move and install these blocks everyday creating beautiful landscapes and outdoor living areas for their customers - Keep up the good work! 

Reclaiming a Backyard

Living by a County Road that continues to grow in the number of vehicles makes it difficult to enjoy my backyard.  When my family and I moved in the neighbors described it as an “Urban Ocean”.  Now these are not gentle waves washing up on a beach, but a V8 engine roaring off a stoplight.  Then combine the fact that the wooded fence I did have was falling over after any gust of wind made it a scenario that needed attention.

Looking for a durable product that worked as a sound barrier that didn’t break the bank was a struggle, but the AB Fence provided the solutions.  All my neighbors agreed and the homeowners associated spearheaded the effort to replace the existing wooden fence with an 8-ft concrete block AB Fence. 

With a beautiful AB Fence providing the barrier I needed I was able to landscape my backyard with the fence as the backdrop.  Installing a fire pit, pool and concrete patio made our backyard the retreat we were looking for.