What is the AB Europa Collection?

For a rustic, antique look, the product of choice would be the AB Europa Collection™. This product offers a tumbled look to give an old-world style to the landscape. When retaining walls are needed, they tend to be highly visible, and using the right look and color will create a beautiful finished landscape. This collection offers 4 block shapes in sizes that not only work great on their own, but can be used together to create patterns with the modular blocks. When matching the natural stone on a building or home, the AB Europa Collection™ with its range of blended colors is sure to please.

As with any of the AB retaining wall blocks, this system can build any size project from small garden walls, to large engineered walls. Easily create curves, corners, and stairs; the options are open to your design. With the pleasing aesthetics to offer an old-world c harm, your project will create unbelievable results.

Better Than the Day We Built it

In the spring of 2007, my wife and I decided this would be the summer we were going to transform our backyard. It had been an unusable narrow dirt strip, with a steep slope covered with more than 75 old trees and buckthorn bushes.  Allan Block’s Abbey Blend, from their Europa Collection, was the easy choice for us since it has that great tumbled natural stone look, and that incredible four block pattern that sets it apart from everything else.  I did the entire project by myself, and with a lot of help from friends and family, it turned out great.  It truly transformed our backyard into a usable, enjoyable place to just hang out or to entertain our well deserving assistants.

Well, here we are 10 years later, and I can tell you that it looks better than the day we finished it. The wall has performed perfectly and shows no signs of settlement or movement at all.  It is truly the structural wall I was hoping it would be to take care of our unusable steep slope. 

So why is it better?  The landscaping!

The wall is the picture frame that enhances the beautiful landscaping.  Like a painting in an art gallery hanging without a frame, the picture is not complete; but with the right frame, the picture comes to life.  Because my wife and I love to be in the yard, over the years we continue to change around and enhance our flowers and shrub.  Each time we make changes, the wall changes with it to add its fluctuation and beauty.  The wall is always there, tirelessly doing its job of supporting our hillside, but it is more than that to us; it is the foundation of our transformed backyard.

What Colors are Available?

Allan Block products are manufactured at local concrete plants around the world. Each manufacturer has different aggregates available to them, which determines what colors are available in their market. Due to this, one manufacturer’s “tan” will be different than another with the same name. Each manufacturer will have a variety of colors to choose from that may include solids as well as blended colors, which is a combination of one or more colors. As an example, they may offer a solid tan or a tan/charcoal blend. To ensure you select the correct color that compliments your project, we recommend you visit your local distributor to see color samples in person, as any printed material showing color swatches may not be exact due to the printing process.

How Much do Allan Block Units Weigh?

Allan Block is available in a variety of different weights – from 20 pounds (10kg) to more than 75 pounds (34kg) per unit. Heavier blocks are typically designed for taller walls. Unique to Allan Block is the hollow core, making it lighter and easier to lift and stack than traditional concrete blocks.  Although the blocks are hollow, they are core filled with rock which increases the installed weight of the block, allowing Allan Block walls to retain heights similar to solid concrete blocks.

AB Classic	6°	1 sq ft. approx. 11 blk per m²	75 lbs 35 kg	8 in. H x 12 in. D x 18 in. L 200mm H x 300mm D x 460mm L
AB Jumbo Junior	6°	0.5 sq ft. approx. 22 blk per m²	35 lbs 15 kg	8 in. H x 9.5 in. D x 9 in. L 200mm H x 240mm D x 230mm L
AB Lite Stone	6°	0.5 sq ft. approx. 22 blk per m²	35 lbs 15 kg	4 in. H x 12 in. D x 18 in. L 100mm H x 300mm D x 460mm L
AB Junior Lite	6°	0.25 sq ft. approx. 44 blk per m²	18 lbs 10 kg	4 in. H x 12 in. D x 9 in. L 100mm H x 300mm D x 230mm L

Can You Build a Firepit with Courtyard?

   Yes, it is possible to build a fire pit using Allan Block Courtyard.  You can build a square or circular fire pit in just a weekend.  On our website we have how-to sheets for both the square and round fire pit, along with YouTube videos for each. 

AB Courtyard can be used in different configurations.  If you do not want the predesigned fire pit, you can design your own unique fire pit or fireplace, bringing in other elements to up the “wow” factor.

For more information on our AB Courtyard, go to our website or see our AB Courtyard Walls catalog.

How Easy is AB Courtyard to Build With?

Building with AB Courtyard is as easy as building with those colorful children’s building blocks. If you take a look at our blocks, they have a raised ring that acts similar to that of those plastic bricks.  The raised ring, along with the different length sides of the AB Courtyard, are what make the blocks come together to create the wall, firepit, bench, or patio that you are building.

Depending on the design, there may be a need to cut the AB Courtyard blocks. This process is as uncomplicated as it gets. The blocks are scored where you need to cut/split them, and there are multiple documents (blogs, Tech Sheets, brochures, links) that show where and how to cut the blocks, along with how and when they are to be used in your design.

          

Curving into Your Landscape

If a larger curve (radius) is part of your patio wall project, cutting some AB Dublin blocks in half will be required, which allows just about any radius to be built.

The easiest way to create a smooth curve, is to alternate between an AB York block and a half (1/2) AB Dublin block through the entire curve. Limitless curves can be created by combining the various patterns shown here. AB Wall caps will need to be cut to follow any custom radius as well.

By adding small gaps at a maximum 0.125 inch (3 mm), you can tighten the wall or feather it wider. With building bigger curves, you have a few options to choose from:

Option A - Standard Curves

2 AB York block

Option B

1 AB York Block 1 half AB Dublin

Option C

1 AB York Block

1 full AB Dublin-cut

Option D

2 AB York Block 1 half AB Dublin

How Tall Can I Build my AB Courtyard wall Panels?

The AB Courtyard Collection is not an engineered system.  There are no design charts that specify how tall or what type of reinforcement to use.  There are, however, four options that will help stabilize taller patio walls.  You can use one or more of these options to strengthen taller AB Courtyard wall panels.

Option 1: Adding Strength with Metal Pipes

Adding metal posts within your wall panels will provide hidden reinforcement and resistance to overturning. The pipe adds overturning stability to the wall.

Option 2: Adding Strength with Adhesive

Secure Wall Caps into place with adhesive

Securing the caps and top course of the wall together increases the stability of the wall. Place with a bead of flexible concrete adhesive along both sides of the raised rings, and along the side of each Wall Cap.

Option 3: Adding Strength with Curves, Corners or Posts/Pillars

Add Posts

Corners

Curves

Designing curves, corners, or posts/pillars into the wall panels will add additional stability to the wall panel without any added steps.

Option 4: Adding Strength by Interlocking the Panels into the Posts/Pillars

Interlock walls and posts

Use Corner Blocks to tie the wall panels into the posts/pillar structures, by placing a Corner Block half on the wall panel and half within the post/pillar. This will interlock them together adding stability to the wall panel. See How-to sheet #230: Interlocking Walls and Posts.

Building taller patio walls is a lot easier than you’d ever think. Find the method that suits your project, and you’re on your way to a durable Allan Block Courtyard!

How to Start an AB Courtyard Wall Panel at a Post or Existing Structure

AB Courtyard Dublin blocks will need to be modified to create a straight edge to the blocks.  This will create a professional look when meeting up with the existing structure or post.  Use a saw with a diamond blade and cut 2 Dublin blocks in half, one down the middle, which creates two ½ sized blocks, and one down the center of one of the raised rings to create a ¾ and a ¼ sized block. Then, place the cut side of the blocks toward the existing structure or post and build out as normal. On the second course, place another cut piece to continue the straight edge to the height desired for the panel. Refer to the pattern for stacking the cut blocks so they line up properly as you build each course. Using the AB Dublin block, you will need to cut 2 blocks for a 4-course tall wall, as shown here. The cut side of the block will create the straight side that is needed for a finished look. Check out this video on cutting or splitting blocks for more information.

Three Tips for Smoothly Building AB Courtyard Curves

When building with AB Courtyard and curves are in the design, there are a couple tricks to help the project go smoother.  In order for the curves to turn in the direction designed, all of the AB York blocks need to be installed with their long sides facing the outside of the curve. Easy enough, but what if the block starting the curve is not angled the direction you want the wall to start turning?  How do you fix this? 

There are a couple options, but all will center on changing the initial block that started the section.

Option 1: Start by removing the last block that has the wrong angle, then slide all the blocks down one block back to the start of the section. By doing this, you have now fixed the angle for the curve to continue.  Now at the initial start of the section this block needs to be changed.  The simplest option is to turn the block over as this will change the angle.  Then fill in with the block that was removed to complete the section. 

Option 2: If starting from a post pillar or existing surface, replace the initial cut block with the opposite angle cut block. This option works well when building the first course and turning the block over isn’t an option. With the blocks being modular and the initial cut block is a ¼ size, then this block and a AB York block could be removed and replaced with a ¾ size cut Dublin block with the correct angle (or vice versa) as the 2 smaller blocks and the 1 larger block equal the same size. 

Option 3: If the wall section was starting from a corner block, flipping this block over changes the angle.

Check out our video when coming off a post (flat surface).  Using this trick will help when working with AB Courtyard and curves.