Landscape Newsletter Issue 25 |
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Expanded Backyard Makes For a Beautiful View |
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Nestled in the hills of Shell Beach, California the Allee home was
in need of a backyard expansion. With a beautiful view of the
Pacific Ocean in the front and a hillside directly out their backdoor,
the Allee family needed to add balance and outdoor living
areas to their yard. To get the job done, the Allees sought the
help and expertise of Jeromy Frakes, owner of Frakes-scapes and
a certified Allan Block® wall installer to make the transformation.
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Frakes suggested using the AB Europa® Collection by Allan Block
to create some retaining walls in the backyard. The retaining
walls would cut into the hillside to allow for a larger patio and
more useable space. The flexible Allan Block segmental retaining
wall products were the ideal choice for incorporating inside and
outside curves, corners, and stairways into the project. The AB
Europa Collection blocks also had an old world – rustic feel that
the Allees really liked.
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Working with the local Allan Block producer, Air Vol Block in San
Luis Obispo, the homeowners were able to choose the perfect
color for their retaining walls and interlocking paving stones for
the patio to match.
Frakes was able to expand the patio, create more outdoor living space and even incorporate an upper patio area where the Allee family can now enjoy their Pacific Ocean that had been previously enjoyed only from the front yard. |
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The Allee family is very pleased with their new expanded
outdoor living space and are enjoying the time they
can spend relaxing, socializing and taking in the beautiful
view with friends in their new backyard.
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Strong Walls - When Your Wall Needs ReinforcementUnder certain conditions, the blocks alone are not enough to provide the structural support a retaining wall project may need. Soil reinforcement increases the strength of a wall by creating a reinforced mass of soil behind the blocks. The weight of the reinforced soil mass combines with the blocks for a heavier, stronger wall. Using reinforcement grid is a simple solution for creating a reinforced soil mass. It creates a structure that is more resistant to soil pressure and surcharges. |
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What is Reinforcement Geogrid?Reinforcement grid or geogrid is a flexible synthetic mesh that is manufactured specifically for stabilizing slopes and retaining soil. While there are many types and strengths of reinforcement grid on the market today, the Allan Block Reinforcement Grid is the best choice for building stronger landscape walls. Made of high strength polyester mesh that is coated with a black protective film, AB Reinforcement Grid™ is specifically designed and packaged to be used on landscape walls up to 6 ft (1.8 m) in height.Use the Soil Reinforcement Chart to see if reinforcement is needed on your project. Match your wall to the conditions in the chart to find which width and the number of layers of AB Reinforcement Grid you will need. When is Reinforcement Grid Needed?The first step in building a strong wall is to determine if additional reinforcement is needed. There are lots of factors to take into account when determining how much reinforcement your wall will require. Some of these factors include:
How is AB Reinforcement Grid Installed?Building with AB Reinforcement Grid is a snap. Follow the simple guidelines on geogrid installation and you are ready to roll! |
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Building a Straight Wall Up A Slope |
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There are many cases where a wall is needed to retain an area that is parallel with an existing feature, like a driveway,
a roadway or sidewalk. Often times these walls are also sloped themselves. So how do you build a wall that is both
functional and has a uniform look?
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Take for example the picture shown on the right. This wall is an
AB Ashlar Blend™ patterned wall from the AB Collection, with an
approximate setback of 6 degrees. The entire finished wall needed
to be the same distance from the curb so the contractor could
place the continuous 4 ft. (1.2 m) sidewalk parallel to both the
curb and the wall.
If the wall was built without accounting for the block’s setback, the wall would move away from the curb approximately 0.8 in. (20 mm) per step-up as it continued up the slope. Depending on the slope of the hill, the wall could be a considerable distance away from the curb and sidewalk by the time it reached the top of the slope. See Figure 1 for an illustration of the effects of block setback. |
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As you can see some additional adjustments will be needed to
create the desired effect. When building an application of this
type, you will want to build the wall in sections. These sections
are called the Working Distance.
The adjustments needed to keep the wall straight will be
determined by the grade of the slope and the length of the
Working Distance. By using angled wall sections, you can step
the wall up the slope and keep it parallel with the existing feature.
See Figure 2 for an illustration.
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With a little extra planning and some special installation techniques, you can achieve
the desired look and construction your project needs. For more detailed information
on step-ups and building a wall up a slope, check out the
AB Landscape Walls Guide
and AB Tech Sheet #1208.
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Residential Retaining Walls (Landscape Walls Guide) |
AB Tech Sheet #1208 |
