When one family builds a wall, two families benefit from it. - Chinese Proverb
In the garden the door is always open into the holy. - May SartonWalls Made Of Blocks
Slopes are a gardener’s dream. It’s how we create terraces that allow us greater flexibility for creating outdoor space in 3 dimensions rather than just 2.
In order to create a terrace, we need to build a wall. In some situations, a wall constructed of blocks is preferable over a stone wall. While blocks are generally more expensive to build with than are stones, they offer a look and performance that’s not available with stone.
Today there’s a wide array of building block material on the market to meet a variety of application requirements. These blocks are all make of concrete, and each has its own look, texture, and color.
This material is an ideal choice for situations where we’re actually building “retaining” walls more than terrace walls. Of course, they work well for terrace walls, but they really shine as you start to go up in height, and need to retain a slope.
Some block systems are “structural”, meaning they’re designed as a retaining wall material, and others are referred to as “garden blocks”, meaning that while they have the ability to retain to a certain height, that height is generally limited to a few feet.
We’ve worked with a number of block systems. They each have their own pros and cons. The commercial systems available dramatically outshine the kind of block you might buy at Home Depot or Lowes, both in look and performance.
As with everything, there’s a strong component of “you get what you pay for” in the world of decorative block. For a wall to look good when it’s done, you need blocks that are uniform and consistent in size and color variation. Of course, the skill of the builder plays a large part on the end result, but given inconsistent block product, there’s only so much even the most skilled builder can do.
Legacy Style Walls
The Legacy style block is an example of a basic garden wall block. It has a lip system on the back face, and adapts well to curves. It is “self-capping”, meaning a separate cap layer isn’t required. These blocks are relatively inexpensive, and the lack of a required cap layer lowers the cost even more.
Typically a Legacy style wall will look best where it can be held to heights of 2 or 3 feet, although in ideal conditions, we’ve gone as high as 5’ with this style wall.
Legacy is a good choice for terrace style applications where a more formal look than stone is desired.
Below are several examples of Legacy block construction:
Country Manor Style Walls
At the other end of the block spectrum is the Country Manor style wall. These blocks are formed and rolled, which gives them a very “old English wall” look. If a more structured look is desired, but one that’s very classy and “country” feeling, this style block is an excellent choice.
Country Manor is an expensive block to make, and is a capped system which increases the cost. While not an inexpensive choice, it’s a really tough look to beat for many applications. It’s one of our favorite systems to use.
Country Manor is a “pinned” system, structural in nature and appropriate for building taller walls that are truly retaining in nature.
Below are a number of examples of the Country Manor style:
Close-up of Country Manor blocks
This is the perfect style block for a low shade garden
Country Manor low block wall around cobblestone patio
A taller wall using the Country Manor style
Another image of a taller Country Manor style wall behind garden
A taller wall built of the Country Manor style block
Other Wall Examples
For larger applications, where the wall is extensive or particularly tall, there are other structural products that look good, perform well, and are less expensive than solutions like the Country Manor system. These systems are pinned and structural, and designed for very large applications. Most homeowners would rarely require these systems, though we have used them in a number of applications where the combination of lower cost and structural capability were required.
An example of a block style designed for larger and taller applications. On this job, there were more extensive walls of this material below this entryway
It’s important to realize that there are many manufacturers of block out there in the market. For the most part, they have very similar product. As you can see in the images in this post, once a wall is built, it’s very hard to tell products from one manufacturer from others.
This capped wall system is built from a different manufacturers product, but it's very difficult to tell them apart once they're installed
Occasionally one manufacturer who will come out with a unique product, but the others quickly “me-too” something similar in nature. We generally buy from a manufacturer who has proven to us that their product is consistent and reliable.
At the end of the day, you’re hiring us to do work for you based on your confidence in the reputation for reliability and quality that we’ve built over the years. That’s the same way we buy block. We’re not looking for the cheapest – we’re looking for the best.
If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.- Red Adair
