Pavers - Retaining Walls - Patio Stones - Edgers - Hardscapes » Retaining Walls

New from Pavestone: Anchor™ Sequent™ Retaining Wall Panel System

Pavestone — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:20:54 +0000

For a fresh look, the Anchor™ Sequent™ Retaining Wall Panel System combines two popular Anchor™ products with great aesthetic and functional results. The panels are a quick way to build a multi-height wall by combining the Diamond Pro Stone Cut® and Highland Stone® retaining wall systems in a simple installation pattern.
These panels break up the horizontal lines of a typical single-height product and can be used with geosynthetic reinforcement. For contractors, the Sequent™ Retaining Wall System installation pattern is quick to install on a large scale when you want to create a random, rough-hewn look without sacrificing stability — ideal for larger projects.

Anchor™ Sequent™ is available in two varieties: One combines 6-inch Highland Stone® with 8-inch Diamond Pro Stone Cut®, while the other combines 6-inch Highland Stone® with 3-inch Highland Stone®.

Pavestone’s product information sheets include detailed specifications and installation guidelines. You can view or download info sheets for the Anchor™ Sequent™ 3-inch / 6-inch combination or the Anchor™ Sequent™ 6-inch / 8-inch combination.

Anchor™ Sequent™ is great for:

Terrace Gardens
Landscape Retaining Walls
Geosynthetic Reinforced Tall Walls

Retaining Wall at Shaffer’s Crossing – Project of the Month

Pavestone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:21:04 +0000

July Project of the Month – CDOT Project ES1 2854-117 – Highway 285 and Shaffer’s Crossing

Wall Contractor: Bryan Miller Company, Inc. – Denver, Colorado

General Contractor: Hudick Excavating, Inc. – Castle Rock, Colorado

Owner: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

CDOT Project ES1 2854-117 is our Project of the Month for July 2010. While still a work in progress, over 20,000 of the required 66,000 sf have been installed since January with the balance scheduled for completion in late 2010/early 2011. The partially completed wall will eventually attain a height of 40’, with remaining walls nearly 60’ in height.

When the determination was made to expand Highway 285 at Shaffers Crossing, CDOT understood the existing site conditions would require massive retaining wall structures. At such a scale, aesthetics were crucial in not only the style of block but the color as well. The wall pattern and colors had to compliment the complexity of the existing rock outcrops which dot the area. Pavestone’s Anchor Diamond Pro Stone Cut System provided the multiple style stone CDOT was looking for. The 18”, 11”, 7” wide, multi piece pattern is split to provide a natural, rough-hewn texture which emulates the appearance of stone. Pavestone created multiple custom colors which are blended on site by the Bryan Miller Company, Inc. further complimenting the surrounding landscape.

Despite the aesthetic concerns, it was fully acknowledged the primary focus would be the variety of structural issues at the site. CDOT required a structurally stable, flexible and long term solution, requiring the block have a minimum compressive strength of 4500 psi.

Due to issues with other wall products, CDOT also requires wall material to have no more than 1% material loss after 150 freeze/thaw cycles, a crucial concern in the Rockies. Actual test results for the Diamond Pro show a total loss of less than .15%, with all tests easily passing the minimum requirement.

Coupled with the block elements, the project entails multiple semi loads of Mirafi geogrids, extreme blasting, excavation and thousands of trucks loads of backfill.

Educational Training Program for Paver Contractors is a HIT!

Pavestone — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:25:56 +0000

Pavestone Institute of Hardscape Technology (PIHT) recently launched 2010′s FREE educational training seminars for paver contractors and distributors, which is designed to help them grow and reinvigorate their hardscape businesses.

We had a total of (15) events scheduled in various cities this year. We’ve done (3) so far, and all have been very well attended with good feedback coming in from attendees.

Below are some quotes we received at a recent seminar held at the Wyndham Hotel in New Orleans.

Thanks Pavestone:

SteppingStone Pavers would like to thank you for a enjoyable and informative seminar. Myself, and 2 of our sales representatives attended the full day, along with at least six of our clients. No one had anything negative to say, even though they had different views as to what was the most important. Philip, one of my sales reps, really appreciated the advancement of the permeable paver industry and noted the need to more aggressively pursue that market; Preston, my other sales rep, appreciated the need to show personal interest and follow up on prior clients, as brought out in the Human SIGMA segment. A couple of our installation contractor clients mentioned the need to evaluate the true value of a client, and how much time is spent to pursue a project and whether or not the project is worth pursuing.

I enjoyed the whole experience. Not only was all the information valuable, and the speakers excellent, but the chance to network with all my associates in the paver industry was very beneficial. The content was excellent, and really helped me to regain focus on the industry, not only now, but where it is headed and how to better position myself to take advantage of those trends. In particular ,the CRM program, which will help me to determine where to put my greatest efforts and resources in an effort to create a more user friendly and profitable company. One point which was particularly useful was how to stop the “leaky bucket” mindset when it comes to customer retention. As of this morning we have already began an aggressive campaign not only to gain new clients but to reconnect with clients that have fallen off our radar screen. I look forward to working with, Eddie Newsom, our Pavestone sales rep in developing and implementing a CRM program for SteppingStone Pavers.

On a side note it was very refreshing for a distributor like myself to hear that Pavestone has a game plan which includes moving to a Distributer based system in our area.

Sincerely

Thank YOU

Charlie Wagner Jr.
SteppingStone Pavers

Another happy PIHT attendee shared his thoughts on the training program.

PIHT is a HIT !!

This is exactly what I needed from PAVESTONE, a true map to success and increased profits in my Hardscape installation business, Thanks, Bobby and Ed!

Pavestone Institute class was a looking glass into the future of MY business. Now I have more focus on where I need to go!

If PAVESTONE were a Poker Game; I’m all in !! Today I saw the future of my relationship with both my customers and my supplier, and I liked it.

Rod Trahan
La Pavers NOLA

If you have not been notified by your Pavestone representative about a PIHT event in your area, please contact them now. We’re looking forward to meeting with you soon.

Project of the Month – 40 Foot High Retaining Wall

Pavestone — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:00:49 +0000

April Project of the Month – Hogback Parking Lot

Wall Contractor: HTM Construction – Lakewood, Colorado

General Contractor: Kelly Trucking – Golden, Colorado

Owner: Colorado Department of Transportation – Golden, Colorado

Our Project of the Month is the towering wall supporting the Hogback Parking Lot located at I-70 and US 40. Commonly known as “The Hogback”, it stands 40 feet tall and acts as a gateway to the mountains. Installed in 2006, the project had a number of requirements including durability, aesthetics and structural stability.

The design chosen was the Anchor™ Diamond Pro Stone Cut® 3-piece retaining wall system, designed and manufactured per the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) specifications. “With our severe weather conditions, durability was a primary issue,” explained Martin Herbaugh of CDOT.

Aesthetics was also a key factor for choosing the Anchor™ Diamond Pro Stone Cut® retaining wall system. Rather than utilizing a traditional straight wall face, CDOT decided on the Stone Cut finish to simulate the rough texture of the area foothills. In addition, CDOT chose a
multiple face system, consisting of 18”, 11” and 7” wide face block. This broke up the “manufactured” look of typical single piece systems.

Size and texture of the block was not the only aesthetic concern. The area landscape is filled with a rich variety of colors and CDOT wished to utilize similar colors in a patterned array. The intent of the color variation was to compliment the colors within Dinosaur Ridge across the highway. Pavestone worked with CDOT on creating 4 custom colors comprised of multiple shades of Buff and Terra Cotta. The combined pattern and color variation broke up the sterile, commercial look and provided a visual appearance of depth and contour.

The rolling hills design was manually installed by HTM Construction Company and with their installation experience, they were able to achieve the same color variation seen within the surrounding landscape. With the combined teamwork from the design staff of CDOT, Pavestone staff and HTM Construction Company, CDOT’s architectural vision to create a retaining wall that mirrored the contours and colors of the land while not overrunning the surrounding landscapes was achieved. Overall, Martin stated Pavestone had exceeded his and CDOT’s expectations.

Pavestone’s ability to produce high quality, multi-piece retaining wall products in conjunction with the ability to create multi blended wall colors has Pavestone currently working with CDOT on another multi-face, multi-color wall at the Shaffer’s Crossing Project near Conifer.

Retaining Walls – Frequently Asked Questions

Pavestone — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:42:40 +0000

How high can you build a retaining wall with the Anchor™ Windsor Stone® Wall?

Anchor™ Windsor Stone® Retaining Wall

You can build a retaining wall with the Anchor™ Windsor Stone® wall product up to 2 feet high. That would be a total of 7 layers of wall because it is recommended that you bury one full layer of wall in the ground for stability. If you have the space you can a terraced wall. To build a terraced wall, you first build a 2 ft. high wall, then terrace back 4 ft. and build another wall 2 ft. high for a total of 4 ft.

How high can you build a retaining wall with the Anchor™ Diamond® Wall?

Anchor™ Diamond® Retaining Wall

You can build an Anchor™ Diamond Wall retaining wall up to a height of 4 feet without a tieback. Anything over that requires an Engineers design using Geo Grid Fabric at various levels depending on the height and soil conditions. In fact, a Diamond wall that is properly engineered, can be built to heights over 4 feet and higher. It is recommended that you bury one full layer of wall in the ground for stability and be sure to have an engineers design for any walls taller than 4 feet.

How far apart should I place my walls when building a terrace?

A general rule of thumb is to take your wall height and double it. This will give you the distance needed between walls. For example if your wall is 2 feet high the next wall should be installed at least 4 feet behind the first one to make sure that you are in solid ground to build your next wall. Then you can build your next wall another 2 feet high. This will give you a total of 4 feet of retaining wall. The nice thing about terracing is that it breaks up the sheerness of the wall and allows for a beautiful planting area.

How many Anchor™ Windsor Stones® will it take to do my project?

Each Anchor™ Windsor Stone® is approximately 1 linear foot. This makes figuring straight walls extremely easy. Simply take the total length of your wall in feet and multiply by the number of courses (or layers) high you are choosing to build your wall.

Example: Total wall length is 15 feet and you wish to go up 4 courses. 15 feet x 4 courses = 60 pieces. For serpentine walls and tree rings you can lay out your shape with a rope or garden hose, mark the hose and then straighten it back out and measure the number of feet. Once this is established you can use the straight wall formula. Helpful Hint: We have supplied Material Project Estimator that can help with more popular project calculations.

Can I put Anchor™ Windsor Stone® right on top of the ground?

Anchor™ Windsor Stones® need to be securely anchored in the ground. How deep it needs to be anchored is dependent on whether you are doing a short wall or a tall wall. A short wall is defined as any wall 3 courses or less and a tall wall as any wall 4 courses or more (remember 7 courses is the maximum recommended wall height). For a short wall we recommend burying the bottom layer 1/2 (or two inches). On a 3-course wall this will leave you 10 inches showing out of the ground. For a tall wall we recommend burying the entire bottom layer (or 4 inches). On the maximum wall height of 7 courses this will leave you 24 inches showing out of the ground. By burying the first row, you have created a stable footing to support the rest of your wall and will keep movement to a minimum.

What kind of base do I need for my Anchor™ Windsor Stones®?

While not absolutely necessary, a 1 in. bed of sand in the bottom of your trench is recommended and extremely helpful. In order for your wall to be attractive and serve it’s purpose it needs to be level. By putting a 1 inch bed of sand in the bottom of your trench you will save yourself a lot of time when using your level on the bottom row. For tall walls (4 courses or higher) you might also mix dry Portland cement in with your sand. After your wall is built, the Portland/sand mixture will draw moisture from the ground and help secure your bottom row creating somewhat of a footer.

How do I cut my Anchor™ Windsor Stones® to finish my project?

Start by measuring the size of the piece you will need to finish that row. For cuts that are 1/2 of a stone, you will notice that many of the stones you have purchased have a groove in the backside of the stone. This is a built in stress point to help you split stones in half. You start your cut by scoring the wall piece around all four sides with a heavy-duty 3 inch masonry chisel and a hand sledgehammer then simply roll the stone onto its face with the back sticking up in the air. Then set the 3 inch masonry chisel into the groove and strike it with the sledge hammer. And after a couple blows the stone should split in half. For cuts that are smaller or larger than a 1/2 stone you will need to make your own stress point. After measuring your cut size, use the same measurement to mark your stone on the top, bottom, and back. Use your chisel to score the stone on all four sides. Then continue to work your chisel up and down your score line until the stone breaks.

Why do I use landscape fabric behind my retaining wall?

The landscape fabric serves as a filter to keep small soil particles from working their way through the wall when moisture is present. Remember that any material used as a barrier behind your wall must allow moisture to come through so it can help prevent your wall from failing.

Should I mortar the top row of my retaining wall to prevent kids from lifting or moving them?

We don’t recommend mortaring any of our wall products since these walls are designed to be motarless. A good construction grade adhesive is recommended when you need to secure the top row to prevent kids from moving your wall pieces and is highly advised. We have found that there are several concrete adhesives that work well and most adhesives can be applied with a caulk gun. Go to your local Pavestone dealer and ask for a quality construction grade adhesive. Example: MD 400.

What is the lip on the bottom of the Anchor™ Windsor Stone® for?

The lip serves as a guide and interlock when stacking the wall pieces on top of each other. The lip ensures that the wall will angle towards the material it is holding back, thus creating a wall that is less likely to fail. Some wall systems use fiberglass pins that you insert into the wall pieces, this serves as a guide as well but is much more time consuming and not very forgiving if you haven’t placed your wall pieces exactly right. The pinless Anchor system with the lip is much quicker and easier to install.

What are the advantages of having a Anchor™ Windsor Stone® retaining wall versus using landscape timbers?

Our Windsor retaining wall units come in many different colors to blend with your homes exterior. And unlike any products made from wood which rot, warp, and become insect and rodent motels, our products are made to be durable, flexible, and timeless.

How many pieces of Anchor™ Windsor Stone® are on a pallet and how much does it weigh?

There are 112 pieces of Anchor™ Windsor Stone® on a pallet and it will cover approximately 37 face foot of wall. Each piece of Windsor wall weighs approximately 24 lbs. and a full pallet would weigh 2,738 lbs. when you add in the weight of the wood pallet.

How many pieces of Anchor™ Diamond® wall are on a pallet and how much does it weigh?

There are 45 pieces of Anchor™ Diamond® wall on each pallet, which will cover approximately 30 face foot of wall. Each piece of Diamond® wall weighs approximately 68 lbs. and a full pallet would weigh 3,110 lbs. when you add in the weight of the wood pallet.

Stone Grill for Outdoor Living – How to Build One

Pavestone — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:32:17 +0000

Adding a stone grill to your outdoor living space can add value to your home and will provide years of entertaining pleasure for you and your family. I would like to share some ideas and instructions on how to build one here today.

I am going to share some basic information using Anchor™ Highland Stone® (FSW) Free Standing Wall System from Pavestone, so you may want to contact your Pavestone distributor or contractor to help with ideas and more detailed specifications on what you’ll need for your project. This is only a brief overview to give you an idea of what’s involved.

Below are some pictures of an outdoor grilling bar being constructed, showing how each course is put down.

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Download a PDF detailing a conceptual plan for the Highland Stone® Free Standing Wall Outdoor Kitchen Surround here. The pictures and plans here are from Open Air Kitchens, who offer stone grill installation kits, gas grills and accessories to contractors and contractor suppliers.

Turn Tax Refunds Into Backyard Dreamscapes

Pavestone — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:33:50 +0000

Turn Tax Refunds into a Backyard Dreamscape

Backyard Dreamscapes can be built using your tax refunds!

With springtime fast approaching, wouldn’t it be nice to have a new backyard patio or stone pavers around the pool? How about a fire pit for year round entertaining? Adding pavers, patio stones and retaining walls to your backyard can increase the value of your home and provide an awesome place to entertain friends and family.

Many of these backyard projects can be completed without breaking the bank, so using your tax refund to pay for the project could be a good way to pave the way.

Call your local Pavestone distributor or landscaping contractor to get some ideas on turning your backyard into a backyard dreamscape.

Videos for Installing Pavers, Retaining Walls and Edgers

Pavestone — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:02:46 +0000

Pavestone’s website is packed with product information, technical specifications, drawings and images, so it’s not hard for some information to get overlooked. So just in case you haven’t seen these awesome videos, take a look now.

Pavestone created three videos on Installing Pavestone Pavers, Installing Paveston Retaining Walls and Installing Pavestone Edgers that I think you will find interesting.

Segmental Retaining Walls – Not Your Father’s Retaining Wall

Pavestone — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:53:19 +0000

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Gregory A. Kirkman, Commercial Sales Manager for Pavestone in Kansas City, MO recently had an article featured in Landscape Architect and Specifier News (LASN). Greg showed how segmental retaining walls were used in a project for The Reservoir Hill subdivision in north Tulsa, Oklahoma.

On this project, our pricing was compared to standard cast in-place concrete walls. After extensive research and a thorough cost analysis, the city of Tulsa choose to go with an engineered Pavestone© (SRW) segmental retaining wall. We provided highest quality products, designed a special color blend for the neighborhood association’s approval (at no additional cost) and still saved the city approximately 15%. On a large scale project like this, 15% turned out to be sizable savings!

See what others are doing with retaining walls.

Landscape Design Using Retaining Walls

Pavestone — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:30:09 +0000

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Ed Link, from Pavestone’s Cincinnati office, sent in these awesome pictures of a Highland 6″ Combo wall that Wasson’s Nursery in Union City Indiana has been working on. The owner and Landscape Designer is Dan Wasson. The newer wall is for a basketball court.

Send in pictures of your Pavestone projects if you would like to be featured in our blog.