In addition, our Allan Block 3D Modeling Tool, which works with our AB Apps, continues to assist professionals who want to bring their hardscape projects to life. Check out our introduction to the tool every Friday at 1:30 PM CST.

If you’re a beginner using SketchUp and would like a head start reaching customers with Allan Block 3D modeling tools, there is a simple path for success using the SketchUp Viewer on your iPhone or iPad.

Our AB Retaining Wall app and AB Courtyard app will email you 3D files that are then imported using our Allan Block 3D Modeling Extension within SketchUp. From there, the 3D models can then be saved via iCloud or directly to your phone or tablet.

Using the SketchUp View app for iPad or iPhone will bring the 3D models to life. The AR Mode (Augmented Reality Mode) will allow you to scan your customer’s yard and anchor your models to their space. They can then walk through the space in real time while viewing it all in AR mode. This is a powerful reality for customers to totally understand and visualize their project before construction begins. Cost for the SketchUp View app is just $9.99.

We have created a short video on how this process works. Please review this new technology and consider how you can take advantage of this powerful visualization tool.

For more information, please contact us.

On your journey to become an AB Certified Contractor, there are a few steps to take to completing the whole process. First, attend an Allan Block Contractor Certification Class. This will get your foot in the door to becoming trained. Second, build an Allan Block wall that is at least 300 ft² (27.8 m²), which leads into the final step – let your local AB Sales Rep know! Have them visit your jobsite, and submit your project by filling out and submitting the Certification & Rewards Card. By answering just a few straightforward questions and project details, your certification has been complete! A certificate and some AB swag is on its way.

Already certified? Great first step! Each Allan Block project you submit moves your certification closer to the next level - Experienced Wall Builders and finally our elite Master Wall Builders.

Along this certification process, you can receive yearly rewards as a "thank you" for building with Allan Block when you let your local AB Sales Rep know the projects you are building. With all these resources available to you, and the prospects of receiving more free stuff, why not take advantage of this beneficial program? Keep in touch with your AB Sales Rep and be sure to update them with current completed projects!

Every wall that is designed and built has a first and last course. No matter how tall a wall is or what it might be supporting, planning to build it correctly should be the first step before a shovel is put into the ground. As contractors, it is your responsibility to build it correctly. You need to follow the design provided by the engineer and all the manufacture’s recommendations or maybe, on smaller walls, you have to do the research and the design for your client to make sure it is built correctly for a lifetime of use.

Fences above the wall

One of the most important things to consider is often the last thing thought about – what is happening at the top of the wall. This should be one of the first things discussed with the clients because it is not uncommon to have a fence installed above a wall. Do not wait until the wall is finished to decide to put a fence in. Ask the question right at the beginning – what kind of fence will be above the wall? Will it be a pedestrian loaded fence or just ornamental? Will it be a privacy fence like a 6ft (1.8m) tall wood fence? How close will the fence be to the back of the wall? All important questions that make a difference in how to properly design the top of the wall to withstand the overturning force that might be generated by the fence. In most commercial fence/railing projects, the fence is designed by the engineer, and the fence installer coordinates with the wall builder the locations and depth of all the posts.

Please note that the closer the fence is to the wall, the more load the wall needs to resist. The most common installation is by placing the fence in a construction tube directly behind the top block. The construction tube should be placed deep enough to engage the resisting force of the individual grid layer within the wall that the tube goes through. The deeper the tube, the more grid layers engaged equal more resisting force. This may be required for taller privacy fences that will see more wind load then a shorter pedestrian fence. Another installation that is fairly common, but more difficult and more expensive to the owner, is installing the pedestrian railing directly into the block. Commonly, this requires the casting of at least the top three courses solid with concrete and then the fence installer has to core drill the holes for the fence posts and grout the posts in place. For this application, an engineer should be employed.

If the fence or railing can be installed 3ft (0.9m) behind the top of the wall, the design community will consider that fence to not be affecting the stability. So, if your fence is within this distance, it is recommended that the owner have an engineer investigate the final design. All fence posts should be installed during the wall construction as opposed to after construction. It is far easier to install the construction tubes during construction then hand digging the post hole because power augers are not recommended for use to drill through geogrid layers.

One of the more popular products on the market to use for fence installation is the Sleeve-It System^® by Strata. It is commonly used on commercial sites or high-end residential projects. It works by utilizing a cantilever base that resists the overtuning force from the fence with the soil that is placed on top of it. They are installed during wall construction and the locations are coordinated with the fence installer and wall builder.

For questions on fence installation or design, finishing options, or any other Allan Block installation questions, please contact the Allan Block Engineering department at engineering@allanblock.com.

This is a common question that Allan Block receives from contractors, dealers, and even homeowners. Unfortunately, there is not a direct answer to this question, but there are ways to determine if a wall needs to be designed by an engineer.

Here is a list of a few reasons where engineering is required:

• Local municipalities require it for building permits
• Terraced applications
• Commercial/government projects
• Steep slopes above or below the wall

Since every project is unique, there could be more factors that may require engineering, but they are to be taken on a project by project basis.

Contact the Engineering Department if you have a project that you need assistance with to determine if engineering is required.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to pull together a complete estimate? Allan Block is hoping to make that answer a “No”. With our AB Estimating Tool, we can help to make your wall project estimates quick, easy, and accurate.

There are multiple functions to our AB Estimating Tool. In the tool, you can choose to estimate our Retaining Wall products, Courtyard products, or AB Fence products. Each of these product selections will navigate you through our AB Estimating Tool for a complete material estimate.

There is much more that goes into an estimate than a simple block count. While the AB Estimating Tool is not a designing tool, it makes design assumptions to provide as accurate an estimate as possible. It also accounts for the necessary rock, soil, drainpipe, and more. You can even estimate for multiple walls, and the software will create separate estimates for each, or bring it all together for a nice, professional, and combined estimate.

Download our AB Estimating Tool and more from our website. For more information, reach out to us at info@allanblock.com or 800-899-5309.

As we enter the second quarter of the year, we’re heading North-West into the stunningly beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia. You may not know it, but Vancouver is one of the largest hubs of Allan Block retaining walls, and if you’re ever traveling through the area, you’re almost certain to come across multiple AB projects. We can attribute much of our success in the region to our amazing certified installers and contractors who build walls that not only look amazing, but also last a lifetime. One certified installer that stands out is Mohan Sull, owner of Deerwood Landscapes Ltd, and employer of several other Allan Block Master Wall Builders at the company.

Back in the 1970s, Mohan graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in education, but he quickly found out that landscaping was much more exciting to him than the classroom. In 1978 he began working for a landscaping company and as his responsibilities grew, he decided to make the jump and start his own hybrid landscaping and landscape supply company in 1981. While at a home show in the mid to late 80s, Mohan was introduced to Allan Block and began using it for a couple small jobs. He did not have any literature or installation manuals, but he liked the product and eventually got a large corner property job using the 12-degree Allan Block Stones block. While building the wall, a stranger came up to the site and started giving Mohan and his crew tips on how to properly install the block. This stranger was actually Bruce Stickney, the British Columbia Allan Block representative from Expocrete – The Western Canadian producer of Allan Block. After listening to Bruce’s advice, Mohan was able to finish up the job with ease, and still drives by the perfect looking wall today.

Bruce also introduced Mohan to the certification program that Allan Block offers to all contractors and installers. After sitting through his first AB Contractor Certification class and building one more Allan Block wall, Mohan became a certified Allan Block installer. Since then, Mohan and several others from the five crews at Deerwood have installed tens of thousands of Allan Block units and gained the title of Allan Block Master Wall Builder. Mohan believes in the certification program so much that he even hosted a class at his warehouse in order to help train others.

Mohan has been using Allan Block since the beginning, and has helped the product grow. He has helped Bruce promote the product at home shows and fairs, helped brainstorm new product ideas, and has built some amazing walls all over Vancouver. From walls that hold up poured on slab houses to creative walls that mix several different Allan Block products, Mohan and the others at Deerwood Landscapes Ltd strive for perfection and take pride in all of their work.

Master Wall Builders like Mohan are the reason that Allan Block has such a positive reputation. Their dedication to keeping customers happy and their understanding of the value of the Allan Block Certification Program helps keep Allan Block in good light. Even if you were to ignore the fact that Mohan has contributed so much to Allan Block’s history, his creative and quality work sets him apart and makes him an Allan Block installer that we hope others strive to match. Thank you, Mohan, and all the other amazing installers at Deerwood Landscapes Ltd for all of the amazing work you do. We cannot put our thanks into words and look forward to all of the future work we do together.