Front Yard Makeover - "It's a Traffic Stopper"

Curb Appeal Transformations

Homeowners Pete and Krista Coleton wanted to give the outside of their home a complete makeover and knew they needed some help. The house sits atop a hill in historic Arlington, VA, with a front yard sloping down to the street. "The slope was impossible to mow and a waste of space; we didn't use the front yard at all. When HGTV chose our home for their Curb Appeal show, they got a real challenge”, described the homeowners.

The Coletons looked at several retaining wall products, then found Allan Block on the HGTV website. They chose Allan Block for its unique ability to combine the AB Europa Collection^™ retaining walls and the AB Courtyard Collection^™ pillars.

The contractor installing the project was accustomed to building with boulders, Chilton stone and flagstone, but had never worked with Allan Block before. He really liked the natural look of the AB Europa Collection and understood that this engineered system would be more reliable and could be built taller than a flagstone wall. Everyone agreed that Allan Block was the right choice for the project.

The design included curved walls, terraced planters, accent pillars and flagstone to cap off the wall. The 24 in. square (610 mm) columns were built with the AB Courtyard Collection and topped with accent lighting to create a dramatic entrance.

Allan Block representative Patrick Ford helped the install crew get started. He had one person stage the blocks by setting up the patterns and a second person stack up the blocks.

The project went smoothly. While installing a product for the first time always requires some initial learning, the crew quickly got up to speed and installed over 26 pallets of blocks in just over 2 weeks. "Allan Block is a great product to work with, I now have an alternative to natural stone that I am confident in", stated the contractor.

Today, the Coletons are proud owners of a true landscape makeover and they are happy to talk about it. "It's a traffic stopper, people love it. The four shapes of marbled-colored blocks installed in a random pattern tie in beautifully with the flagstone caps and walkways. The change was so dramatic, some friends who had not been over in a while drove past the house without recognizing it. Now, there is no missing it".