Landscaping Sun Prairie & Madison WI – A-1 Landscaping – Blog

Block wall…. what day is it?

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:01:28 +0000

Well for not seeming overly productive, we did wrap up the majority of the wall today. Got the grades and step-downs established as well as getting ready for another snowstorm tomorrow. I don’t know of anyone else building a block retaining wall in Dane County except A-1 Landscaping.

We installed the last of the drainage rock in the hollow cores of the block, still need about 15-20 tons of it yet. Spoke with the proud new owners last night and they are very pleased with the look of the wall, and secretly their neighbors are happy that we are keeping the muddy mess in their yard and not down the street. Just gotta wait on a little dry/warmer temps so we can get the topcaps glued on, lookin like next week for that.

Block wall day 3

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:11:08 +0000

Wow! I have an awesome crew!! With snow n rain looming on the horizon at the end of February they kicked it into high gear today and stayed at that steady pace all day long. We even had extra hands just to lift the block into place while Joel and Bob made sure the placement of each block was straight and secure. Bob also was responsible for all the logistics and staging of material to ensure a smooth process. I thought I had the easy job…..makin sure we had enough of the drainage rock for behind the wall. I hauled and delivered over 50 tons of it and hustled to keep up. As the crew was building the retaining wall, it was imperative to keep it straight as well as mix the custom blend sizes of block. After each 2 courses they installed and backfilled with the clear stone and installed a perforated drain tile at the base to alleviate water pressure. By the end of the day, we had used up all the block on-site and the rain had started.

Over 500 sq ft of block wall installed in one day….. an awesome feat for the crew on any day, but to do it with these weather conditions was simply amazing….. Funny, those were Steve’s words when he called that night, totally amazed and happy that his wife had picked the block color!!…….

Block wall day 2

admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:05:11 +0000

OK, so after 2 days of hauling the boulders and dirt out, it was time to start shooting grades with a laser transit to ensure that the base for the wall will be deep enough. We excavated quite a bit more dirt/fill to get the right angles on the wall that the homeowner requested. Insalled and compacte road gravel base and leveled it off. Then, with careful measurements off the back of the house we set up a string line to guide us on the construction of the base course. We got the base down and backifilled to ensure that it won’t budge. We will be using the Allan Block in 3 sizes in a random pattern. This retaining wall in Sun Prairie will be here for a long long time. Each block is leveled. Side to side and front to back, all while being set to a parallel line. Tomorrow

we should see more progress pending the weather of course.

We covered up the remaining base for the retaining wall with insulated tarps since we are, after all in Wisconsin. This will ensure dry working conditions helps prevent any frost issues.

Block wall

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:51:43 +0000

OK, so today we started removing boulders from Steve & Linda’s backyard. With a new addition in the works the wall had to go. Well it had to go regardless, it was built at the last minute when they bought the house. You can see by the steep grades and mis-sized boulders that it was thrown together. So what they have contracted us to do, is build a block

wall system that can withstand the water coming from the

yards behind them. While doing this we are also making more useable space on the lower side and making the upper yard a planting bed. I will post pictures when we start the building process.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:12:51 +0000

Get Ready For Winter!

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:21:36 +0000

Call us today for all your snow removal needs