Niles Allan Block Classic Retaining Wall
Niles, MI 49120, USA
This Niles homeowner had an old timber retaining wall that was failing — and he wanted to put a new shed on the raised area behind his barn. A shed is a lot of weight to set on ground held back by a wall, so this couldn't be a patch job. It had to be a properly engineered wall built to hold that load and last for decades. So we tore out the old timber and built it right from the base up.
What We Did
We built the new wall with Allan Block AB Classic in Granite — a split-face, mortarless retaining wall block with a built-in setback and a timeless cut-stone look. But with a retaining wall, what you don't see is what determines whether it lasts. Here's what went in behind and beneath this one.
We set the wall on a compacted 8" crushed limestone base, part of our engineered foundation system — a deep, solid footing that keeps the wall from settling or shifting over time. Behind the block, we installed a full drainage system: perforated drain tile to capture groundwater, backed by a foot of clean washed drainage stone running the entire height of the wall, all completely encased in 8oz non-woven geotextile fabric. This is the step "truck and shovel" crews skip — and it's the one that matters most. It gives water a clear path out instead of letting it build up behind the block, because water pressure, not weight, is what makes most retaining walls fail.
We also tied the barn's downspouts into a dedicated PVC drainage line to carry roof runoff away from the new wall and the raised pad. We use rigid PVC for all our drainage rather than corrugated pipe — it's far more durable, won't crush or collapse over time, and won't sag and trap water the way corrugated does. It's the same reason we avoid cheap plastics everywhere they'd otherwise fail.
With the wall built and the raised pad backfilled and compacted, the new shed was moved into place behind the barn. Finally, we graded, seeded, and strawed the disturbed areas — and the lawn has since grown back in clean and full.
The result is a rock-solid, fully drained Allan Block wall that replaced a failing timber one — and a level, stable space ready to carry the new shed for the long haul. That's Rugged Luxury: engineering-grade durability underneath, a clean finished look on top.
Project Scope:
Failing Timber Wall Removal: Old, deteriorating timber retaining wall torn out and replaced.
Allan Block AB Classic Wall (Granite): New split-face, mortarless retaining wall built to support a shed load.
Engineered Foundation: Compacted 8" crushed limestone base to prevent settling and shifting.
Full Drainage System: Perforated drain tile and a foot of clean washed stone, fully wrapped in 8oz non-woven geotextile fabric, the entire height of the wall.
PVC Downspout Tie-Ins: Barn downspouts routed into durable rigid PVC to carry roof runoff away from the wall.
Grading, Seed & Straw: Disturbed areas regraded and seeded — now fully grown in.
