As landscaping professionals begin preparing for another busy summer season, Tim Fields, Structural Products Manager at Anderton Concrete, discusses the latest industry trends and technologies.
With a market size of £5 billion, the UK landscaping sector is continuing to boom, as the popularity for exterior renovation projects continues. Over the last two years, homeowners’ motivation to ‘improve rather than move’ has steadily increased, as individuals look to add real value to their property, whilst simultaneously creating additional outdoor living space.
The construction of exterior areas that provide dedicated spaces to dine, relax or work has formed a major part of this trend, with many building professionals being employed to design and create usable spaces that successfully utilise every square metre in the most cost efficient and effective way.
Here the construction of garden walls to create terraces located on multiple levels throughout the garden has become increasingly popular, with modern methods of construction providing affordable and easy to install solutions that deliver first class longevity and durability.
This includes modular reinforced concrete systems, which offer a direct alternative to formwork. As the concrete blocks are dry laid, it not only streamlines the installation process, but provides professionals with unlimited design freedom to create a variety of garden walls that meet the unique requirements of each project.
As the materials provide a limitless range of shape, individuals can quickly and easily construct curved walls, steps and decorative features, without requiring additional resource or materials.
To facilitate this we have developed the Stepoc concrete shuttering system, which combines the ease of blockwork construction with the versatility of in-situ concrete, making it faster to apply than both types of materials. The highly engineered and dimensionally coordinated blocks are filled with concrete pumped down through the inter-connected cavities to create a smooth finish that forces out air and eliminates segregation. The end result is a wall that has immense compressive and lateral strength, whilst providing considerable cost and time savings when compared with traditional methods of in-situ concrete and cavity block construction.
Modular concrete systems also support professionals in quickly and easily meeting the chosen visual requirements of each project, as once installed, the blocks can be finished in a range of high-performance materials, including brick, stone and render. This not only enables the homeowner to personalise the structure to reflect their own style, but subsequently requires minimal ongoing maintenance once constructed.
As single skin retaining walls can be built up to 4.3metres high, depending on block thickness, modular systems can also be utilised as a simple and effective method of constructing retaining walls for water features including ponds and even swimming pools.
The impressive performance benefits of concrete modular units also lends the materials to the construction of retaining boundary walls around the entire property for homeowners looking to create additional privacy, whilst also reflecting the same visual appeal as the decorative garden walls.
This includes systems such as our Keystone range, which can be built over 15metres high when positively connected with proprietary geogrid systems. The dry build construction can meet the most demanding site requirements with ease, whilst the high strength concrete provides a system that will deliver first class resilience and longevity.
For gardens that feature facing retaining slopes, professionals can also utilise dry laid concrete block systems to build gravity walls as an economical alternative to vertical retaining walls. Weighing less than 20kg per block, Anderton Concrete’s Slopeloc blocks are easy to handle and install, significantly increasing on-site efficiencies, whilst also alleviating manual handling concerns.
With homeowners across the UK looking to transform their exterior spaces ahead of the summer period, professionals can adopt an efficient and time-saving alternative approach to the construction of retaining and decorative walls by utilising dry laid concrete modular systems to create unique and visually impressive designs in the most cost efficient and effective way.
For further information on Anderton Concrete’s Slopeloc blocks visit https://www.andertonconcrete.co.uk/range/structural/slopeloc/
For further information on the same manufacturer’s Keystone range visit https://www.andertonconcrete.co.uk/range/structural/keystone/
