If you're comparing retaining wall quotes in the Lower Mainland, you'll often see two names come up: Allan Block and Valley Stone. Both are segmental concrete block systems, both are dry-stacked rather than mortared, and both can produce a wall that looks great and lasts. The differences are in how each one goes together and what that means for your yard.
How Each System Locks Together
Allan Block uses an integrated lip and notch. Each block locks into the one below it, so the wall needs no pins or clips (the caps are the exception). That lip also builds in a consistent setback as the wall rises.
Valley Stone, made by Basalite, is a pinned system. It uses a rear pin and channel connection, and the manufacturer describes it as easy to install. The pins and channel let the installer choose between several setback positions as the wall goes up.
Neither approach is better in itself. They're two proven ways of doing the same job, which is keeping each course locked and leaning gently back into the slope.
Setback and Curves
Allan Block: The AB Classic block sets back at a fixed 6 degrees. The system supports curves, corners, and steps, with a minimum curve radius of about 4 feet.
Valley Stone: The pin system allows multiple setback positions, and a tapered half unit is made to handle tight curves as well as straight runs.
If your wall has tight curves, tiered sections, or a layout that needs some flexibility, that's worth discussing before you pick a system.
Block Size and Look
Both systems use a block roughly 8 inches high, about 12 inches deep, and 18 inches long, with a textured split face that reads as natural stone. The look comes down to colour and texture:
Valley Stone is offered in Natural, Ebony, Tuscany, Roman, Mountain Tan, and Canyon Blend, though some colours may be special order. Its guidance is to pull blocks from multiple pallets during installation, since colour can vary from pallet to pallet.
Allan Block comes in multiple colours and textures, and availability varies by region.
The best way to choose is to see physical samples next to your house, your patio, and your landscaping, not just photos.
Height and Engineering
Allan Block describes its system as well suited to residential walls up to about 6 feet, with taller walls possible when properly designed. Either system can be reinforced with geogrid on larger or more demanding walls. Once a wall gets tall, supports a slope, a driveway, or a structure, it can need engineering and possibly a permit depending on your municipality, so it's worth confirming early.
What Matters More Than the Brand
Here's the part that surprises people. The block system is rarely what decides whether a wall is still straight in fifteen years. What decides it is what you can't see:
A properly compacted base that the first course sits on
Drain rock behind the wall so water can move through instead of building up
A perforated drain pipe carrying that water out to daylight or a dry well
Backfill placed and compacted in stages as the wall goes up
A wall built with either system and no drainage will fail the same way. A wall built with either system and done right is built to last. When you compare quotes, ask what's included behind and under the wall, not just which block it uses.
So Which Should You Choose?
For most residential walls, either system will do the job. The decision usually comes down to the colour you prefer, whether your layout has tight curves or tiers that favour one system, what's available at the time of your project, and budget. If you're torn, we're happy to bring samples and talk through how each would look and perform in your yard.
Planning a Retaining Wall?
Get in touch for a free consultation. We'll walk your property, look at the slope and how water moves through it, and recommend the system and design that make sense for your site, with a quote that spells out what's included.
Areas We Serve
Square Yards Landscaping proudly serves the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore & Belcarra), Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Burnaby, Vancouver, and the rest of the Lower Mainland.
Contact Us
Ready to talk retaining walls? Reach out today:
Phone: +1 (604) 314-2350
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