Add long-lasting function & beauty to any landscape
A well-designed and carefully-built retaining wall, patio, or pathway can add beauty and purpose to any residential or commercial property. But to last, they need to be done right.
Acer Landscaping brings years of experience and a detailed-orientated approach that enables us to build spectacular retaining walls, patios, and pathways.
Hardscaping – i.e., landscaping with materials such as natural stone, interlocking pavers, and concrete wall blocks – allows you to carve up your landscape into distinct, usable areas:
Furthermore, these hardy materials can impart a sense of character and a real presence to your yard or commercial landscape.
Tap on the headings below to learn more.
Retaining walls are often used purely for decorative reasons. But they are also great for increasing the amount of usable space you have in your landscape. We will work closely with you to balance the structural and ornamental needs of your specific project.
Made from natural stone, concrete blocks, or even lumber, retaining walls keep soil and rocks in their place. Retaining walls can be built using multiple tiers (or terraces) to add dimension, personality, and purpose to your property.
As an added benefit, retaining walls can also help contour your soil to hold back and channel water to avoid flooding.
Benefits of Retaining Walls:
Don’t underestimate the forces that are being applied to even small retaining walls. There are many walls around Nanaimo that have failed due to poorly planned and executed designs.
When it’s time to build, build it to last: contact Acer Landscaping for prompt, professional service.
Acer Landscaping builds beautiful patios, pathways, and other foot-trafficked areas for commercial and residential properties across Nanaimo.
With multiple shapes, textures, and patterns to choose from, a stone or paver patio/walkway addition can change the entire dynamic of any landscape.
Benefits of Patios & Walkways:
Any patio is only as good as it’s base. When building a patio or pathway, the preparation of the base – using the correct materials, equipment, and methods – is critical to the long-term success of your project.
Make sure your patio stays square and in place for years to come. Hire Acer Landscaping for your next hardscaping project!
We work closely with various hardscape suppliers to offer a large range of blocks, paving stones, and natural materials.
There are a LOT of colours, textures, and patterns to choose from! With such a large selection, we can design and build a hardscape that perfectly matches your needs, style, and budget.
Below we’ve listed the most common hardscaping materials we work with. Tap the headings below to learn more.
Paving stones – usually just called “pavers” – offer nearly unlimited colours, sizes, and textures to work with. When combined with the many different patterns you can choose from, there’s sure to be a design that suits your tastes.
When installed correctly, interlocking (or “segmented”) pavers require almost zero maintenance, and are built to last for a long time. In fact, the Romans built roads with segmental paving stones that are still in place today!
And as an added benefit, paving stones can be removed for repairs (such as to fix a broken water line below the patio) without having to jackhammer concrete.
Of course, to last the test of time, paving stones need to be installed properly. Proper preparation of the area – in particular the base/subgrade of the platform – is absolutely critical. We do not recommend DIYers take on paver patios.
Pavers can work for all types of exterior flooring. Patios, walkways, driveways, and other outdoor platforms can all be built using paving stones. Contact us to learn more!
Natural stone – or rocks, if you prefer – can be used in a variety of ways to add function and beauty to your landscape.
We love working with this hardy resource, and many of the stone products we use are quarried and produced right here in British Columbia.
Pavers made from natural stone (rather than concrete, like standard pavers) add strength and durability to walkways, patios, and other foot-trafficked areas.
Slate and other similar flat stones can create rustic, cobbled patios, or simply be used as stepping stones to access various parts of your garden.
Boulders and other large stones can help hold back terraces or provide a time-worn look to garden beds. With the proper engineering and planning, you can completely re-shape your property using natural stone walls.
Finally, for a real “WOW!” factor, stone columns and boulders can be used to add contrast to your landscape.
Basalt, limestone, granite, and bluestone are just some of the natural stone varieties offered by Acer Landscaping. Inquire today about how we can help add something unique to your landscape!
Retaining walls are usually used to hold back earth, allowing you to shape and terrace the landscape.
Manufactured concrete blocks – or “segmental concrete units” – are most commonly used to build these walls. Allan Block is a popular brand name of manufactured concrete wall blocks.
Similar to paving stones, concrete wall blocks come in a wide range of colours, sizes, and textures. Some wall systems even use different sized blocks that are mixed-and-matched to create interesting design patterns.
Different installation methods are used depending on the scale of your project, but mortarless “gravity walls” are probably most common in Nanaimo. With this style, the mass of the block is combined with a “setback” (i.e., the wall leans back into the retained area) to allow for dry-stacking, or mortarless installation.
Walls built with segmented concrete blocks can curve and step up/down, and are typically finished with a cap stone. Some smaller garden wall blocks, like the Terralite D-block, can be planted directly into!
If you’re interested in building a retaining or garden wall that will stay standing for years, Acer Landscaping is ready to help. Get in touch to get started!
While not every wall project is suited to building with wood, there are some applications where lumber can really shine. And even though concrete blocks may offer more in terms of strength and longevity, a wooden wall can add warmth and a rustic presence to your landscape that is hard to beat.
Retaining walls built using treated lumber are great for (straight) short walls, typically 24-inches or less in height.
Wooden retaining walls can help create level areas on your property (and remove hard-to-mow slopes), stop erosion, and even create garden beds. You can also use treated lumber to create borders and hold in material, such as around a children’s play area.
At Acer Landscaping, we only use pressure-treated wood to prevent rot and ensure proper contact with the ground. For environmental reasons, we never build with creosote-soaked railroad ties.
Do you have a project that could benefit from a wooden retaining wall? Contact Acer Landscaping to get set up your free estimate!
Successful hardscaping is all about proper planning and thoughtful execution. Sure, you can say that about any kind of large landscaping project, but with walls, patios, and other hardscaping this rule is especially true.
When you work with Acer Landscaping, we will spend a lot of time planning. Before we build your new retaining wall or patio, it is critical we consider accessibility, budget, style, and more to determine the best design.
We don’t break ground until everyone is happy with the plan!
Hardscaping with walls and patios is also a good investment into the long-term of your landscape. When built by Acer Landscaping, your new hardscape is designed and constructed to hold up against both time and weather.
In other words, our walls and walkways are built to last!
While it may be tempting to try building your own patio or wall, these aren’t the kinds of projects you want to redo. A properly designed and built hardscape is a core feature of your landscape, and will be there for many years to come.
Do the smart thing, and protect your investment. Skip the DIY route, and hire a professional Nanaimo hardscape contractor instead.
Choose Acer Landscaping and avoid costly and laborious mistakes.
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Contact us to discuss your hardscaping needs today!
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