As of April 2017, Lorenzo and Dustin of our hardscape installation crew are certified Segmental Retaining Wall installers per the National Concrete Masonry Association. But what does that mean?
Dustin, Mark and Lorenzo.A Segmental Retaining Wall – “SRW” as we call it in the industry – is a retaining wall built from segmented concrete parts. You may have seen them elsewhere on our website – we especially like to use Rosetta Outcropping for them but they can be built with a number of products. The idea behind the SRW is that building with regular, interlocking segments allows for quick installation and long-lasting stability.
Concrete SRWs have really changed the landscaping game in the past few decades, and have come so far in terms of styles and colors available. Aside from Rosetta Outcropping, we’re also big fans of their smaller product, Kodah, as well as a lot of Cambridge and Belgard wall stone products as well. This system of wall building isn’t just customizable in terms of looks. These walls are versatile and can be built as large or as small as needed. SRWs are really one of the MVPs of our landscape problem solving tool box.
Here’s a segmental retaining wall in New Paltz, NY. The rear of this building was originally entirely sloped, making a parking lot impossible. We brought up the grade to create a flat surface for the parking area, but needed to make sure the steep slope we create in the process was properly reinforced. We installed the Rosetta Outcropping retaining wall in under a couple weeks. The regular sizes and shapes gave us the structure we needed to make it stable and long lasting, and the flexibility to make naturalistic and work with the rustic feel of the landscape.
The National Concrete Masonry Association is the industry lead in setting standards and providing education. Lorenzo and Dustin attended an NCMA-approved class in Clifton Park, NY at the beginning of March and both scored well above the minimum for certification in basic SRW installation. Continuing and updating our certifications and education are extremely important to Mark and the Masseo team. Making sure our team members are knowledgeable about industry practices and techniques allows us to deliver a high caliber of installation services. That means your project is built to the highest industry standards.