The Modern Retaining Wall: Ditching Concrete Blocks for Metal & Armour Stone
If you live in a Toronto neighborhood with a ravine lot or significant grade changes (like The Kingsway, High Park, or Hoggs Hollow), you are likely familiar with "The Highway Barrier Effect."
For decades, the standard solution for holding back soil was the pre-cast concrete block. While functional, these grey, stacked blocks often make a beautiful backyard look like a municipal retaining wall on the side of the 401.
But structural engineering doesn't have to be ugly.
As modern landscape design evolves, we are seeing a massive shift away from small modular blocks toward large-format, architectural materials. Here is how modern retaining walls in Toronto are transforming unusable slopes into luxury tiered gardens.
1. The "Anti-Block" Movement
The problem with standard concrete blocks is visually repetitive "noise." A wall made of 500 small bricks creates a busy pattern that distracts from your plants.
Modern design is about quieting the space. We achieve this by using larger materials that reduce visual clutter.
The Goal: A wall that acts as a canvas, not a puzzle.
The Solution: We predominantly use two materials: Corten Steel (for razor-thin precision) and Armour Stone (for massive, natural texture).
2. Armour Stone: The "Big Block" Approach
If you want a natural look that feels like it has been there for centuries, armour stone wall installation is the answer.
Unlike small pavers that can shift individually, armour stones are massive, quarried blocks of limestone (often Eramosa or Guillotine cut) that weigh 1-3 tons each.
The Aesthetic: Because the stones are 1-meter long and 2-feet high, you see more stone face and fewer joints. It looks grand and substantial.
The Engineering: Their sheer mass holds back the earth. We "dry stack" them on a compacted gravel base, allowing them to shift slightly with frost heaves without cracking—a crucial feature for Toronto winters.
3. Corten Steel: The Razor-Thin Wall
For clients who want to maximize every inch of a small, grading sloped backyard, armour stone (which is 2-3 feet deep) might take up too much space.
Enter Corten Steel.
The Efficiency: A steel retaining wall is only ¼ inch thick but incredibly strong.
The Aesthetic: It provides a stark, industrial contrast to soft greenery. The deep orange rust patina warms up the garden in winter when everything else is grey.
The Engineering: We weld structural "fins" or deadman anchors behind the visible plate, burying them deep into the hillside. This allows a paper-thin wall to hold back tons of hydraulic soil pressure without bowing.
4. The "Hidden" Engineering: It’s All About Drainage
Whether you choose stone or steel, a retaining wall is only as good as the drainage behind it.
The https://www.google.com/search?q=%231 Cause of Failure: It is rarely the weight of the soil that knocks a wall over; it is the weight of the water trapped in the soil.
The Tekton Standard: We install a "Clean Stone Burrito" behind every wall. This is a perforated weeping tile wrapped in filter fabric and covered in clear ¾” gravel. This ensures that when snow melts, the water flows down to the drain rather than pushing out against your expensive new wall.
5. Grading: Turning Slopes into "Rooms"
Don't look at a slope as a problem; look at it as an opportunity for "Terracing." Instead of one giant 8-foot wall (which feels oppressive), we prefer to grade the slope into two 4-foot terraces.
Tier 1: A dining patio near the house.
Tier 2: A raised grassy play area or a plunge pool.
Tier 3: A planting zone at the top for privacy trees.
By breaking the slope into livable "rooms," you turn a "useless hill" into a multi-level experience.
Is Your Slope a Headache or a Feature?
If you are tired of looking at a crumbling concrete wall or a hill you can't mow, it’s time to re-engineer your grade.
Contact Tekton Landscapes to discuss how Armour Stone or Corten Steel can structurally and aesthetically upgrade your property.