Commercial Retaining in Warkworth

The Morrison family is well-known in the Warkworth community, having owned land near the township for many years. In recent years Bevan Morrison has been converting the family land to industrial and commercial developments to support the town's rapid growth. 

In April 2021, Bevan reached out to Envirocon looking for some blocks for his farm. Once Bevan heard about the unique Stonebloc block, he started to explore using it on his upcoming commercial development. 

That development required a retaining wall to support a carpark. Council requirements also meant the wall needed to have street appeal and serve as a wheel stop - Stoneblocprovided the ideal solution.

(Car parked behind the Stonebloc retaining wall that serves as a wheel stop)

Why Stonebloc was chosen

For his retaining wall, Bevan was looking for something that was “functional that also looks good”. He was also looking for something that was fast to install and could be done with a digger. 

Stonebloc was chosen for a few reasons:

• The blocks are a larger square meterage compared to other modular retaining wall systems, meaning installation is faster
• The blocks are flexible with their facia design. If Bevan wants an exposed facia or oxide blocks for future projects, it can be done
• The blocks can be installed with a small digger
• “Looks more real than other options out there”
• “Support was really good and responsive”

Comparison to other retaining wall options

With commercial properties, an important aspect of retaining walls is longevity. After looking into alternative systems such as timber retaining walls and other concrete modular walls, Bevan chose to go with Stonebloc. 

Although timber retaining walls came out slightly cheaper for his 800mm wall, Bevan wants to keep this property in the family for generations. For this, walls need to last and require little maintenance. Timber retaining walls after 20 years start to deteriorate, and you don’t get this with concrete. For Bevan, choosing Stonebloc at the beginning beats out the lower cost and repeated maintenance of timber retaining walls. 

“Slight premium you pay over timber is well worth it to look good” - Bevan Morrison

One of the other reasons Bevan choose Stonebloc was the size of the blocks. Stonebloc allows commercial developers to install with a digger. The standard block size (800mm L, 400mm W, and 400mm H) are in between that of the competitors sizing. For the application of the car park, the Stonebloc sizing was the perfect fit. 

Why Bevan Recommends Stonebloc

As a developer/business owner, Bevan chose Stonebloc as it will look good forever, giving him reassurance his investment is worthwhile. It means that as this property passes down the family, they don’t have to worry about maintaining the wall. 

Bevan loves companies that are trying something new that has “local product and local people”. He’s definitely use it again and would recommend it for applications like this.