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We construct commercial hardscape masonry in Allentown, PA such as site walls, planters, stairways, and pedestrian features that tie your property together. Using brick, block, and stone, we build durable, low maintenance elements that improve circulation, safety, and curb appeal around your buildings.
Legendary Masonry Allentown provides professional commercial hardscape masonry throughout Allentown, PA, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. Our licensed, insured crew delivers safe, clean, on-time work with a free estimate before anything begins. Call 484-284-5120 or request your free quote.
Site Walls and Hardscapes Built for Allentown Properties
Legendary Masonry Allentown designs and builds site walls and commercial hardscape masonry that match how people actually use properties in the Lehigh Valley. From sloped parking lots off Union Boulevard to tight urban lots near downtown, we plan retaining walls, courtyard spaces, and walkways that solve real grading and traffic problems while still looking sharp.
We focus on commercial and multi family properties, including office buildings, medical facilities, churches, schools, and mixed use buildings that often date from the 1940s through the 1990s. These sites usually have a mix of old concrete, patched asphalt, and small grass areas that are hard to maintain. Our job is to turn those into durable, low maintenance hardscapes and site walls that handle Allentown weather and heavy daily use.
Every project starts with walking your property with you. We look at drainage patterns, existing cracks or settlement, how delivery trucks and snow plows move, and where pedestrians naturally cut through. That local on site walkthrough is what keeps your new site walls and hardscapes from becoming a maintenance headache in three years.
Design Process for Site Walls and Hardscapes
A successful commercial hardscape masonry project in Allentown starts with understanding how your site works during a typical week. We ask specific questions: Where do employees smoke or take breaks now, where does meltwater collect after a snowstorm, where do students wait for buses, and where do customers cut across landscaped areas? Those answers shape our layout.
We create a simple concept plan that shows wall locations, heights, step runs, and patio or plaza areas. For larger properties we often coordinate with your civil engineer so our site walls align with stormwater plans and any zoning or ADA access requirements. On sloped sites, we try to break large retaining walls into stepped terraces when possible, which usually improves appearance and reduces soil pressure.
Once the layout is refined, we move to details like wall cap style, railing integration, and surface textures. For commercial entries we prefer slightly textured pavements that reduce slip risk in winter but still shovel and plow cleanly. All this design work is done with constructability and long term maintenance in mind, not just appearance on day one.
Material Options That Work in Allentown’s Climate
For site walls, Legendary Masonry Allentown typically uses three main material types: concrete masonry units (CMU) with a veneer, segmental retaining wall blocks, and poured in place concrete with masonry facing. Each has a different cost range and best use.
CMU walls with brick or stone veneer work well near existing masonry buildings in center city Allentown or older industrial sites. They allow us to match historic brick colors or existing limestone details while still giving you a reinforced structural wall. Segmental retaining wall systems are usually best for long parking lot edges, property boundary walls, and loading dock transitions. They are engineered systems with interlocking blocks, geogrid soil reinforcement, and specific drainage stone requirements.
For ground surfaces we recommend concrete pavers, broom finish concrete, or a combination. Pavers handle freeze thaw cycles better than plain asphalt and can be lifted and re-laid if utility work is needed later. In high traffic commercial entries we often border concrete sidewalks with a band of pavers near doors to give a finished look without driving up costs across the entire site.
Typical local choices include blended gray and tan pavers that hide winter salt residue, darker wall caps that do not show stains from runoff, and denser units that stand up to deicer use on busy retail sites.
How We Actually Build Site Walls and Hardscapes
On site work starts with locating utilities and setting control points. We often find unmarked older lines in Allentown, especially behind row properties or older commercial buildings, so we excavate carefully and adjust the wall alignment if needed. Once the area is open, we proof roll the subgrade and remove any soft spots instead of just building over them.
For retaining walls, we install a compacted crushed stone base at the proper depth and width, then set the first course of block or foundation footing dead level. This first course determines the life of the wall, so we take time to laser check elevations and alignments. As we stack courses, we place drainage stone and perforated pipe behind the wall and connect it to daylight or an existing storm system. In clay heavy areas of Allentown, like near Jordan Creek, we often add extra drainage stone and filter fabric to keep fines from clogging the system.
Hardscape areas are installed with similar attention. We grade to create at least 1.5 to 2 percent slope away from buildings, then install and compact a stone base in thin lifts. For paver areas we screed a bedding layer, lay the pattern, cut border units with a saw, then compact and sweep in joint sand. In concrete areas we form joints to control cracking and use proper air entrainment mixes that handle freeze thaw cycles and deicing salts.
Throughout construction we keep paths open for employees, tenants, and deliveries as much as possible. On tight city lots, we often phase the work so only part of a driveway or sidewalk is closed at one time.
What Drives Cost for Commercial Hardscape Masonry
Customers in Allentown often ask why two similar looking wall projects can have very different prices. The biggest cost drivers are wall height, soil conditions, access, and drainage requirements.
A 3 foot decorative site wall along a sidewalk is very different from an 8 foot retaining wall that holds back a parking lot. Taller walls generally need engineering, more geogrid reinforcement, and sometimes a thicker base. Poor soils, like fill with buried debris that we see behind some older garages and warehouses, require deeper excavation and more stone backfill to reach stable ground. Limited access in tight alleys or interior courtyards can add labor if we cannot bring in full size equipment.
On the hardscape side, cost depends on the base thickness, paver or concrete quality, and detailing. A patio that will see only foot traffic behind an office can use a thinner base than a drive lane that will handle trash trucks. Commercial grade pavers and air entrained concrete mixes cost more than residential materials, but they perform better under plows and heavy use. Small details like proper edge restraints, wall caps, and integrated lighting add up but make the finished space look complete.
We provide clear written proposals that separate these elements so you can see where your money is going and what can be adjusted if you need to modify scope.
Common Site Problems We Solve on Allentown Properties
Many of our site wall and hardscape projects in Allentown start with a specific problem: water in basements, heaving sidewalks along Hamilton Street, or collapsing old railroad tie walls behind commercial buildings. We look for the root causes, not just the visible damage.
If we see evidence of long term water pressure behind an existing wall, like bowed faces or efflorescence staining, we plan additional drainage and waterproofing in the replacement design. For icy sidewalks along busy streets we adjust slopes, add proper cross pitch, and recommend surface textures that improve traction. Where old timber or block walls have failed because of poor backfill, we remove all unsuitable material and rebuild with engineered stone and geogrid rather than just replacing the face material.
In older neighborhoods with shared property lines, we help building owners coordinate walls that benefit both sides. For example, replacing two failing low walls between parking lots with one properly engineered shared wall can improve both properties and sometimes reduce cost. We are familiar with Allentown inspection requirements and typical concerns, so we plan ahead for approvals rather than leaving you to sort it out.
What Allentown Customers Should Know Before Hiring
Before you hire anyone for commercial hardscape masonry or site walls in Allentown, collect a few key pieces of information. First, confirm that the contractor is comfortable working under local conditions: winter freeze thaw cycles, deicer use, and the city’s inspection processes. Ask how they handle drainage behind retaining walls, what base materials they use under pavers or concrete, and whether they follow manufacturer guidelines for any segmental wall systems.
Request site specific details in the proposal, not just a one line description. If your property is on a slope or near a creek, ask specifically about geogrid reinforcement, wall height limits without engineering, and how they will manage runoff during and after construction. Make sure their schedule accounts for curing time, especially for concrete that will see plow traffic.
Legendary Masonry Allentown is happy to walk you through existing issues and explain the pros and cons of different materials for your specific property. Whether you manage a small retail plaza off Tilghman Street or a multi building complex near Lehigh Street, we plan site walls and hardscapes that are practical, code compliant, and built to handle how Allentown actually uses its outdoor spaces.
