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Post by 4pygmies on Mar 3, 2008 9:27:52 GMT 1
If it was me (an excellent making doer) I would dig a channel, put in a line of wet cement and stick a load of breeze blocks, vertically, along the length and then paint it. But you probably want it to look a bit better than that! You could use paving slabs or wooden poles cut to the right height...try your hand at dry stone walling.. I'm not clear why you need a retaining wall though - what is the height difference you need to match?  |
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Post by owdboggy on Mar 3, 2008 9:35:10 GMT 1
How high is the wall to be? I am no bricklayer but I built the wall for our raised lily pond with engineering bricks with little trouble. All you need is a trowel, a good spirit level and some string.
Agree with 4P here about making do etc.
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Post by Sleepy on Mar 3, 2008 9:50:15 GMT 1
How high is the wall to be? I am no bricklayer but I built the wall for our raised lily pond with engineering bricks with little trouble. All you need is a trowel, a good spirit level and some string. Agree with 4P here about making do etc. Good gref! You are good OB. Over our way brickies need bricks and mortar too! |
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Post by 4pygmies on Mar 3, 2008 10:31:35 GMT 1
It's just a thought, The witch but if you built your wall out of tannelised poles cut to the appropriate height, you could built a raised pond using the same materials. One of those deep, black plastic ponds inside a ring of rustic poles would look nice and would be easy to dismantle when you are ready for your proper brick pond...... |
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Post by owdboggy on Mar 3, 2008 10:45:14 GMT 1
Hah hah hah (sarcastic)
I was talking about tools as there was no indication of building materials preferred.
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Post by Sleepy on Mar 3, 2008 10:47:12 GMT 1
Ohhhhh. |
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Post by 4pygmies on Mar 3, 2008 10:50:15 GMT 1
Not quite what I had in mind and I haven't looked at the prices but these are pretty The witch: www.woodblocx.co.uk/ |
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Post by Sweetleaf on Mar 3, 2008 11:54:23 GMT 1
If it was me (an excellent making doer) I would dig a channel, put in a line of wet cement and stick a load of breeze blocks, vertically, along the length and then paint it. But you probably want it to look a bit better than that! You could use paving slabs or wooden poles cut to the right height...try your hand at dry stone walling.. I'm not clear why you need a retaining wall though - what is the height difference you need to match? I cant see why either, but how about railway sleepers? They are so heavy they wont need to be held in place by much and if you buy new ones they wont be covered in tar, plus its a quick job, which is always a bonus |
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Post by 4pygmies on Mar 3, 2008 15:32:03 GMT 1
I see now....well, I would build that myself out of cement blocks The witch. I certainly wouldn't pay anyone £600 to do it! It looks like straightforward, quite a simple job really. If you wanted to top it with bricks you could probably pick enough up at a reclaimed building place.
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Post by owdboggy on Mar 3, 2008 15:50:07 GMT 1
I totally agree with 4P (who would dare argue!). Or you could stand 3 foot paving slabs upright against the bank and back fill the ditch to keep them secure.
You might have to get someone to cut one to fit over the pipe or buy a smaller one and fill the gap with concrete. Then all you need is a match line of brick on top.
If I could draw I would show you what I mean!
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Post by debbiem on Mar 3, 2008 16:26:41 GMT 1
I'll ask OH if he can contribute any more advice when he gets in. £600 - that does sound far too much. |
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Post by madonplants on Mar 3, 2008 17:24:49 GMT 1
I would go the breeze block route, just make sure you dig some foundations to build it on. I would think maybe 6-9 inches of concrete to start the course on. I'm no expert, mind, but see this done on programmes all the time.
Keith
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Post by Sleepy on Mar 3, 2008 17:29:03 GMT 1
I would go the breeze block route, just make sure you dig some foundations to build it on. I would think maybe 6-9 inches of concrete to start the course on. I'm no expert, mind, but see this done on programmes all the time. Keith There you go - Keith has seen it done on telly. Can't go wrong then ;D |
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Post by madonplants on Mar 6, 2008 23:01:18 GMT 1
3 tons of hardcore arrived this morning which will cover the pipe. Question - what depth of soil should we try to achieve above the pipe?  OH thinks that we will only have about a foot of soil near the new retaining wall due to the lay of the land. What plants are going in, other than the Holly, The witch? A foot of soil is better than 6 inches!  Keith |
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Post by madonplants on Mar 6, 2008 23:44:01 GMT 1
What plants are going in, other than the Holly, The witch? A foot of soil is better than 6 inches! Keith It will be only about a foot deep at the shallowest Keith - the plants on my Crocus wish list are - Californian Lilac ‘Ceanothus Concha’ Flowering Quince ‘Chaenomeles x superba Crimson and Gold Smoke Bush ‘Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple' Spindle Tree ‘Euonymus europaeus Red Cascade’ Forsythia ‘Forsythia x intermedia Lynwood Variety’ Silk-tassel Bush ‘Garrya elliptica James Roof' Osmanthus ‘Osmanthus x burkwoodii’ Black Elder (syn. Black Beauty) ‘Sambucus nigra Gerda’ Bridal Wreath ‘Spiraea Arguta’ Weigela ‘Weigela Florida Variegata’ Adam's Needle ‘Yucca filamentosa’ In my mini cloche I have - 6 Potentilla Monarchs Velvet 6 Geum Chiloense Lady Stratheden 6 Evening Primrose (Oenothera Missouriensis) 6 Polemonium Purple Rain 6 Pulsatilla Rubra (The Pasque Flower) 10 Echinacea Purpurea and some Crocosmia Lucifer What a list!! Actually I remember, again sorry, on a programme I watched a few weeks ago, about a similar problem. This lady gardened on 3 inches, yes 3 inches of topsoil, over rock. I am sure she must have been kidding, as she had a great garden. Her secret was, to make sure the plants going in were small, so they established quickly before the roots found the rock underneath. Keith |
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Post by owdboggy on Mar 7, 2008 9:49:24 GMT 1
A foot of soil is plenty. There is only that much about much of our Daisy Lawn over a concrete raft and the stuff on it gorws to well over its supposed height.
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Post by debbiem on Mar 7, 2008 11:18:48 GMT 1
Hi The witch
Debbies OH here. You can do it yourself with no problems. You will need concrete for the foundations about a foot deep and a foot wide dug down to solid ground. If you place it on the soil it will fall over. Next use concrete blocks for the bit that is below ground and some nice bricks or stone for the top. If you wanted you could place some blocks flat onto solid ground and then build up from there. If it is not showing it does not have to be perfect. This will work ok for a wall 1m high. If you have any questions let us know.
Cheers
John
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Post by madonplants on Mar 7, 2008 13:47:15 GMT 1
A foot of soil is plenty. There is only that much about much of our Daisy Lawn over a concrete raft and the stuff on it gorws to well over its supposed height. Thanks OB - that's reassuring to know - I was worrying needlessly that one foot of soil wouldn't be enough for shrubs. Just think along the lines that the plants will get good drainage, which to most plants is one of the most important things, isn't it? Keith |
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Post by debbiem on Mar 8, 2008 13:01:34 GMT 1
Hi The witch Debbies OH here. You can do it yourself with no problems. You will need concrete for the foundations about a foot deep and a foot wide dug down to solid ground. If you place it on the soil it will fall over. Next use concrete blocks for the bit that is below ground and some nice bricks or stone for the top. If you wanted you could place some blocks flat onto solid ground and then build up from there. If it is not showing it does not have to be perfect. This will work ok for a wall 1m high. If you have any questions let us know. Cheers John Cheers John (or should I say Spade ), but as we have now been offered as much top soil as we need free of charge we've decided to let a professional brickie build the retaining wall. We had 1 quote for £350 plus vat, 2 quotes for £650 and another quote for £1,395  I think I'd pass on the last three of those quotes! The last quote looks like they've also thought of £650 and decided then to double it! |
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Post by madonplants on Mar 8, 2008 13:17:34 GMT 1
Hi The witch Debbies OH here. You can do it yourself with no problems. You will need concrete for the foundations about a foot deep and a foot wide dug down to solid ground. If you place it on the soil it will fall over. Next use concrete blocks for the bit that is below ground and some nice bricks or stone for the top. If you wanted you could place some blocks flat onto solid ground and then build up from there. If it is not showing it does not have to be perfect. This will work ok for a wall 1m high. If you have any questions let us know. Cheers John Cheers John (or should I say Spade ), but as we have now been offered as much top soil as we need free of charge we've decided to let a professional brickie build the retaining wall. We had 1 quote for £350 plus vat, 2 quotes for £650 and another quote for £1,395 Are you able to see any work by the person quoting the cheapest? £1395 seems very steep, considering what sort of wall you want. Keith |
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Post by canarycreeper on Mar 8, 2008 14:15:24 GMT 1
Hi The witch ... have just seen this. To echo Keith, a foot of soil is fine: we only have a couple of inches in some place, over granite slabs, old pipes etc. - as Keith said, if plants go in small (as in, rooted cutting) their roots seem to wriggle their way down any gaps (I have a Photinia Red Robin thriving in just a few inches of soil) ... cheers ...
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Post by madonplants on Mar 8, 2008 20:53:29 GMT 1
Are you able to see any work by the person quoting the cheapest? £1395 seems very steep, considering what sort of wall you want. Keith The cheapest quote has been given by a local house builder Keith. Don't think you could go too far wrong there then. Keith |
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Post by seanmckinney on Mar 14, 2008 11:43:10 GMT 1
Sorry The witch just seen the email. What is the height arrowed in the ammended version of your diagram? Is the grey at the bottom of the brown fence concrete or wood? What is the wall to hold back?  If the height is less than 18" and the grey is a concrete beam/s that is to remain in place then I'd be inclined to dig a trench just to the side of the grey and stand 18"x9"x4"or 6" concrete blocks on end in the trench such that their tops touch the "grey" for support, I'd favour standing 4" thick blocks such that the wall was 9" thick, if you used 6" blocks then a 6" thick wall would suffice. The bottom of the trench should be undisturbed soil or compacted soil possibly with say 1/2"-3/4" gravel "walked in" to make the bottom solid. If this is too hold back soil then you might get away with 2" thick flag stones stood on edge in a similar trench and again resting against the "grey" If the "grey" is to be removed or is wood then the wall will have to be self supporting at the top, in that case I'd make it 9" thick. If 18" or less tall you might get away laying the blocks "dry", ie without cement between them but dont go jumping up and down on the soil near the wall for a few months, to allow it to settle and gain some strength. This wall I would lay in a solid bottomed trench etc. If the wall is to be more than 18" high I'd be inclined to give it a poured concrete foundation and then cement the blocks together again laid so that the wall is 9" thick. The wall I built at the back of my pond holds back about 3' of soil and is 9" thick, the foundation of that of 3'x2'x2" flags, which might be considered poor but these were laid on old solid ground with gravel tamped into the surface. I can climb that wall and hang off it. I think the cement mix was 3 sand to 1.5 portland cement or a generous 1 portland cement, the blocks fail before my cement does, I know because I wanted to remove one block and it broke before my cement let go. I cant remember the mix I used for poured concrete. Re the blocks, it worked out cheaper for me to use 6" block than 4" block but be aware 6" blocks are heavy, I think about 5st each |
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Post by debbiem on Mar 14, 2008 17:05:26 GMT 1
What a nice smart neat job - it looks great. |
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Post by Sleepy on Mar 14, 2008 17:16:01 GMT 1
What a nice smart neat job - it looks great. I can't help wondering what the wall costing £1395 would have looked like though.  ;D The same but gold plated? |
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OH thinks that we will only have about a foot of soil near the new retaining wall due to the lay of the land.
