Building a Block wall in garden

rustbucket

Registered User
Messages
819
Hi

Am thinking about building a block wall in the back garden. Want to replace old boundary hedge with a block wall.

What type of blocks would be suitable Solid or cavity?
What size blocks would be best?
Is it recommended to build double width?

Length of wall is approx 30 metres
Desired height would be 1.8 metres

Thanks
 
you will need to put in a foundation (say 600 x 300) then you can use cavity blocks 215mm to build the wall with a capping on top. Allow for pillars at every 5m or so to strengthen. You can also use 9" blockwork (block on flat) but you will end up using a lot more blocks for no real gain.

cavity blocks you would need 535 blocks plus pillars so say a total of approx. 647
9" block on flat you would need 1092 blocks plus pillars so say a total of approx. 1150
concrete in foundation you will need approx. 5.5m3
mesh in foundation 16.5m2
 
Ive just had to underpin old boundary wall foundations due to the other people in the past adding extra coarses to the original wall height but not thinking of the foundation below.

So getting the foundation size right is vital for the future of your wall.
Also with regards to the future and it you ever wanted to increase the wall height by a coarse or 2.
 
Also dont forget to factor in whether you can get readymix lorry in to the garden location for the foundations or whether you will have to use a leccy cement mixer and do the founndations that way.

You will be quite a while mixing all the concrete with a belle 90 litre mini mixer.So if you have the access space then its easier and better to get in a ready mix lorry from the likes of Roadstone,Kilsaran or Keegan Concrete.
1 cubic meter of concrete is about 20 wheelbarrow fulls of readymix concrete.So get some friends and some wheelbarrows and you will have the foundations done in no time at all.
 
I built a back wall a number of years back as per kkeliher's specs. cement was delivered to the front drive (on plastic) and I invited a few mates around to barrow it to the back. Job was easy enough with 2 barrows and 4 of us taking turns. Put a few cans in the cooler to whet the thirst!!