House - update

Originally Posted by specialone

Trench blocks are good for a good base, use them on the inner skin, face bricks on the outside.

Better on costings too

Originally Posted by speedplay

Better on costings too

Money is no object for Col

Originally Posted by specialone

Money is no object for Col

Bloody jocks....

Originally Posted by specialone

So, ignore my last post then

On bigger walls id suggest a weeper with weep holes in the joints every now and then, if you can control the water, the ground wont move as much

I used plastic tube every two blocks along the bottom course of the wall as weep holes. You can see a couple of them in this pic either side of the step



When it rained heavy, or when the turf was just laid and I'd had the sprinkler on they didn't so much weep as pour!

Then they poured into the gravel between the wall and patio, seen in the next pic,



which is hiding the sections of perforated field drain I was telling you about on the phone. These terminate below the bottom step, into a t'piece that connects to a drain pipe running under the patio and into the rodding point that you see by the tracks of the mini digger. The guttering downpipes off the garage roof also pour into gravel and field drain connected into the same place. This is the bit I kept covered from the buildings inspector!!!

Originally Posted by specialone

btw im not picking at your work

Don't worry about that, I know I'm not a pro! Lots of head scratching, talking to my aunts and uncles (ex-builders), and inventing my own unproved solutions went on during that project

Someone read up or got good advice Col, im impressed

Originally Posted by specialone

Trench blocks are good for a good base, use them on the inner skin, face bricks on the outside.

I had no idea what to use. I walked into the building section of B&Q Warehouse, looked at the materials available, scratched my head, then filled the boot of the car with engineering brick because it was cheap!

EDIT: In fact I have no idea what a trench block is - what is a trench block?

Do you think the pillars will hold it, or should I really have gone to the effort of double skin? Not that it matters once this house is sold, just in case I ever decide to do it again.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

EDIT: In fact I have no idea what a trench block is - what is a trench block?

Ignore this, I've just realised what it is, they were used in the founds of the house below the stone work.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Do you think the pillars will hold it, or should I really have gone to the effort of double skin? Not that it matters once this house is sold, just in case I ever decide to do it again.

Personally, if you are holding back earth of any size then i would do a double skin.
Trench blocks are basically interlocking blocks btw, you use these as a base, put ties into them then when you build your wall it will bond to them really well.
If you want a super strong wall you could use the trench blocks as your inner skin, cos they interlock and they are mortared together, they leave a really strong structure.
Hollow blocks are good as well cos you can back fill these with a lean mix of concrete.