4 inch Solids for backgarden wall

steamjetjoe

Hello all,

I plan on getting rid of the old wooden fence out my back garden.

In total I will need to build 145 foot wall.

1: Are 4 inch solids ok for this.

2: I will need roughly about 1000 4 inch solids, How much do places charge per block or how much for about 1000 blocks.

Thanks lads

ircoha

Is the fence a party wall fence?

How high the wall?

what are ur foundations going to be?

how often will u have piers?

how often will u have expansion joints?

On pricing of the blocks, is it too hard to google/fone book/yellow pages for a local supplier and call them?

galwaytt

you will need piers, and poss expansion joints. current pricing I see is 85c per block + materials. On top of your conc foundations, that is.

As for yellow pages.etc..............if you find a local blocklayer via the web........I'll eat my hat.

muffler

ircoha wrote:

Is the fence a party wall fence?

How high the wall?

what are ur foundations going to be?

how often will u have piers?

how often will u have expansion joints?

On pricing of the blocks, is it too hard to google/fone book/yellow pages for a local supplier and call them?

The OP was looking for advice not a lecture.

Finneganjp

Why not use cavity blocks. 4" solids for a garden wall seem OTT?

kkelliher

4" hollow will do for this 9.88nr per m²

325mm wide pier capping to top of wall will give a nice finish.

blocks will cost about €1 to €1.20 incl vat each

capping will cost €5 each 900mm long incl VAT

trowel ready mortar available from most suppliers at €120 per m³ (.33m³ in a mortar bin)

concrete in foundation will cost about €80/m³

Wall should be 8-9 rows high with capping ontop.

foundation 300mm deep and a block width either side of wall

steel not needed in foundation. if you want put it in but it is not required

steamjetjoe

Are cavity blocks more expensive???

Wall will be 6 foot high.

As for piers and expansion joints, I aint a builder so I havent a clue.

I wont be building the wall myself, a friend of a friend type of thing is a builder so ill be asking him. I just want to save as much money as possible so ill do the foundations myself.

kkelliher

this type of wall:

4" cavity blocks with capping on foundation

will cost around €140 per m if you do the foundations yourself and get a blocklayer to lay the blocks and cappings.

If you get a builder guaranteed it will cost you more.

steamjetjoe

Hello kkelliher,

So do you reckon If I got a brick layer that chargers E140 per metre it would cost around E6300???

kkelliher

steamjetjoe wrote:

Hello kkelliher,

So do you reckon If I got a brick layer that chargers E140 per metre it would cost around E6300???

No

If you were to dig the fdn yourself and pour the concrete, get a bricklayer to lay the blocks and put on the capping. The full cost of labout and materials in this instance would be in the region of €140 per M run taking account of labour and materials. (your labour is free remember)

ie. it will cost you about €3,500 to do a 25m long wall in this instance. If you get someone to do everything it will cost alot more

keith

steamjetjoe

Thanks for the info, Ive been planning the wall for a while now but only today when I get a phone call to say my German shepherd was running around the town ( chewed his way through the wooden fence ) that Ive decided enough is enough.

Ok time to calculate materials and quantities.

Thanks again for the info:)

ircoha

steamjetjoe wrote:

Are cavity blocks more expensive???

Wall will be 6 foot high.

As for piers and expansion joints, I aint a builder so I havent a clue.

I wont be building the wall myself, a friend of a friend type of thing is a builder so ill be asking him. I just want to save as much money as possible so ill do the foundations myself.

As the builder will be doing the blockwork etc he can advise on the piers/expansion joints as well as whether you will start off with a row or 2 of 4" solids on the flat to get u up to ground level. the founds will have to start on good firm soil

If the ground is sloping then u will need to step the foundations to suit, the step will be in increments to suit the blocks, say 225.

If u can get a minidigger or better a full size jcb in to dig the founds it will be much easier as u may have to go down a bit
there are frost considerations to bear in mind also so the 300 depth mentioned elswhere is not from grass level.

To keep the concrete level u will need 2 *1 or 2 by 2 timber pegs in the trench set to the correct level. they are left in situ

If doing it urself consider renting a small concrete vibrator to help compact the concrete: they save a lot of work and they also help to spread the concrete in the trench: defo do this if u buy in readymix or have a minimix lorry mix on site.

Sonnenblumen

ircoha wrote:

As the builder will be doing the blockwork etc he can advise on the piers/expansion joints as well as whether you will start off with a row or 2 of 4" solids on the flat to get u up to ground level. the founds will have to start on good firm soil

If the ground is sloping then u will need to step the foundations to suit, the step will be in increments to suit the blocks, say 225.

If u can get a minidigger or better a full size jcb in to dig the founds it will be much easier as u may have to go down a bit
there are frost considerations to bear in mind also so the 300 depth mentioned elswhere is not from grass level.

To keep the concrete level u will need 2 *1 or 2 by 2 timber pegs in the trench set to the correct level. they are left in situ

If doing it urself consider renting a small concrete vibrator to help compact the concrete: they save a lot of work and they also help to spread the concrete in the trench: defo do this if u buy in readymix or have a minimix lorry mix on site.

You're trying to be helpful but with conflicting bits and more Qs than answers, well I think you're confusing matters.

OP a wall of this size is best to use 9" cavities, 4" cavities are utterly unsuitable and unstable over the longer term. The cost of blocks is not significant and a complete false economy to use 4" hollows. As said 92 cavities or for an even more robust finish, 4" solids laid on the flat, but the 9" offer a more economical solution without compromising durability and strength. Block laying rates will vary across the regions, in Dublin, you should reckon with € 1.20-€ 140/block. Piers and expansions should be every 4-5m. Foundations (use Readymix + pump) should be 900mm deep and 600mm wide. If sloping sites, yes you will need to step founds. Founds should be poured within 200 mm form grass line and first two course 4" solids on the flat.

Cost of groundworks + founds will be largely influenced by accessability, is there access for mechanical digger, if not expect the costs, manual digging to be significant. I would budget € 400/5 linear m for manual digging or € 400 for 40lm mechanical digging. There is also the costs for disposing of soil to be factored in plus disposal costs. Grabs € 350, much cheaper than skips.

You can do the maths, but don't skimp on the blocks, which when you do the sums you will find to be that significant. It is irresponsible to build a boundary wall higher than 1.2 m with 4" cavities.

steamjetjoe

Ok got some quotes

Full load of 4 inch solids QTY 1056....Price E600

1.5 ton mini digger E127 per day ( not sure if this includes VAT )

Only thing now is to organise a brick layer and delivery of materials.

kkelliher

kkelliher wrote:

this type of wall:

4" cavity blocks with capping on foundation

will cost around €140 per m if you do the foundations yourself and get a blocklayer to lay the blocks and cappings.

If you get a builder guaranteed it will cost you more.

this should have been 9" cavity blocks sorry

davidoco

steamjetjoe wrote:

Ok got some quotes

Full load of 4 inch solids QTY 1056....Price E600

1.5 ton mini digger E127 per day ( not sure if this includes VAT )

Only thing now is to organise a brick layer and delivery of materials.

If you have no access your in for some serious work bringing the blocks out the back.

I built (with the help of blocklayer @ €1 per block) a 1.8m high wall capped joints raked out, 4" block on the flat, did the foundation myself, total cost about €90 per metre. Very solid wall, could be done a little cheaper with 9" cavity blocks but the brickies charge you more for laying them (swings and roundabouts).

Foundation 600x300 with steel mesh. Expansion joint every 4 to 5 metres by splitting the pier.

ircoha

davidoco wrote:

If you have no access your in for some serious work bringing the blocks out the back.

I built (with the help of blocklayer @ €1 per block) a 1.8m high wall capped joints raked out, 4" block on the flat, did the foundation myself, total cost about €90 per metre. Very solid wall, could be done a little cheaper with 9" cavity blocks but the brickies charge you more for laying them (swings and roundabouts).

Foundation 600x300 with steel mesh. Expansion joint every 4 to 5 metres by splitting the pier.

Sound like a great job.

For the benefit of the OP, did u enlarge the foundations where u had, in effect a double pier? Thanks

davidoco

ircoha wrote:

Sound like a great job.

For the benefit of the OP, did u enlarge the foundations where u had, in effect a double pier? Thanks

No. Just a straight 600 strip. There were a few soft places where the sides caved in during evacuation and I didn't bother shoring up the sides for the concrete. I think I used 9m3 of concrete for the approx 50m strip.

Now that I think of it the way I did the piers suited me as I owned both sides of the wall. The OP may would either have to keep the boundary back x" or obtain permission from neighbour to build piers on their side.


Sketchup jpeg of wall attached.

steamjetjoe

davidoco wrote:

If you have no access your in for some serious work bringing the blocks out the back.

I built (with the help of blocklayer @ €1 per block) a 1.8m high wall capped joints raked out, 4" block on the flat, did the foundation myself, total cost about €90 per metre. Very solid wall, could be done a little cheaper with 9" cavity blocks but the brickies charge you more for laying them (swings and roundabouts).

Foundation 600x300 with steel mesh. Expansion joint every 4 to 5 metres by splitting the pier.

Yeah im going to have the blocks dropped off in my drive way & barrow them out the back. Its a pain but has to be done.

Why do they charge more for laying a larger block???

I should be getting a price from a blocklayer tomorrow at some stage.
Once I get his price I can start to organise time off work and everything else.

Could I expect the 45 metre wall, 1.8 metre high to be built in 2 days or more.???