Advice needed re building a wall

vicwatson

Hi, im not a farmer but am looking to build some walls using a method I saw a farmer doing.

Basically what it looked like is a mould for want of a better description, maybe 10"wide looked like its metal, and basically poured readymix concrete into it, so it ended up like one solid wall.

Anyone tell me the name of these "moulds"?

Is this cheaper than block walls, I imagine it is?

Can you rent them somewhere or are there specialist contractors?

What type of foundations does it need?

If I was to build a wall say 5m x 5m x 1.8m high in the middle of my back garden which is quite private as an architectural feature using this method would I need planning permission? Id be using it as a wind break.


Thanks in advance

Genghis Cant

Mass concrete walls. Formed using shuttering pans, widely available to hire.
A foundation is a requirement for any decent wall.
You want to know what you're at shuttering.

You can also make up shuttering pans with ply and the likes but it may not be economic.

Midfield9

Shuttering is what it's called. Block wall with piers would be cheaper in your case I'd imagine.

Farmer Pudsey

Block walls are generally cheaper. The only reason you put up a mass concrete wall is if you had a sloping bank coming down against the wall and a few feet of it would be up against the wall. In this case a mass concrete wall with steel would be much stronger and less likly to collapse or crack.

vicwatson

It would be a stand alone wall, thanks for help thus far

Farmer Pudsey

vicwatson wrote: »

It would be a stand alone wall, thanks for help thus far

If it is a standalone wall blocks would be cheaper. First off minimum for mass concreted is generally 9'' and lots of shuttering contractors want to only do 12" now as gear is set up that way. Unless going very high 4" block on edge is adequate and use pillars to strenghten. Also unless contractor had old 4X2 pans most now have the 10X8 pans so minimum wall height would be 6ish feet by them.

Nekarsulm

Have you access for a Ready-Mix lorry? You will need either a lorry with a conveyor belt to get the concrete into the top of the shuttering, of a man on site with a Digger and a "skip" to lift the concrete up.
Ideally you need to get a contractor in, because you will need to dig a foundation and put in some reinforcing bar. Then in a few days assemble the shuttering. Then pour the concrete.
There are small size shuttering, which are easily handled by any adult, and big sizes, which need a good size Hitachi to handle. Big size has a few advantages, there are less joints, and you get a smoother wall.

If you were building a cattle shed or similar, the mass concrete method is a little cheaper. Mainly because you save on the labour necessary to plaster the finished wall. In a small scale project like your's, blocks would be cheaper, I imagine.

Muckit

A plastered block wall is really what you are looking for. This will look better than and be cheaper than mass concrete. You will still have to pour a concrete strip foundation. What thickness would you like the wall? 6-7"" will use the least amount of blocks. If you would like 9-10", you will use significantly more, as blocks will have to be laid on flat.

Will this wall be in the middle of the garden or up beside the boundary fence?

Planning permission MAY be necessary as it is a significant size L structure. You'd really need to pass it by an engineer or your local planning authority. You could take a chance and stick it up and hope nobody objects. If they did you may have to take it down.

Have you sounded it out with your neighbours?

Nekarsulm

OP did say that its gonna be an Architectural Feature, in a very private garden. He might want the look of mass.
Sold a house once, with an absolutely horrendous 20 foot high retaining wall in the back garden, holding back a hillside.
Everyone hated it, until found buyers who kept reptiles, lizards and snakes. They loved it! Perfect habitat for little lizards, seemingly!