Piers v Expansion joints Blockwork wall

Kincora2017 · 16-09-2020 8:31pm #1

Hi. I’m intending to get a builder in to rebuild our 20m approx. boundary wall, in conjunction with my neighbour.
Can this be built without piers? Could we build a block on flat wall, (215mm), total height 2100mm, put expansion joints every 5m or so?
Or do we need piers, roughly every 4 metres or so?
Thanks.

Calahonda52 · 17-09-2020 8:48am

x joints and piers serve two different purposes, they are not interchangeable.
what width is the foundation going to be?
whats the soil like

Kincora2017 · 17-09-2020 9:15am

Calahonda52 wrote: »

x joints and piers serve two different purposes, they are not interchangeable.
what width is the foundation going to be?
whats the soil like

We’d be asking for foundations 3 times the width of the wall, 400 deep. So if we end up with a block on edge wall with piers we’d ask for 300mm, 600 for a block on flat. Soil is sandy clay.

Around us all the old boundary walls are block on edge, piers every 4m or so.

Calahonda52 · 17-09-2020 9:51am

The foundations for the piers need to match the piers.
Do the existing have x joints at the piers?
IMO 2100 on flat with no piers is a bit risky: old school/cautious perhaps

Kincora2017 · 17-09-2020 2:25pm

Calahonda52 wrote: »

The foundations for the piers need to match the piers.
Do the exiting have x joints at the piers?
IMO 2100 on flat with no piers is a bit risky: old school/cautious perhaps

Better to be safe then sorry!
There’s no expansion joints on the existing piers. They’re fairly crude tbh, I’d say they go back to the 70,s or further

Piers v Expansion joints Blockwork wall

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