building a block wall

[talisker]

i don't use my garage to put a car in anymore and am going to use it as a gym, the door that is on at the moment is a roller shutter door which i'm going to leave on but put a wall behind it with a solid door in it, less drafts and more secure.

i was either going to use timber or build a block wall, the cheapest way for my to do it is with concrete blocks and my local merchant has some very cheap at only 34p each.

i've never built a wall before so was looking for a bit of advice, how do you tie the wall in at the sides.

how many rows of blocks can you lay at the same time, they are fairly heavy concrete ones.

presumably i can just put a bed of cement on the concrete garage floor and start laying them from there.

i've seen builders getting delivered ready mixed cement in a kind of plastic bucket, this seems like a good idea ,no mess etc

any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Deluks]

You should be able to just build up off of the floor, chipping away at the surface first with a hammer and bolster to give a 'key' for the mortar.

Build a pillar at each end for strength, you may be able to tie in depending on wall construction. If it's brick then get some wall starters (you will soon come to know what they are)

The conc's may be cheap but you will pay with your sweat compared to laying lightweight blocks, and due to the weight you'll only be able to go about 5 blocks high in any one session.

The delivered cement you've seen is probably lime putty, should only be used by someone who knows what they're doing.
You will need building sand (soft sand, NOT sharp), cement and mortar plasticiser (comes in 5l tubs) missed to the ratio of 5:1:splash of. AKA mortar. You can buy pre mixed building mortar in bags, just add water.

But don't rush into it, you've got some reading to do yet by the sounds of it, pick up one of Tommy Walsh's books (no really!) and search around this site and google, on how to build brick walls.

 

[talisker]

many thanks, you've given me a lot to get started on ,i'll check out that book as well

 

[^woody^]

A floor slab is not really designed to take a wall load, and so its best to minimise the weight.

So, use lightweight concrete blocks (3N) or thermalite/celcon aerated blocks.

Use wall starter ties to tie the ends to the adjacent walls and you don't need a pier

If cost is an issue then a timber frame, will be cheaper per m2

The floor is unlikely to have a DPM, and so either lay a DPC first, or if you are fitting a new floor, install a DPC at an appropriate height to tie in with the floor DPM.

If constructing a timber frame, you may need to lay one or two courses of engineering bricks first, then DPC, then fix the sole plate

Ready mixed mortar generally comes in 1/2 m3 units and you will pay a deposit for the tub. You won't need this much mortar, so it's probably not feasible to use ready mix

 

[chessspy]

Hi,
I doubt if a DPM is necessary in a garage.
The wall is best built as already said in lightweight blocks, if you want it to look pretty, then get the ones with no plaster key marks on the face.
Don't worry about Nm per M3 etc that's all bo*locks in this case.
Also you can build it all at once the 5 course thing is Bo*locks also in this case.
Tie it in at the ends abutting the exisitng walls if you wish.
Use a line and pins to keep it straight and point it up as you go.
The ready mixed motar you have seen is only really used on big sites, either buy a mixer, or do it by hand, 2 bags soft sand 1/2 bag dust, on a ply board or similar, squrt of wash up liquid in a bucket of water and away you go, make the next lot ready before you use the last and throw the water in to soak, it's easy and 10 bags of sand and 3 dust will be more than enough.
you will need 2 or three bandstands, they are £20 each, buy 'em don't hire 'em, the same goes for the mixer if you think you need it. (£150)
Unless you never plan to do any DIY again in your life.

 

[^woody^]

Hi,
I doubt if a DPM is necessary in a garage.

Don't worry about Nm per M3 etc that's all bo*locks in this case.

If he does not want damp floors and rusting gym equipment, then he should certainly consider a DPM if one is not already there.

And he should worry about Nm if he ends up being supplied the heavy 7N concrete blocks and finds that his floor slab develops a shear crack due to the heavy load, his wall drops and the training posters fall off

 

[talisker]

i never thought of the weight of the blocks affecting the concrete floor, i shall use thermal/light weights blocks then.
the wall is to go on the existing concrete garage floor which is very dry so i presumed i would not need a damp proof course.

 

[^woody^]

See how you go with the floor.

If a garage floor has no DPM, then it seems dry as moisture evaporates 'unnoticed'. Once you form a room, you alter the air humidity and other characteristics and as moisture evaporates it adds to internal humidity and causes excessive condensation in a never ending cycle - at which stage the floor stays damp

 

[Ron Gamma]

Talk to the council first. changing the garage to a gymnasium is a 'change of usage' and you may need planning permission to do it if you go down the route of installing a wall behind the existing door.

There may be covenants on the property specifying that you must provide off road parking or a garage and therefore need to be altered to allow permanent conversion.(which the internal wall will be considered to be)

 

[Shytalkz]

Do it in studwork, then he could argue that it wasn't permanent.

 

[kingandy2nd]

Make it out of timber. Much quicker and cheaper for someone without building experience or builder’s tools.

Also it will be much easier to remove when you want to sell the house, or when you get bored of the gym and wish to put the car back in there.

If you want to make it permanent then do it properly. Take the garage door out, build the wall flush with the external walls and stick a decent sized window in it.

 

[AtoZ]

seems a lot of work just to lay your clothes over the gym equipment.........................................




please dont tell me you will actually use the stuff for more than a week

nothing like gym stink
...................

i would stud it because its easy.

 

[JoshG]

Do it in studwork, then he could argue that it wasn't permanent.

I would totally agree.
When it comes to block walling theres a lot to think about and it probably would cost more in the end.
There is a weight issue obviously depending on how the floor slab is constructed.
If it is a solid raft for the garage then it would be fine to have a block wall in 3n< or themalite blocks. If it just a 6inch slab I wouldn't advise building a wall on it, I wold stick with the stud wall idea.