advice for novice, building 2 entrance piers

riccol1966 · 2 Jul 2007

I need to build 2 entrance piers, appx 4'6"' high, and hang a gate from them. I am planning to build in brick, each pier being 22"x22" (i.e. 2 and a half standard bricks wide). I will use reinforcing bars to give added support.

I am new to this, so these might sound like silly questions:
1) Assuming virgin ground, how deep and wide would you advise the foundations to be, bearing in mind that I will be adding concrete in each centre column to set the reinforcing bar. I don't mind going too deep, to be on the safe side?
2) Do I just pour the concrete in to the hollow directly once the piers are formed, or does it cause any problems if the concrete comes in contact with the inner brick face?
3) How many courses up would you usually put the DPC? I am thinking 2-3 above the footings, is that about right?

Thanks

Robert too · 3 Jul 2007

I would suggest you reconsider inserting a dpc , maybe use engineering bricks for a similar result

JohnD · 3 Jul 2007

When casting the foundations, it is a good idea to bridge the two holes together with a concrete sill or threshhold ( preferably reinforced). This maintains the alignment of the two piers together, and prevents them leaning (the weight of a gate, over time, tends to pull over the hinge side)

the threshold does not need to be as deep (thick) as the pits under the piers. It looks better if it is the same width.

noseall · 3 Jul 2007

lose the dpc.

when dealing with heavy gates, we have concreted in a steel girder, welded extended hinges to the girder then clad the steel in brick.

this is the only successful way to hang heavy gates to masonry.

fastneattrowel · 3 Jul 2007

noseall is right ,the dpc will make your piers weak,use metalposts like he said,hes nearly as clued up as jonny7913

riccol1966 · 4 Jul 2007

ok thanks everyone for the info on the dpc and reinforcing - thanks also for the idea of bridging the two footings together which would help with stability. Can someone give me ballpark footing depths for the 4 foot piers ? Are we talking 375mm-450mm deep, does that sound right?

denso13 · 4 Jul 2007

Yes that sounds about right. Just make sure the ground is nice and firm, if it's soft go a bit deeper.

riccol1966 · 30 Jul 2007

I am planning to centre fill the piers with some box iron for support and then infill with concrete. Does anyone know if I should use some sort of waterproof sealant on the inner face of the brick piers once I fill them with concrete. If so, bearing in mind the inner brick face is smooth, whats the best type of sealant to use for this. Anyone have any suggestions?

noseall · 30 Jul 2007

i shouldn't bother with a sealant, as it will reduce the bonding capacity of the concrete infill against the inside of the bricks.

if you're worried about the steel rusting then paint it.

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advice for novice, building 2 entrance piers

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