Best blocks to use? Low "wall"

Hi All,

Just about to start digging down a bit to lay a slab of concrete to build a small wall, it's going to be open, and not contain soil as I will batton about 1/2ft from the top and put some timber down, will hold a few artificial pants and some decorative stone. So nothing heavy at all, maybe the odd spot light. Wall is going to be single skin and have the opening to allow for the 'plants', it will also will be rendered (still un-decided if I DIY, K-Rend or get someone to spray render it) but it will basically be as the picture below just not filled with soil!



Now just been looking at blocks, and there seems to be a variety of these things, I originally thought just a breeze block would be cheap and fine, but looking at the merchants now they have a selection of conrete, lightweight, solid, hollow and breeze. I actually thought breeze would be the cheapest and do the job?

Just wondering what you all reccomended for a good price and right block for the job. Will literally be exactly as the picture really! I was also going to dig down about half a metre, and get a premixed pour of concrete to lay the blocks on about 2 inches thick? Will this be suffice? Wall will be 640mm-ish in width (solid block length ways with 2 x 100mm blocks each side then obviously 10mm of mix I guess?) and about the same height as above.

Want to try get this right and also as it's the garden something I would like to try myself and feel it's a suitable place to start really. If all fails call in the pro's!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Simon

Blocks need to be concrete. Light heavy, medium or whatever but concrete. Not aircrete, celcon, thermalite or similar.

Foundations need to be twice as wide as the wall - if like the picture above that will mean two strips and not one wide strip. 100mmm deep concrete and something like 400mm deep trench - remove 300mm of soft topsoil and then 100mm of the harder subsoil

If you do fill will soil then the inner face needs to be lined with polythene or coated with a waterproofer - that job above is wrong. Also, whilst I know that kind of thing is dead "on trend" it wont last five minutes once the frost gets to the top of the wall and the splashes and algea start on the bottom.

100% never going to have soil in it, not for me, too much maintenance! Concrete block it is and I actually think that 2 strips maybe easier then in the end! Thanks for that advice! Will; help a lot!

Just saying ,people keep referring to breeze blocks on here but I don't think they are available and haven't been for some time as far as I know !
Anyway, query answered in post 2.

Leofric said:

Just saying ,people keep referring to breeze blocks on here but I don't think they are available and haven't been for some time as far as I know !
Anyway, query answered in post 2.

Click to expand...

Breeze blocks are just a general term for any building blocks, used by most people not in the trade, although as you say real breeze blocks made with coke breeze as the aggregate would be hard to find nowadays.

'Now just been looking at blocks, and there seems to be a variety of these things, I originally thought just a breeze block would be cheap and fine, but looking at the merchants now they have a selection of conrete, lightweight, solid, hollow and breeze.' - don't know what betty has seen !

Leofric said:

'Now just been looking at blocks, and there seems to be a variety of these things, I originally thought just a breeze block would be cheap and fine, but looking at the merchants now they have a selection of conrete, lightweight, solid, hollow and breeze.' - don't know what betty has seen !

Click to expand...

https://www.howarth-timber.co.uk/building-materials/blocks/aggregate-blocks

That's where I spotted it.

May I also ask the benefit of 2 channels of foundations rather than one huge slab? Other than cost, just seems a bit more of a hassle to dig 2 trenches 200mm wide quite close to each other, there will literally be a small gap still left in the middle, for digging purposes thought it maybe easier and stronger with 1 solid slab. Willing to do it if it is for the best, just a little extra time, but I have until summer I guess to get the agrden finished!

The block shown as breeze is really an AAC block.

Save some bother and it in timber?
If you want it rendered you could do cement board and render this otherwise clad it.

tomfe said:

Save some bother and it in timber?
If you want it rendered you could do cement board and render this otherwise clad it.

Click to expand...

never corssed my mind? Would it be suitable and long lasting? have a simialr finish etc?

Any examples would be great!

Not surprised people are confused looking at Howarths' definitions of types of blocks. They call blocks breeze that look like aerated concrete to me, hollow blocks that seem to be just lightweight aggregate blocks. Their clinker block they also call breeze which is more like the old breeze blocks - didn't know they still supplied them.
Medium density or heavy concrete blocks, lightweight aggregate blocks or aerated concrete blocks seem to be the more sensible main categories for blockwork. Hollow blocks have cavities.