Footings

[knownothing]

Hi, I love this site all you guys are great!!! I am hoping you can help me with a project I’ve got to do.

I’ve got to build a wall in my garden. I have dug the footings 18m long 60cm wide 60cm deep. The building inspector said he wants reinforcing bars running along these footings.

As I am mixing the concrete by hand, I’m going to section the footings off (into what I can do in the time it takes to set). Say I’ve got three cubic sections. If I do the two outer ones, let it set overnight, then put the middle one in, I am worried that they might move independently of each other and so affect the bricks (once laid) on top. I hope that makes sense.

When I was costing all this up, one merchant said to make the two outer ones stepped, put the bars in, then just fill the middle one up. Another merchant said to do 3 blocks but put something at the joints, a sheet of silicone or something.

I hope you can help me. What should I do?

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

[nstreet]

When you say mixing by hand, do you mean with a mixer or by shovel in a wheel barrow. That a lot of hard graft if its the latter. Why not just get readymix to deliver, worth the extra few quid imo.

 

[brumylad]

yep, I've just hand mixed a floor, (1.2 tonnes of ballast) that was only 11 barrows and jees I was knackered at the finish.

18m x 600x 600mm deep ! thats gonna cost a fortune (about £500) in concrete dude.

why not 150 deep and use 2 courses of 215 wide hollow concrete blocks on top.

If you need steel reinforcment you will need to hire a vibrating poker.
Have 3 friends on hand for pouring that job and a long thick wooden plank to tamp level.

For gods sake don't try to barrow all that on your own from a ready mix wagon. If the ready mix can't be poured into the trench straight from the wagon then there are a few companies (usually spot mix) that provide barrowing labour at no extra charge. (midlands area)

 

[Thermo]

why is the building inspector involved in a garden wall?

 

[dombe]

Could be a roof garden!!

 

[bodgerjohnny]

hi new member

why is your building inspector involved ????

keep the footings level two bricks below ground level, put in four steel in each joint, expansion joints in wall itself, hire a mixer, or better still get two mates and three barrows pay the standing charge with the premix it'll take about an hour should cost about £300-£340 for the whole 4.5 M of concrete.


bye bodgerjohnny

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[knownothing]

Hi thanks for your replies. My email has been funny so I apologise for my tardiness in replying.

The building inspector is involved 'cus I did him a favour with something, so he is advising me, even though the wall isn't part of the house.

As I was asking around about this, no-one really seemed to know, so I got the concrete from a company who mixed it there-and-then and me and a lad barrowed it in. I was aware of pumps but that doubled the price, until one company said that they had a lad who would help etc. Brilliant! I admit it would've been a lot to do by hand.

So my next question is: how long before I can start laying bricks on it?