Garden wall

[greengrass]

I dare say some will regard this as a stupid question but one reads of walls collapsing in inclament weather.

Extending the height of a 2 ft high x 9inch x 10yd wall with no piers in at present. I want to extend the height to 5 ft is there any rule against carrying on raising the existing wall which is sound. should I incorporate piers because of the height?.

Or would it be better to demolish the existing wall and start from scratch.
I have the fear of the new section breaking away from the old. Is there any set distance and height before piers become a necessary part of a walls stability.

 

[tryingnottobeafool]

you need to work out the founds are strong enough

 

[corrie]

I only dabble in brickwork mate. If founds are good I would think a 9inch wall would be stable at 5ft high if there is no soil pressure behind it.
You could build on top. Dig out a small section and reveal the footing first. It has to be decent or could move then wall is unstable and dangerous.

If you are worried about bonding to old wall just make sure that surfaces are clean and sound. Don`t build on top of paint. Make sure you mortar onto sound horizontal substrate and build to plumb....don`t want it leaning
A few drillings for ties in the centre of wall....maybe epoxy them in.

Alex

 

[greengrass]

I dare say some will regard this as a stupid question but one reads of walls collapsing in inclament weather.

Extending the height of a 2 ft high x 9inch x 10yd wall with no piers in at present. I want to extend the height to 5 ft is there any rule against carrying on raising the existing wall which is sound. should I incorporate piers because of the height?.

Or would it be better to demolish the existing wall and start from scratch.
I have the fear of the new section breaking away from the old. Is there any set distance and height before piers become a necessary part of a walls stability.

Many thanks lads hope your having a nice christmas
Have a good new year.

 

[roughcaster]

Even if the foundations are sound enough,I would still incorporate piers to provide stability and strength just for piece of mind. With the kind of weather/winds we seem to get nowadays, you just never know. And if it's in a garden where kids play and are likely to climb onto the wall, then that in itself would convince me build piers. A 3Oft long wall, unsupported, is a fair stretch.... I wonder what Noseall thinks.

Roughcaster.

 

[noseall]

a 30ft wall at 5' high will be like a sail in the wind.

gusts of wind could actually get the wall rocking and lead to a very serious situation.

if the foundations do not go down to virgin earth and are not at least 9" (225mm) thick, then i would demolish and start again.

if i were to build a tall wall, that the customer insisted was to be no more than 9" (1 brick) wide, then i would suggest 90 degree changes of direction in order to strengthen the wall.

if changes of direction are not possible then pillars every 2.4 metres (minimum) are a must.

as said earlier, take care when connecting new to old. remove any perished or 'lifted' bricks.

 

[roughcaster]

Just what I thought Noseall would say..... That's the beauty of this Forum,first class advice from "Tradesmen"of all trades who do their job, every day,and are more than willing to share their knowledge with all.

Roughcaster.

 

[corrie]

Yes Roughcaster . Excellent forum . I have picked up a few tips on actual brickwork myself...........so much so that I am actually enjoying laying brick and building stuff for myself.....It`s great when you`re not in a hurry

Alex

 

[roughcaster]

Hang on in there Corrie, good luck to you mate.

Roughcaster.

 

[TicklyT]

If you are starting again, crinkle crankle or serpentine walls were devised to improve the stability of a wall without resorting to piers or right angle returns.

 

[corrie]

Hang on in there Corrie, good luck to you mate.

Roughcaster.

Thank you my friend. Those Crinkle walls are really quaint.

Alex

 

[noseall]

Thank you my friend. Those Crinkle walls are really quaint.

Alex

maybe so, but imagine the cost and how awkward to have to build them.

every brick would have to be laid 'on the level'.

£1.00 per brick me thinks.

 

[Thermo]

no good for a boundary wall either. As noseall says large curved walls are not cheap. Recently had this argument with a "designer" who couldnt get her head around why they cost more than a simple straight run!

 

[corrie]

Thank you my friend. Those Crinkle walls are really quaint.

Alex

maybe so, but imagine the cost and how awkward to have to build them.

every brick would have to be laid 'on the level'.

£1.00 per brick me thinks.

Yeah probably from a time gone by when labour was cheaper and a lot of time was spent on detail. Them old tradesman were good weren`t they?

Alex

 

[Thermo]

they are now as well