Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - retaining wall
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dandy010101
10-12-05, 07:44 AM
Apologies if you've seen this question before but I can't find it in the archives.
I'm building a retaining wall to about 1m down the side of my house. The house is stone (about 130 years old) and the wall will be of the same character.
Can anybody give me advice on the mortar mix that I will need, or indeed any advice/links on foundation levels, wall thickness etc that I need on a wall this high - I'm planning a 450mm foundation at the moment.
I live in the UK, so predictably, it's wet most of the time...
Thanks.
I'm building a retaining wall to about 1m down the side of my house. The house is stone (about 130 years old) and the wall will be of the same character.
Can anybody give me advice on the mortar mix that I will need, or indeed any advice/links on foundation levels, wall thickness etc that I need on a wall this high - I'm planning a 450mm foundation at the moment.
I live in the UK, so predictably, it's wet most of the time...
Thanks.
Concretemasonry
10-12-05, 01:24 PM
I really don't understand your physical layout.
It sounds like you need a gravity wall, where the weight of the wall resists the horizontal load of the soil.
If you are only building a 1 meter high wall, 450 mm thick you have adequate mass and strength if you can mortar the stones together. Use what we call a Type N mortar ( 1 part sand and 1/2 to 1 1/4 parts hydrated lime or lime putty - all by volume). Use 2 1/4 to 3 times the sum of the separate volumes of cementitious materials (cement and lime) for the sand portion.
It appears your wall is stable (twice as high as wide), so your footing only needs to be slightly wider than the wall width. It should be reinforced so you can bridge and poor soil and make the wall and footing to act as a solid, rigid mass. The footing should be well below the ground level at the face of the wall.
Use a granular backfill (sand or gravel) to allow moisture to drain out from behind the wall. If necessary, use a perforated pipe behind the wall or build the wall with holes to permit the mositure to drain out of the backfill.
I don't think you have a problem with frost penetration, but you would know best.
Dick
It sounds like you need a gravity wall, where the weight of the wall resists the horizontal load of the soil.
If you are only building a 1 meter high wall, 450 mm thick you have adequate mass and strength if you can mortar the stones together. Use what we call a Type N mortar ( 1 part sand and 1/2 to 1 1/4 parts hydrated lime or lime putty - all by volume). Use 2 1/4 to 3 times the sum of the separate volumes of cementitious materials (cement and lime) for the sand portion.
It appears your wall is stable (twice as high as wide), so your footing only needs to be slightly wider than the wall width. It should be reinforced so you can bridge and poor soil and make the wall and footing to act as a solid, rigid mass. The footing should be well below the ground level at the face of the wall.
Use a granular backfill (sand or gravel) to allow moisture to drain out from behind the wall. If necessary, use a perforated pipe behind the wall or build the wall with holes to permit the mositure to drain out of the backfill.
I don't think you have a problem with frost penetration, but you would know best.
Dick