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Durisol for a Garden Wall?


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Is Durisol suitable for a garden wall - say a 2m high wall enclosing a back garden, either on the boundary or as a divider?

 

In the past all sorts of materials have been used for garden walls which are then rendered over and capped at the top.

 

I am wondering if Durisol could be used for such a purpose, as it is inexpensive, fast, easily incorporates reinforcement, and is suitable for render.

 

The full above ground sections can probably be done as a single pour after an earlier pour for the foundations, and perhaps the copings can be plonked straight on top of *that*.

 

Compared with the cost of a traditional brick or stone wall, that looks attractive.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts?


Ferdinand

 

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Yes.

I am building one next week (Yeah, right) . I'll post piccies. It'll be a good place to use up our spare rebar (but there's no need for it).

 

As part of our plan, I want to create little 'slots' in the wall  to grow  wall plants and other local wall-loving bits and bobs. So during the pour, I'll drop some suitable PIR blocks in place and then spray the block so I can't forget which block contains the plastic. When it's all cured, it should be easy enough to dig out the block and plastic and then pop some grow modules in next spring.

 

I am also keen to encourage our Great Crested Newts to use bits of the wall as a hibernacular. To that end, I'll leave some rubble in one or two of the blocks and make some small holes into which they can wriggle and so have a completely safe winter snug. Those blocks will need a bit of rebar to connect them vertically and horizontally. I'll also allow a clear slot at ground level to enable them to go through it if they want to

 

Learning from the experience of building the house, I'll incorporate some metal ducting and build a few discrete lights into the wall.

 

Cost? A few mixers worth of concrete per meter for a wall 2 meters high. Cost of the blocks? 4 square meters £60. Time to build? A day, tops.

The foundation  costs more than the wall. (But has already been built)

Render? Here's how quick and easy it is (should be). Cost? Bit of sand and some cement and a soft old house brush, some elbow grease.

 

Overall price for absolutely everything for a 2 by 3  meter wall with a corner built in, lights, and hibernacular, and spaces for wall plants,  slot for a side-door: £300.

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1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

Is Durisol suitable for a garden wall - say a 2m high wall enclosing a back garden, either on the boundary or as a divider?

 

In the past all sorts of materials have been used for garden walls which are then rendered over and capped at the top.

 

I am wondering if Durisol could be used for such a purpose, as it is inexpensive, fast, easily incorporates reinforcement, and is suitable for render.

 

Compared with the cost of a traditional brick or stone wall, that looks attractive.

19 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said:

 

 

Overall price for absolutely everything for a 2 by 3  meter wall with a corner built in, lights, and hibernacular, and spaces for wall plants,  slot for a side-door: £300.

 

 

What cost would you expect for the same in blockwork and rendered?

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@Jml, I have no idea.

The above guestimate prices my labour at zero. It would also be a bit more complex to do the fiddly bits, like incorporate the hibernacular, and run an armored cable inside the wall.  A Durisol wall  is mostly concrete, and fresh air (the blocks are 65% air)

 

Discussions  about Durisol eventually focus in large part on the skill base needed to build with it. That's not to say it's complex: its the opposite. But it makes  a fair comparison of price difficult.

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The prices for having the work done I would expect - very much guestimates since my last garden wall was a barter deal.

 

9 inch brick garden wall 2m high = 2.4m high incl. 2.4m foundations incl materials. £400-500 per metre run.

 

In stone would be perhaps £600-700 per metre run.

 

Rendered breeze block In block I would guestimate £10 per sqm for blocks to be laid, £12 per sqm for materials, and £25 per sqm for render materials and labour. That is £40-45 per sqm or £150 per metre run with founds at £30 per metre. Please shoot this down as I am not familiar with the costs in detail. Coping would be on top of that.

 

By comparison stout concrete 100mm post / gravel board / vertilap (i.e. Way beyond diy shed quality) panel fence would be about £50 per metre run. Of that about 30 per metre is materials.

 

Was after alternatives that make garden walls realistic for me to have built, as I like them. I really want a cost of £200-250 per metre run for a 2m 9" wall built by somebody I employ, all in.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

 

Edited by Ferdinand
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29 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said:

 

That is more than achievable with Durisol. I suspect that other ICF walls would be roughly the same.

 

Can you tell me an approx factory gate or delivered price of the Durisol blocks without insulation eg the D250 or D170 options for a pack or 10 packs of 50 or 60 (resp.)? Aside to anyone: basic Durisol blocks are 250mm x 500mm x varying thicknesses so the coverage is 8 blocks per sqm. eg D250 is 250mm thick.

 

Getting a price out of Durisol UK is like gaining enthusiastic consent from Esther Ransome to have her teeth pulled with a doorhandle.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

Edited by Ferdinand
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Unable to obtain a price from Durisol UK, so this price list from Hungary quotes a price of 800 Forints for a D250 non-insulated block which is called a 25/16 unit. 

 

At today's exchange rate that is £2.27 per block or £20 per sqm, or £50 per metre run on blocks for a 2.4m high wall.

 

So we have based on a cost for Durisol D250 blocks at about £20 per sqm, £10 per sqm labour, and £5 per sqm concrete. 

 

Rules of thumb suggest Durisol 250mm garden wall 2.4m high (400mm below ground) with 50% concrete content at £100 pcm concrete should therefore be around £100-110 per meter run plus bits and pieces.

 

Bet UK made Durisol blocks are not £2.27 each for a D250 :D.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited by Ferdinand
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4 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said:

 

That is not on.

I will point the Durisol North rep to this thread and let them sort it out.

 

email and voicemail sent.

Ian

 

I thought they would have a list on the website, but they seem to want to price in the context of each project.

Edited by Ferdinand
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5 hours ago, recoveringacademic said:

I am also keen to encourage our Great Crested Newts to use bits of the wall as a hibernacular

Good to see that you have grown to appreciate the little critters given what you have alluded to in the past about them?

Edited by MikeSharp01
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We have always loved them @MikeSharp01. They are singularly inoffensive, beautifully marked, shy, creatures. For me, its the shapes they cast that makes them so interesting.

 

And their young....

When they gently shuffle across the kitchen floor looking for all the world like a piece of delicate jewelry, the size of a girl's  wrist charm, almost as translucent as a bit of amber, its all I can do not to pick them up.

Sid, our tomcat, sits and growls at them. Wont  even approach them

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  • 4 years later...

If you are not retaining anything, (IE just a wall) not sure you would need any rebar.  But it depends on how high wide you make it.  Download the Durisol manual and/or speak to them.

9 hours ago, Dutch said:

What size of rebar is needed ? how many per block ?

 

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