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Retaining Wall UK


Waza

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The higher ground level is 0.80m to 0.85m above the lower ground level.

We would like to replace a retaining wall that is already there. We might go to a 1070mm height wall.

We would then like to put a 1.8m fence on top of this wall, but it could be 0.2m lower if we do the 1070mm height.

We would like to drill fence post holders into the top of the wall if possible, but want to check that is ok.

How deep must the foundations be? We are in firm clay.

How wide must the wall be? The present wall looks too thin to us. We were thinking of using 2 breeze blocks wide, 140mm each, so that is 280mm + cement. Probably with a bit of non-structural facing on the front.

Do we need anything like ties?

There are no drains etc in the area.

 

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Ok let's start at the beginning.

The existing retaining wall, why do you need to replace it. Is it failing or is it just you don't like the look of it???

What is the retaining wall holding back, a grass bank, a path, a road etc??

How do you know your in firm clay and what depth does it come in at??

Have you dug down to find the depth the existing founds are at, would be a good indicator of what depth you have to go to.

You say there are no drains there at present so what happens the water that gathers behind the wall, are there weep holes in the wall.

Do you plan on doing this DIY or will you be getting a builder in??

 

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10 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

The existing retaining wall, why do you need to replace it. Is it failing or is it just you don't like the look of it???

 

We want to put a fence on top. The existing wall looks too thin. The neighbour has a fence his side, but he built it with gaps in. He constantly is hiding in the dark behind the fence and watching us. He puts up notices on our side of his fence. He has mental health issues.

 

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What is the retaining wall holding back, a grass bank, a path, a road etc??

 

The neighbour's garden. It is a vertical bank of mud/clay.

 

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How do you know your in firm clay and what depth does it come in at??

 

We have dug down 300mm and it is still clay.

 

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Have you dug down to find the depth the existing founds are at, would be a good indicator of what depth you have to go to.

 

The existing foundations of the bit we have dug were 150mm. But as I say, we want a thicker wall to support a fence.

 

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You say there are no drains there at present so what happens the water that gathers behind the wall, are there weep holes in the wall.

 

The ground slopes gently down the line of the fence. So water should drain that way rather than into our garden. I cannot see any weep holes in the existing wall. It has been there about 30 years.

 

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Do you plan on doing this DIY or will you be getting a builder in??

 

It has got to be DIY.

 

 

Edited by Waza
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Who owns the exsisting wall you or the neighbour??

What is his fence attached to, the wall or posts sunk in the ground??

If the wall has been there 30 years it's definitely wide enough. What you see at the top won't be the same at the bottom that's buried. The wall should step down so the weight of the clay it's holding back keeps it from tipping over. 

How wide is it at the top??

Pictures would really help.

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If its sound cant you leave the existing wall in place and put some really long fence posts in front to your finished height and then just cover the lot in fencing, cheaper and easier especially if you are thinking of facing the retaining wall.

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Was typing the same answer as @lizzie..! I’d use 3m fence posts bolted to the existing wall and then fence the front of it using a rail and board. You can always make it full height and hide the wall too or stick planters in front and grow stuff up it to hide the wall section 

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1 hour ago, Declan52 said:

Who owns the exsisting wall you or the neighbour??

 

Us

 

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What is his fence attached to, the wall or posts sunk in the ground??

 

His posts go into the ground.

 

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If the wall has been there 30 years it's definitely wide enough. What you see at the top won't be the same at the bottom that's buried. The wall should step down so the weight of the clay it's holding back keeps it from tipping over. 

 

We want to put up our own fence on top. I really do not think the present wall will cope with a fence on top as well.

 

The present wall is vertical.

 

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How wide is it at the top??

 

The exiting wall is about 12 inches. 305mm.

 

I should add, the present wall is only natural stone. That is why we want to replace the structure with breeze blocks, with maybe a natural stone, non-structural facing.

 

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Pictures would really help.

 

Sadly I do not have a phone.

 

 

Edited by Waza
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43 minutes ago, lizzie said:

If its sound cant you leave the existing wall in place and put some really long fence posts in front to your finished height and then just cover the lot in fencing, cheaper and easier especially if you are thinking of facing the retaining wall.

 

Its a bit narrow.

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1 hour ago, PeterW said:

Was typing the same answer as @lizzie..! I’d use 3m fence posts bolted to the existing wall and then fence the front of it using a rail and board. You can always make it full height and hide the wall too or stick planters in front and grow stuff up it to hide the wall section 

 

I do not want a large gap between his fence and ours. He throws stuff into our garden all the time. The gap will just become a dumping ground.

Edited by Waza
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I have a massive retaining wall its over 3m high above ground my side and about 75m long. It retains about a metre and a half of soil the other side and rises up to become a 2m garden wall brick faced the neighbours side. It is a cavity wall 450wide it was designed by a structural engineer and is stuffed full of concrete and steel, it has drainage too. We are on clay, I can’t recall how deep the footings are. It cost an absolute fortune.

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9 minutes ago, lizzie said:

I have a massive retaining wall its over 3m high above ground my side and about 75m long. It retains about a metre and a half of soil the other side and rises up to become a 2m garden wall brick faced the neighbours side. It is a cavity wall 450wide it was designed by a structural engineer and is stuffed full of concrete and steel, it has drainage too. We are on clay, I can’t recall how deep the footings are. It cost an absolute fortune. I

 

Our wall only needs to be 1070 at its highest. The mud is only 850 at its highest.

 

I should add, the present wall is only natural stone. That is why we want to replace the structure with breeze blocks, with maybe a natural stone, non-structural facing.

 

We have to build it ourselves.

 

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I have a small retainer about that size on my other boundary. Its a cavity block and brick on concrete footings I would say they are about 500 deep from memory, think a bit of left over steel in there too. We have a fence on top whole thing is circa 2m high on the road side 2.5m high our side, We decided against setting the posts into the wall. We had brick piers at 3m intervals and put the posts on those. We wanted copings on the top of the wall and that didnt lend itself to fence posts being inserted in the wall. Piers were structurally better and more decorative in our case. Can see that may be overkill for a garden wall.

 

 

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Edited by lizzie
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So the existing wall is 305mm which you think is to narrow but you want to replace it with a wall that's 280mm wide?? 

It will be a lot of work to take that wall down and as you don't know what is behind it buried under the bank there is a good chance it might collapse. Then you could have a fence to replace as well. 

From the top of the wall to your neighbours fence what is the distance?? 

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1 hour ago, Declan52 said:

So the existing wall is 305mm which you think is to narrow but you want to replace it with a wall that's 280mm wide?? 

It will be a lot of work to take that wall down and as you don't know what is behind it buried under the bank there is a good chance it might collapse. Then you could have a fence to replace as well. 

From the top of the wall to your neighbours fence what is the distance?? 

 

The existing wall is all natural stone. The new wall will be two 140mm wide breeze blocks with concrete cavity, with natural stone facing. The new wall is being built for strength. Ideally to put a fence on top.

 

The bank is solid clay. We have seen it. His fence was further away from our wall, but we can show he moved his fence up to our wall. We even have film of him drilling into our wall foundation and us trying to get him to stop. We have film of us discussing with his landlord, explaining the problems. He did this a few years ago. Again, I stress he has mental health issues.

 

The top of our existing wall is lower than the top of his fence. In the critical point it is about 48inches, 1220mm.

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1 hour ago, dpmiller said:

You say the wall is yours, the fence is his; where is the boundary and how is it marked?

 

We had the existing wall built about 30 years ago. It is ours.

 

As mentioned above, his fence was further away from our wall, but we can show he moved his fence up to our wall. We even have film of him drilling into our wall foundation and us trying to get him to stop. He did not. We have film of us discussing with his landlord, explaining the problems. He did this a few years ago. Again, I stress he has mental health issues.

 

Edited by Waza
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2 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

But where *is* the boundary?

 

There is his fence and our wall. The 30 year boundry is just beyond where his fence is now, further into his garden. We are not bothered about that. We just want to build a wall with a fence on it to stop him constantly peering through his fence with gaps in and watching us every time we are in our garden.

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15 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

So the fence is in your garden then???

 

His fence is just inside our garden when defined by the 30 year old boundry line.

 

When the original wall and fence were built together 30 years ago with a different neighbour by mutual agreement, we left a gap between our wall and his fence, because we were told it was a bad idea to butt a fence right up against our wall. This new guy has mental health issues and got a kick out of moving a boundry and butting his new fence up against our wall. The landlord was involved, but would not stop him. The landlord would not stop him damaging our wall either.

 

We have film of him drilling into our wall and us asking him to stop. We have film of us asking him to stop construction until the landlord arrived, but him not doing so. We have film of us discussing this with the landlord and the landlord saying the fence is in now.

Edited by Waza
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Solicitors letter and give a deadline for the fence to be moved back. State if its not done you'll be doing it for him, via contractors, and they'll be paying for it. No messing, 30 days and not a day more. Clearly a piss-taker. Not the tenants fault, the LL is 100% responsible ( or irresponsible as the case appears ).  

Edited by Nickfromwales
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