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#11 2scoops

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 11:21 AM


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#12 TheGreenMachine

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 11:35 AM

Hi Slippery,

I've been out this morning making some measurements. It turns out my buidling skills are not my finest feature lol.

 

Firstly it appears the slabbed area isn't truly level. There's a slight gradual slope from left to right which is making matters worse.
At the lowest point, the footings are as much as 3 inches below the level of the slabs. At the higher end it's about 2 inches.

If I were to pour concrete to a true level, one end of the footings would be level to the top of the slabs but the other end would be around an inch or so below them.

 

Where I'm having the problem is with this:

I've got a tree that sits right at the end of the slabbed area. It's about 2ft in from the footings.
To build a wall at the end of the slabs means I've got to put a break in the wall and carry on the other side of the tree.
I was planning on building the wall on to the slabs about a foot back from the leading edge so the tree will be in front of the wall. The the wall would carry on at 90 degrees along the footings which should be level with the top of the slabs for the wall to carry on.

I should point out that I'm not using run of the mill slabs here. These are big dense 3ft x 2ft concrete buggers that are about 2 inch thick and weigh as much as an engine. The leading edges of the slabs to be built on have also been underpinned with concrete and filled right up to the level of the slabs for extra strength. Oviously with the footings not being where they should or level in relation to the slabs it's going to be difficult to build along the slabs and meet the footings which should be meeting the slabs at a right angle.


I was thinking about using those hollow concrete blocks but was advised the 7N Dense concrete blocks would offer better strength and frost resistence so I went ahead and ordered 150 of them.
Another issue is because of the tree, I can't build out away from the edge of the slabs so I've had to come back in from the edge BUT I've only got 1ft of slab space between where the building will be and the edge of the slabs.


I'll grab some pics shortly which will make it clearer. :)









 


Edited by TheGreenMachine, 21 May 2016 - 11:37 AM.

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#13 TheGreenMachine

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 12:00 PM

This'll make it easier to explain.

I've tapped in some new level pegs into the footing to the level of the slabs and these pics illustrate the problem better than I can explain it.

One end of footing...
Attached File  SDC13075.jpg   357.58KB   0 downloads

 

The other...
Attached File  SDC13077.jpg   431.65KB   0 downloads

 

This is how I want to run the wall so I can avoid the tree without having to build the wall after the tree or put a break in the wall to accomodate the tree.
Attached File  SDC13079.jpg   560.36KB   0 downloads

 

I've got about a foot back from the edge of the slabs to play with.


Edited by TheGreenMachine, 21 May 2016 - 12:02 PM.

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#14 Mrs Willy

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 12:51 PM

Looks like you have had a good go at it.

Id be thinking.. ahhh sod it.. that will do.., im gonna get stoned all day and have a few cans in front of the telly.

 

Nowt wrong with wonky walls either.

 

original_Great%20Wall%20of%20China-cmacc

 

 


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#15 Funky

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 02:33 PM

If the cold joint is in the foundations, then don't worry about it. Just pour in more cement and rely on gravity to hold it all down. Don't try to bring it level with the cement for fixing the slabs. Big heavy slabs will sink into wet cement.

The retaining wall isn't that high. Well fixed concrete blocks will be enough.

What is that black cable in the first photo. What is it for?

Also a sunken patio sounds nice but make sure water has somewhere to drain. I don't think you considered any drainage in your plans. This could be your biggest mistake.
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#16 Slippery

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 03:57 PM

I'm not sure I'm following you really TGM,

The slabs can just stay out of level, as Funky says, they needto drain to somewhere.

The difference in the founds isn't so bad, you can either pour more or "muck up" on one or two beds, if it's underground, just do one course and nobody will know!!


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#17 TheGreenMachine

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 04:17 PM

LMFAO @ Mrs Willy... That's how it's looking hahaha

Cheers lads. I've been back out at it again.

Sorry Slippery, I'm not that good at explaining stuff in writing.

What I'm doing is building the start of the wall on the slabs themselves and then continuing out on to the footings, all along the footings and back onto the slabs on the other side - so I wanted the footings flush to the level of the slabs just to make it easier when I come off the slabs onto the footings and back onto the slabs again. Just so the mortar bed isn't thicker in places than others really. It was beginning to look to me like I would have one end of the wall higher than the other which would look like the wall is sloping noticably.

I've completely given up using the spirit level and pegs idea cos it just ends up wonky and looks wrong. I've levelled it all up to the slabs and by eye it looks 1000% better. That's the problem with my garden, it's so crazy that by eye is better than a spirit level :(
Anyhoo, today I laid down a bed of red sand and cement slurry with some fine ballast and brushed that into the existing concrete with a soft brush so it gets in all the nooks and crannies. I laid that bed about 1cm thick. Then I mixed up more normal concrete and poured it over and levelled it out to how I think it should look.

I'm more happier now about there not being such a massive gap and am confident I can correct any levelling probs up in the blockwork.

Regarding drainage, you guys are right. I have and I haven't thought about it. The slabbed area is sat on a thick bed of ballast and sand about 2 inch deep and slopes back away from the garden where the bed gets deeper. A soak away if you like.
I've been keeping an eye on how it's dealing with the rains and so far it doesn't look too bad but that doesn't mean it wont go bad.... I did think about running some waste pipe from the guttering of the buildings to the nearest manhole but then I found out putting in drainage like that would require planning.

Also that big fat black cable is a section of armourd cable and it's now burried in the footings. I'm going to be fitting recessed wall lights and spot lights into the retaining wall in the area where you would decend the steps. The armoured cable will go off to an IP / waterproof rated junction box to supply power eventually.

 



 


Edited by TheGreenMachine, 21 May 2016 - 04:22 PM.

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#18 Slippery

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 08:12 PM

Sounds like you have it sorted bud.

I don't do much in the way of landscaping and bricklaying as I am a joiner by trade, but do most other trades as well.

 

So it's a chill out zone for a warm evening with a bud and suds?


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#19 TheGreenMachine

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 09:03 PM

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

@Slippery - the slabbed area is having a wooden structure built on it mate. It's going to be a big man cave. The doors open out into that dug out area which will also be slabbed and have a bench along the wall furthest from the steps, some recessed lighting etc.
I might even put in four large posts and have a light apex roof type structure above it like a porch or something extending from the roof of the man cave above the door and out a short way so its covering the seating area so you can sit in there while it's raining too.

On one of the upper soil levels I've just built up and levelled off I'm wanting to put in a proper patio area in under the tree with some sort of waterfall type feature. So you'll come down the path from the house and it'll sort of be split level. Patio, benches and waterfall area on the right then steps down to the man cave with a porched seating area. The planned patio area under the tree gets just a nice amount of sun in the evening as it's going down. I've tried to maximise the best angles in the garden for all occasions. Shady, dry, sunny.

AND... not forgetting the obligatory hidden stealth grow room - of course ;)
 


Edited by TheGreenMachine, 21 May 2016 - 09:04 PM.

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#20 Slippery

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 11:29 PM

Cool as, the things you can invent with a joint eh? ;)

 

Don't forget your dampcourse! One on the horizontal after you come out of the ground on the low side and a vertical one on the soil side.

 

(Imagine an L or even a C shape with it's back to the soil)!

Then you have a much more comfortable seat to smoke a bud :D


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