Can you say "Retaining Wall????"

[phartman]

The old ones lasted 70 years. Decided to hire an architect and do it right. What a job. Bigger than I thought it was going to be. I thought the footer was headed to China.

 

[engineer2]

Looks nice! For it to last, the footer has to be below the frost line, drains have to provide hydraulic pressure relief, and tie-backs maybe need to anchor it in the soil. Most people don't realize water and rain causes soil to move slowly over time and it will flow downhill with tremendous force.

 

[Dragster Racer]

We are planning one about that size soon. We are going to pour and using a pattern to resemble stone. These things can turn out terribly expensive for sure.

 

[IDASHO]

Not bad!


Projects like that ALWAYS seem to be much bigger than anticipated.


My stemwall for the lower section of my garage foundation is more than 8' tall.

Here is my wife showing it off, after back fill. The bottom of the footing it roughly 4' below her feet

 

[poppop]

How is the water getting out of that wall?I only see two weep holes there in the walls radius.They are on a six foot center in my area.

 

[phartman]

Weep holes every 5-6 feet, french drain behind, gravel encapsulated, downspouts routed through the wall wherever possible. It is quite the engineering project. Capped with stone.

 

[Wingnut65]

Nice work. Sounds like they calculated for the frost line and water relief. Yes, they may be expensive, but not having them can cost even more...

jeff

 

[billspit]

By hiring and architect and "doing it right", I hope that means he managed the construction too. We dsign many retaining walls. The ones that fail do not have us observing the construction.

 

[phartman]

billspit, the architect is also my neighbor!

 

[78Bird]

Then you know where to go to gripe

 

[bluesman2a]

sure, I speak wall.
pshaw...
come back and see me when you break the 100^3 yards of concrete... Or when you can see it from space.

Or when you gotta bring in one of these:

This was one of my first building projects, and MAN did I learn a LOT... 139' long, up to 10' high, 12" thick, with double mats of rebar. Had I known then what I know now...

 

[billspit]

billspit, the architect is also my neighbor!

Good for you. I guess he kept an eye out for you.

 

[IDASHO]

Or when you gotta bring in one of these:

My shop build wasnt huge, but it certainly made it easier to use a pumper.

I used the pumper for the footings, 12 yards total if I recall correctly.

And I used up 16 yards grouting the stemwall blocks.

 

[e-tek]

Meh..... typical American overkill....

Up here we just use our stones.

 

[Justanoldguy]

Here in New Zealand, we use timber...

 

[VT-WHEELIN]

I hope the OP used "geo grid" or the like for the tremendous loads the earth puts on a wall that high. I see the Weep holes which are good but i dont see any tie backs or "geo grid"

The wall looks great i like the brick

 

[bluesman2a]

Meh..... typical American overkill...

damn straight... isn't that why we're here? I mean who here ISN'T guilty of a little overkill?

I do remember "that discussion" with the engineer spec'ing the wall... \
Me: So 10" thick would get it hunh?
eng: yes.

me: so would 12" thick with double rebar mats cause any problems?
eng: no.

me: so would you recommend any dead-men in the wall?
eng: you don't need them.

me: so you're recommending a drain-tile at the base or weep-holes every 10 feet, any problems putting in both?
eng: you don't have to have both, but it won't hurt anything.

me: so if you were building a wall that you would never have to f-with for the rest of your life, how would you do it?
eng: oh... yeah all that stuff.

overkill? abso-frikken-lutely, and twice on Sundays.

 

[PassnThru]

Weep holes every 5-6 feet, french drain behind, gravel encapsulated, downspouts routed through the wall wherever possible. It is quite the engineering project. Capped with stone.

I wouldn't have done that brick since it doesn't appear on the house. Having said that, obviously I would have been wrong. It looks great and goes really well with the house.

 

[Ironcrow]

overkill? abso-frikken-lutely, and twice on Sundays.

You bet! That's why my retaining wall (15 feet, stepped back and another 9 ft) has twice as much concrete and 4 times the iron as the engineer came up with. And that's the flimsy wall. The other one I built really strong

 

[phartman]

PassnThru, you raise a pretty interesting point with the brick. The house is brick that has been painted. However, they are concrete bricks on the house, not clay bricks. Dunno where the builder found them in 1940, but no matches were available. The wall that this one replaced was constructed of the concrete bricks. No footer, no weepholes, no reinforcement, no nothing. Lasted nearly 70 years.

I picked this brick because it has a little rougher surface to it and hoped it would grip the paint better. I will prime and paint the wall in another couple weeks.

Opinions on painting brick??? I was thinking about using Glidden Gripper Primer, unless somebody has better suggestions. The finish coat will match the house color, same as the wall these replaced.

 

[Torque1st]

Personally I would not paint it, the brick looks good as it is. If you had to paint it you could have just used concrete. You paid for brick so why cover it up? You could use some sealer on it. If you paint it you will be painting it over and over and over...

I prefer natural, maintenance free, surfaces.

 

[PassnThru]

Personally I would not paint it, the brick looks good as it is. If you had to paint it you could have just used concrete. You paid for brick so why cover it up? You could use some sealer on it. If you paint it you will be painting it over and over and over...

I prefer natural, maintenance free, surfaces.

I have to agree. I hate to see anyone paint brick. It looks great as is and would be less maintenance left the way it is

 

[larry_g]

I would like to see the old painted wall to help make the decision on paint. Have you considered some brick colored trim on the house? I would suggest that you live with it through the summer and if it still is not to your liking then paint next fall. If it is really ugly the neighbors will tell you.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Justanoldguy]

Paint it to match the house as you intended.
You have to live there.
Not anyone else.

 

[Torque1st]

If you skip the paint you will have more time to play in the shop...

 

[phartman]

Well now, I'll have to think about this...we just assumed we'd paint it just like the one it replaced. I guess we could leave the brick exposed, but that would be the only exposed brick around the house (or on the house for that matter). Hmmm. Dunno now.

 

[mjozefow]

You have never had to strip paint off of brick have you?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Personally I would not paint it, the brick looks good as it is. If you had to paint it you could have just used concrete. You paid for brick so why cover it up? You could use some sealer on it. If you paint it you will be painting it over and over and over...

I prefer natural, maintenance free, surfaces.

over and over and over and over and over and over....................

Looks much nicer just like it is, cheaper too.

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I guess we could leave the brick exposed, but that would be the only exposed brick around the house (or on the house for that matter). Hmmm. Dunno now.

So......... a little brick, a lot of brick, it looks NICE like it is. Saves you some money too.

Charles

 

[PassnThru]

Hmmm. Dunno now.

Our job here is done - we have planted that seed of doubt
Seriously, it's your house. At the end of the day, it really comes down to what you think and what you like. Try taking the picture and putting it in a editing program and 'painting' the brick. You can get a side by side that way.
Of course, I like it the way it is. I also, so I've been told, have the taste of a blind orangutan.

 

[Will S.]

OK, if you're interested in opinions, I have to tell you that I think it looks really nice the way it is. I was actually surprised when you said you were going to paint it. I think the natural brick adds just the right amount of contrast to the house, and adds to the curb-appeal of the property.

 

[Torque1st]

That is a beautiful brick wall. It is well made with a good brick and a natural stone top to match the other natural stone surfaces. It would be a shame to cover it and the artisan's work with paint.

Look at all the time and money you will save.

I don't understand how you ended up with my trash can...

 

[phartman]

Gee, guys, you've helped me out. I had planned to spend this weekend painting the wall. Seeds of doubt have indeed found fertile ground. I think I'll go for a cruise instead....the paint can wait. I'll study on it.

 

[monte433]

I think it looks great the way it is, in my area we would have to seal it thats about the only thing I would consider putting on brick.
As somone already said it adds a nice contrast to the rest of the house.

 

[jgoglick]

I would paint it. Being a different color, they really stand out from the house. I would want them to blend in. After all, the house is the focal point, not the retaining walls. I really like your house - very charming,

 

[phartman]

Update on the retaining walls and the other hardscapes. Yup, we painted them, bordered with shrubs and loved 'em up a little. Project turned out great. Really glad we did it. Here are some pics:

 

[Ironcrow]

You did the right thing. Looks great!

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I like raw brick and wood, but unless it was chosen to match or compliment existing materials, it looks out of place. The wall looks better that it matches the house. Once it is painted, it always stays painted though. None of this going back and forth.

Looks great!

 

[58Yeoman]

Looks great painted. Good job.

 

[tonycastec]

There is a much easier alternative to conventional masonry retaining walls. Check out "segmental interlocking blocks" I used them recently and it was so much easier than the conventional block retaining wall: http://www.allanblock.com/photoalbu...ex.aspx?ta=5&photo=on&Product=rt#.T3kdutVxFuY
The other helpful 'new' product is "permeable concrete " a.k.a. pervious concrete for driveways and patios. I used it and it works very well:http://www.allanblock.com/photoalbu...ex.aspx?ta=5&photo=on&Product=rt#.T3kdutVxFuY