Levelling Brickwork

[Clive McF]

Hi All,
I'm about to build a brick retaining wall on concete footings. The footings run out about 30mm from horizontal over their length. I need to level this out in the first course of bricks. Simplest way I guess is to use the mortar bed, but this would mean it would be about 40mm thick at the lowest point, which might be too thick? On the other hand I don't want to try and shave a few mm off a load of bricks. All advice very welcome.
Cheers, Clive.

[DanM]

Clive

40mm is fine, let the mortar go off a bit longer before you lay your brick, so as not to sink. How high is your retaining wall? I ask because if it is too high in ground that moves you might have to incorperate piers or go to blockwork.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

There's another option, if the founds are below ground level and backfill will cover the lower courses. (I know, I know... but I've seen it done on a lot more than one occasion!)

Run the first course with a 10-15mm fall, then make up the difference on the next. 'Tis not as pretty but brings the beds back to more reasonable/workable sizes.

Or you could simply grind down the courses over the whole height of the wall. A few mm here, a few there. It's surprising how few people pick up on it, short of actually using a level to check. ;)

[Clive McF]

...How high is your retaining wall? I ask because if it is too high in ground that moves you might have to incorperate piers or go to blockwork.


There's another option, if the founds are below ground level and backfill will cover the lower courses. (I know, I know... but I've seen it done on a lot more than one occasion!)...

Thanks for the help guys. The wall will be max 900mm high, sits on 650 x 350mm concrete footings in medium clay (class M). You think this will be OK? Because of the ground levels the top of the first course will be visible along most of the wall so I need it to be level by then.

[DanM]

In your street/area are there any other brick retaining walls, brick fences, brick mail boxes. Check them out, if they have crack and moved there is a good chance yours will too. 900mm high retaining soil, there is a a bit of weight there and if it is falling away from your house water will be there too, have you thought of drainage?

[johnc]

I'm no bricklayer but 40mm sounds a bit much for a mortar bed. You could do a slate sandwich, lay run of mortar, bed a piece of slate second mortar run then first course of bricks. Never laid a brick in my life, but it is how we packed up to level stone blocks and it certainly never failed on that type of work.

John

[encino_]

What about laying a new layer of concrete over the top to obtain level first?

[DanM]

No need to reinvent the wheel! 40mm is fine, bit more cement to the compo mix and dont forrow the bed and let it go off before laying the next course.

[vsquizz]

What about laying a new layer of concrete over the top to obtain level first?

Best choice.

40mm may not be fine as the length of the wall is not stated.

[DanM]

The lenght of the wall has nothing to do with it! if the wall is 10m long u will bed it up 40mm at the low end, if it is 100m long u will bed it up 40 mm at th low end.

[vsquizz]

The lenght of the wall has nothing to do with it! if the wall is 10m long u will bed it up 40mm at the low end, if it is 100m long u will bed it up 40 mm at th low end.

I was referring to trying to make the difference up with the courses. If the wall is only 2m long it wont look healthy. I only build retaining walls for a living.

[DanM]

Lot of work making them up in courses, do u make any money building retaining walls.

[Clive McF]

Thanks everyone. The wall will have weep holes and will be drained by 100mm ag line in blue metal - I'll backfill with rubble. I've got a wall which goes up to 1.3m high built to these specs about 5 yrs ago and no problems so far, so I'm hoping 0.9m will be OK.

I wondered about packing with slate etc (I once demolished a wall which used fibro to level the courses - not sure this is best practice...) but if mortar alone will do the job then I'll take the easy option thanks.

Problem with a levelling layer of concrete is that it'd have to be only a few mm thick at the high spot, and I've never had much luck with thin layers of concrete (cracking, flaking etc), even using Bondcrete etc.

The wall will be about 8.5m long, but the high point is in the middle and the top of the first course will be visible so I'd much prefer to level it out in this course.

[Terry1]

Hello Clive,
I suppose you can do what most of the fellows are saying but as a bricklayer we would just machine cut the bricks as needed.I've probably cut hundreds of bricks,pavers etc over the years for people who just drop in on the job and ask, but I'm in a country area and it's probably different in the city.
Terry

[vsquizz]

Lot of work making them up in courses, do u make any money building retaining walls.

Good Lord no....we like the pothole we live in and the dirt for breakfast is great:rolleyes: ...

[Clive McF]

Hello Clive,
I suppose you can do what most of the fellows are saying but as a bricklayer we would just machine cut the bricks as needed.I've probably cut hundreds of bricks,pavers etc over the years for people who just drop in on the job and ask, but I'm in a country area and it's probably different in the city.
Terry

You're most likely right Terry: can imagine the response if I rocked up to a building site here with a bootful of bricks and a pleading smile (maybe a full esky would help). Other option is to hire a brick saw but of course this adds to the time/cost/hassle...