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25th July 2006, 03:47 PM #1Senior Member
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Retaining Walls & Excavation advice
Ok - my house is getting excavated soon. Here is a diagram of my house attached. The area where the lines are are where I need to get it cut. I am on a slant upwards to the backyard so will need to put in some fair retaining walls.
My 2 questions are:
1) Should I cut the site all the way to the end of the block on the right hand side. If I dont it will mean it will higher on that side but I figure I could do some landscaping and make it look good. Or I could juts cut it all the way to the fence?
2) Retaining Walls - whats the best way to do it...timber sleepers or is there a product that I can buy (I saw someone mentioned Keystone).
Thanks Cobber
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25th July 2006, 04:14 PM #2
More info required:
Type of soil
Height and angle of cut face
presence of groundwater - enemy#1 for walls
Amount of runoff of rainwater from ground above cut, including neighbours.
As to the shape of the cut, the more you dig the more it will cost, but the wall will be about the same area=same cost. Al depends on the final use of your yard - how do you want it to look?
Piccies would help too.The only way to get rid of a [Domino] temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde
.....so go4it people!
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25th July 2006, 04:44 PM #3
You forgot the shed.
If you can do it - Do it! If you can't do it - Try it!
Do both well!
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25th July 2006, 04:55 PM #4
In most areas retaining walls over 1m will need engineering approval/plans etc
Dont use timber if its a permanent feature as it will rot eventually and will need replacing. The Boral and C+M brick retaining wall systems are pretty good (I used C+M Ab Aussie blocks and was very happy)
http://www.cmbrick.com.au/retain.html
Again in most areas Im pretty sure you cant cut right to the boundry fence without approval... could be wrong on that one thoughI want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.
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25th July 2006, 05:04 PM #5Originally Posted by JDubThe only way to get rid of a [Domino] temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde
.....so go4it people!
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25th July 2006, 08:59 PM #6Senior Member
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Thanks everyone. I dont have photos yet. Part of the cut is low but the part in white would be a 750mm cut I reckon. If you look at the document attached I will not cut it all the way to the fence meaning I will need to put steps in and that area to the right and also to the north will be higher than the cut area which will be a deck or paving. Its confusing I tell you. I will need to put in aggy pipes etc for the drainage as well. aaagghhh
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25th July 2006, 09:06 PM #7Senior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
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By the way whats the cost of these retaining walls at CM Brick
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25th July 2006, 09:24 PM #8
I used this. It's not cheap but it's forever.
http://www.australbrick.com.au/vic/p...0_linkwall.php
The heavy vertica blocks are 50kg each !If at first you don't succeed, give something else a go. Life is far too short to waste time trying.
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25th July 2006, 09:42 PM #9Senior Member
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- Feb 2006
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- Brunswick West
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I reckon I might go for treated pine and H pieces for a retaining wall....should be cheap hopefully...what do you think. Anyone done this recently.
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25th July 2006, 09:46 PM #10
It depends on how long you want it to last.
If at first you don't succeed, give something else a go. Life is far too short to waste time trying.
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25th July 2006, 10:53 PM #11
I would not build it out of pine unless you are keen on doing it again,
boral heathstone - see my posts about it - good solution and fairly good value I think treaded pine is an expensive way of doing it because it will have to be replaced
Tom
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25th July 2006, 10:59 PM #12
Oh and the heathstone are a true vertical stacker and are ok to 800mm without engineering and weigh 25kg which is bloody heavy.
Don't know how you would go about using those 50kg ones I am flat out
moving the 25kg ones in any volume. I put 300 blocks down for my walls
and had to move them by hand from the front to the back of the house and then place them in the bottom course and level them in all directions over and over again .....
Tom
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25th July 2006, 11:55 PM #13Originally Posted by tcns
Cobber,you should go to the brickworks and look at the displays they have set up.If at first you don't succeed, give something else a go. Life is far too short to waste time trying.
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26th July 2006, 12:10 AM #14
Cobber
what sort of dirt are you excavating?
what are your local council's requirements? arround here you need Council approval for what you propose and Council's regs sort of set the bench mark.
as to your commentI will not cut it all the way to the fence meaning I will need to put steps in and that area to the right and also to the north will be higher than the cut area which will be a deck or paving. Its confusing I tell you. I will need to put in aggy pipes etc for the drainage as well.
ian
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26th July 2006, 03:50 PM #15Senior Member
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- Brunswick West
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I assume the dirt is clay. Ive got the Soil Report at home but just quickly looked over it. At this stage I am budget conscience so I believe (correct me if Im wrong please) that treated pine will be the way to go. I will need to get the drainage right of course.
If it last 10 years then thats fine...that gives me 10 years to worry about something else and by then I will be able to afford to pay more for another better retaining wall.
My old man reckons he know what to do using sleepers and steel H bars...concrete the H bars in the the ground and then just throw the sleepers on....when they rot just pull them out and replace them........
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