Im new here so I apologise if this is in the wrong place.
I have been asked by two of my customers to take out a 30ft old hawthorn hedge and replace it with a mortared wall with a fence on top. The total height of the wall and fence needs to around 7ft. (3FT Wall with a 4ft Fence on top)
I am planning on keeping the wall and fence separate as it does get very windy up here and I think met posts wouldn't be a good idea.
The wall will be built using mortar and Cotswold walling stone to a height of 3ft. I am thinking of laying concrete or breeze blocks and then facing them with stone
The wall will be double faced.
Would it be best to lay a single layer of blocks to three feet and face it with stone or do you think I would need to lay a double layer of blocks back to back and then face each side. Or is that a bit of an overkill.
I have thought about just building a double sided wall without using any blocks but I am a bit wary of the stability of the wall if I do this.
If anyone has done any work like this before and doesn't mind sharing any tips or advice I would be most grateful.
Views: 184
Replies
As The wall is double faced the most logical method would be to build it entirely out of stone. It would be a very thick wall if you included a hidden inner wall of concrete block and not normal practice.
The real issue here is how to attach the fence posts as once the wind blows the fence is going to put considerable strain on the attachment points between fence and wall. You have a couple of options. You could build the posts into the wall. The disadvantage of this is the posts become part of the wall and ideally you would want the 2 elements to be independent. Also it could compromise the structure of the entire wall and over time cause the wall to lean (depends on how exposed and blowy it is).
You could attach the posts to one side of the wall. Again the strain is placed on the whole height of the wall and one neighbour arguably gets a better looking face than the other.
You could attach the posts to the top of the wall with shoes of some kind (like met posts but maybe more attractive) but fixings need to be very good and the top layer of wall will be placed under strain at the fixing points but at least it's only the top layer and not the entire wall.
However what I would do is to convince the client to have 2 or 3 inch square trellis rather than solid fence panels. They still provide considerable screening , can take a light-leaved climber to help with screening but also allow the wind through. With this method I'd fix it with shoes. The trellis should be quality and not flimsy rubbish.
Let us know what you decide
I would probably fill the centre of the wall with concrete as it was built, leaving wall ties sticking out from the stonework into the centre. Screw the fence posts into the concrete beam or find another way to fix them into it.
Care would need to be taken not to create a bulge in the stonework during concreting.
Alternatively you could fix shuttering, pour the concrete in one go and screw wall ties to it as you clad it.
Just 2 of the 30 ways you can do it I suspect!!!
Hi,
You say this is a boundary wall. In that case, as I understand it, the maximum high of a boundary is 2 metres unless adjacent to a highway when it is 1 metre (note this is from the lower side of the fence/wall). To go any higher, and 7 feet would be 2.1 metres, you would need planning permission. The height of the existing hedge is irrelevant as the hight of a hedge is not controlled by planning, there are controls on hedge hight but they are a completely different set of rules and even these do not apply to deciduous hedges.
You may be able to get around this by stepping the fence back from the wall. A mater you would need to discuss with the local planners. A far easier way would be too just drop the over all hight little down to 2 metres. It may seem a trivial amount but if someone complains you could be made to alter the fence.
If this was your job would you advise the client to apply for planning permission for the sake of 10cm especially when both neighbours are in agreement about the height (as I understand it)
One possibility would be to set concrete slotted posts in to the footing of the wall so they would run up the middle of the wall. Build up the wall around them and then you would have a very strong post for the fencing. You could clad the posts in timber to hide them and you wouldn't have to worry about rot. As Mark said you would need planning consent but put it in your terms and conditions that you are not responsible. I don't know many builders that check you have planning before they carry out work.
Let us know how you get on.
Neil Copeland said:
I agree with Benedict
I would instal concrete slotted posts using 9 foot posts concreted into the ground then build the wall around them. The posts would be individually supported as they are concreted into the ground so would not put any strain on the wall. I would then build the wall using stone and mortar infilling and gaps with concrete or mortar as I built it.
Once the panels are installed you could fix timber to the face of the concrete posts using a matching coloured timber to the panels.
Thanks to all for your comments and advice and they are most appreciated
The budget for this project is around £1000
I think im going to go for just a stone wall laid on a concrete base and insert wall ties every 2-3ft and fill the middle with concrete as I go.
I take note about the blocks and wasn't really sure if using them was a good idea. I know we have used them on retaining walls but as Neil said it would make the wall too wide for this one.
Regarding the fence I have managed to persuade both clients to go for some lattice panels instead of a closeboard fence which should help things.
I want to keep the fence separate from the wall if I can and I know fitting the lattice panels on top of the wall with met posts would probably make it look more pleasing. But I have known these to work loose over time. However if anyone has used this method and it has managed to survive strong winds please let me know and I will have a rethink.
I have thought about concrete posts built into the wall but one of them is not that keen on the idea of concrete posts.
So I think im going to get some 9ft post and put them up against the wall and then run the lattice panels through. I might be able to attach another piece of wood to the front of the post to push the panels further into the middle of wall. I have attached a picture to see what you guys think.
Any further comments on this would be appreciated
Ps. I always try avoid met-plates given leverage on old mortar/brickwork but on a new wall this is 100% the way to go IMHO
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next