Non-motoring > Removing brick wall Miscellaneous
Thread Author: BobbyG Replies: 13
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 11:09 
 Removing brick wall - BobbyG
Friend has bought a house - has sloping driveway with small wall at side. Maybe about 5m length or so and the wall steps down twice over the length. Wall is at its highest, about 5 bricks high. Wall is topped off with a coping stone.

Friend cannot actually open car door on driveway because of this wall so is wanting to reduce the height. Other side of wall is non sloping front lawn so the wall is acting as a retainer for the sloped driveway.

I am thinking the "easiest" way is to take the coping stone off and then try and "knock" the bricks out individually until the whole lot is, effectively, one brick high at any point thus keeping the support of the driveway but facilitating the car door to open over it.

Is this possible and if so what is easiest way? I am thinking stihl saw to go down between the bricks and cut away? Or would a SDS hammer drill be able to do the same job?

I did suggest a good sledgehammer but she is wanting it left neat until she gets some money put by to be able to get someone in to do a proper job.

In photo below it is the section between the plant pot and front door that is the relevant part.

i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k485/Bobbyg69/Driveway/Driveway_zps3b6e1178.jpg
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 11:17 
 Removing brick wall - Bigtee
If you cut it with the Stihl saw from the garden side you may get it low enough to remove it without going into the drive.

Id use my lump hammer as that is a very small wall and hardly retaining anything.
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 11:19 
 Removing brick wall - Fenlander
Easy. Remove coping, bolster chisel and lump hammer will flip off each layer of bricks you want to lose then set coping stone back on for a neat job and to stop water/frost getting in.
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 11:19 
 Removing brick wall - Zero
You wont need to cut down between the bricks, if it were me I would reach in my garage and take out my wide cold chisel and lump hammer and take it apart brick by brick. Couple of good bangs with chisel on each mortar line will have it away.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 17 Jan 13 at 11:20
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 11:45 
 Removing brick wall - BobbyG
Mmm that would certainly make it easier - am sure amongst the stuff that I still have from when my extension was being built are some chisels and lump hammers......

would certainly be worth a starter for ten.........
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 14:11 
 Removing brick wall - crocks
I agree that a hammer and bolster is the way to start.

In the photo some of the copings look displaced and the plant pot appears to be positioned where some bricks have already been removed. So the mortar may be really soft and just an ordinary hammer may suffice. Or you could start with a kick from a size 9 workboot!
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 17:34 
 Removing brick wall - Zero
I'd doing the knocking off from the garden side, if you starting banging from the drive side the whole lot might tip over from a point lower than you intended!
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 14:10 
 Removing brick wall - No FM2R
A lump hammer and cold chisel is the way to go.

However, looking at that wall I think that the wall has deteriorated and won't take it - i suspect that you'll knock a few bricks free and then others will start coming off and unsticking.

So you'd going to be needing some cement......
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 14:42 
 Removing brick wall - zookeeper
just tap the bricks with a lump hammer they should lift pretty easy if the compo's gone crumbly, if it was me id whip the lot up and start again using the old bricks and slopes ( coping stones)
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 17:32 
 Removing brick wall - Mapmaker
Bobby, why not set fire to it?
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New Thu 17 Jan 13 19:03 
 Removing brick wall - BobbyG
I didnt give you the frowny!
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New Fri 18 Jan 13 10:16 
 Removing brick wall - MD
If you do intend to use a Knockometer to have it over then do so from an end and NOT from either side.
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New Fri 18 Jan 13 11:23 
 Removing brick wall - BobbyG
Good thought MD, you should consider a job in this type of business..........
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New Fri 18 Jan 13 16:54 
 Removing brick wall - zookeeper
haha, knockometre..aint heard that saying for a while....also used on sites ive been on is ' birmingham screwdriver' an ammers an ammer at the end of the day
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