My front garden wall is 16 years old. The pillars are maybe 4 ft high and the bits between are curved, in fact almost identical to this www.priceyourjob.co.uk/garden-wall-cost/
The end pillar and the three or four feet along from it are a bit wobbly. I can see the cement cracked about 4 bricks down, which then zigzags to the bottom of the pillar which is wobbly on the ground. The next pillar still feels sound.
Do we think someone will be able to repair it or will the whole thing require replacement?
It's only about 1/4 of the wall affected, or less, so I don't really want to replace the whole thing but SWMBO says we need to get it done quick before it falls over and kills someone's child or chihuahua.
Is there a way for a pro (i.e. not me!!) to put strengtheners in, or anything like that? I (obviously) know nothing about brickwork!!
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Can you match the bricks? I suppose it might be possible to repair it and it would certainly be possible to part-rebuild it but even if you could get them to clean up the old bricks the new jointing will be fairly obvious.
Garden walls are expensive. I made a big mistake by clearing away my neighbour's falling down wall when we cleared our site - I am on the hook to replace about 10/12 metres of single skin wall (which is why it was falling down), but he wants to build back better with a 17 metre 9"/3' wall with supporting piers, so he's contributing.
The costs in your link look too low to me. Decent looking bricks start around 80p each now (and can be in short supply). I was paying £250 a day (Hertfordshire) for brickies and £150 a day for the bloke knocking up the 'muck'. I paid for the sand and cement. Walls also need a footing, although yours might be OK. Quantity-wise, if you needed to replace it you need to buy 120 bricks per square metre for a 9" wall.
Your difficulty might be finding someone good to do it. Skilled hands are in demand and would usually rather do straightforward building work than fiddly repairs. Look for a jobbing builder who does small jobs rather than complete builds, and whose own trade is bricklaying. I'd try the local FB group for recommendations.
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Thanks. I also thought those prices look low - about 1/3 of what I was expecting! Though I found the page more to show the design than the cost.
I'd sooner not spend too much on it really but I don't want it falling down in no time. We had a couple of lads round last year from a FB group who were brickies by trade IIRC, so we've now made contact and one is coming to look tomorrow.
I wonder if they could more or less just lift the loose lumps out, rebuild the pier in whatever way is necessary, then put the lumps back, thus less new bricks involved ( = cheaper and less disruptive).
I'm also wondering what's made it go. I expect it can be all sorts of things but I've mentioned here before (I think) about feeling the house vibrate when a large truck or bus goes by, and I'm wondering if that's contributed - though the vibration is not confirmed by anyone else yet.
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I would suspect that the mortar to that part of the wall was suspect. At best you could hope that the mortar there was weak because they were running out of stuff and "stretched the mix" at worse it could all be suspect and the rest is waiting to break up.
you can save money by dismantling the wall and cleaning the bricks yourself, then find a brickie prepared to do he job at the w/e for cash. Hire a mixer and prepare the muck yourself for him.
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You mention 'zig zags'. If that's in mortar it can be indicative of movement in the foundations which may have been not been thick enough at the time of construction or general landslip, compaction or road vibration could have caused movement.
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Repairing the wall by patching will be a short term move. Depends if that bothers you.
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>>I would suspect that the mortar to that part of the wall was suspect. At best you could hope that the mortar there was weak because they were running out of stuff and "stretched the mix" at worse it could all be suspect and the rest is waiting to break up.
Chances are it's either movement or it's had a knock. Mortar is supposed to be weaker than the bricks, it has no tensile strength for design purposes.
My gateway had brick piers with a farm gate. Somebody gave the latch-post a tap and of course it broke the mortar right through. The boss wants the brick piers reinstating but I've dissuaded her, somebody is bound to hit one soon after. I'm putting 7" farm gate posts in.
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Now does the Mortar bind the bricks together or keep them apart:-)
BTW. Take the wall down and re-build by the sounds of it and check the depth/stability of the foundations.
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Take it down and grow a hedge.
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Took down the hedge to grow a wall :-)
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I'm finding it hard to get someone in even quote... And the problem is, not knowing much myself I can't really be comfortable that a brickie is understanding and addressing the problem properly.
Anyway, how about this for a theory?
While I'm not trying to do it on the cheap I am thinking if they just rebuild what's there as it is now, and if it is caused by vibration, which seems likely, then sooner or later I'll be doing it again.
The broken piece of wall amounts to about 75 bricks, all of which seem well held together except one fracture line separating them from the rest of the wall, and the ground. Putting aside the weight (which I've just looked up and could be around 200kg so maybe this is a daft idea!!), if the broken bit of wall could be removed and laid down intact, the old mortar chipped away, a new layer put in and then put the piece back in, would that work, and give me another few years?
Alternatively - the pillar is only two bricks per layer - would a larger pillar be good, maybe with a hole down the middle filled with cement?
And/or is there a way of putting a rod into the ground and up the middle to prevent damage by vibration or would that just amplify it?
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Send me pics to my email addy. Both sides as detailed as possible. There may be a solution.
Best,
Martin.
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Thanks, you have mail!! :-)
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www.littlegreenbook.co.uk/area/reading/bricklayers-brickwork
Contact Mark Goff from this list. Recently did a good quality small brickwork job for me promptly and at a reasonable price. Recommended.
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Thanks stranger :-)
Last edited by: smokie on Wed 10 Nov 21 at 12:56
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Did you get anyhwere with this, smokie? Was curious if you got a "man" in or sorted it yourself?
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Ah yes, I hadn't updated - thanks for the prompt!!
Beyond my skill set really. And it turned out that the bloke who built next door's front wall a few years back to match ours lives just a few doors up the road :-)
So he came and had a look. He thought it had had a knock, or been pushed pretty hard by someone. I still subscribe to the vibration contributing, so maybe suspect foundations too, but it has been up over 18 years.
Without much prompting he suggested a full rebuild wasn't really the way to go, in the first place.
He described to me what he'd done to another similar wall and we agreed a decent price for him to do it to mine. Which was - on the disjointed pillar, on the side away from the road, he drilled down fairly deeply then drove in a right angle piece of metal and screwed it to the pillar.
I don't think it'll be going anywhere during my lifetime but if it does, that wasn't an expensive patch-up.
I'm not so sure our resident Martin approved though (thanks to him btw for offline chats and advice on the topic)
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>> Did you get anyhwere with this, smokie? Was curious if you got a "man" in
>> or sorted it yourself?
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"Getting a man in" is next to impossible at the moment. I've had a toilet and cistern in my garage for two months, still boxed from Wicks. It will be after Christmas (How long after is still open) before the plumber can fit it, there are so few of them now they all have full books and long waiting lists. Same across all trades, they will come out quickly for emergencies but routine jobs have to join the queue.
We are paying the price for a couple of decades sending school leavers to "Uni" on some useless non-course that doesn't even let them earn the paltry 21k needed to pay back their loan, instead of encouraging them to learn a trade that will not only make them useful to society but actually earn them a proper wage.
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The 'crack' could be chased put and re pointed with mortar. Easiest and cheapest fix. If the wall has settled then it may not move any further.
If you are talking about reinforcement rods running up the middle then these need to be bedded into the wall foundation which is a bigger job.
I'm sure MD will put you right.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Wed 10 Nov 21 at 17:04
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Bed joint re-enforcement is another option, but as I said in my PM, I'd like to see some pics from the other side.
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Oops, I didn't see any message back from you Martin. Did you just reply to the email?
From memory the other side looks much the same but I'll do some pics in the morning.
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Replied this morning I think. Not a great day here. I said farewell to me best mate this morning. A 13 1/2 YO Labrador.
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Sorry to hear that guvnor, I was just thinking that I'm more attached to my 6 year old French Shepherd than any other dog I've had, and that means pain if he gets ill or hurt etc.
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>> Replied this morning I think. Not a great day here. I said farewell to me
>> best mate this morning. A 13 1/2 YO Labrador.
13.5*, a good innings for the breed, back end went I bet.
*probably good active years too.
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Sorry to hear that MD. Always difficult losing a pet.
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Sorry to hear that too. Always a sad time...
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Sorry to hear that MD and I know how you feel, Mrs O'Reliant is at the vets with our Lab at the moment. I'm waiting for the phone call with the inevitable news, the poor old dog has been lifeless since late last night and the Beagle won't go near her, a sure sign that something is very wrong.
We are not her first keepers but we got her eight years ago and she is about the same age as yours. It's always a rotten time, we've been there a few times before.
Last edited by: Robin O'Reliant on Sat 13 Nov 21 at 12:22
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Thanks to you all. Yes Zero, back end was completely uncontrollable come the finish. What was really sad was that despite the rapid decline in the last 48 hours her 'condition' was marvellous (coat wise).
Her sister, 18 months younger is completely lost. She wakes at 05.00 now, something that neither had done for a couple of years and it comes with a brand new two tone bark which is pitiful. I go down, toilet her, feed and water her and go back to bed with a cuppa. Within 30 mins she is doing the same bark and all it is it loneliness, it is so sad. She was present at the deed home here in the garden with the Vet and two young female trainees, she witnessed the deed which was not ideal, but she couldn't be moved and she stuck to the ground like a limpet. For a dog that has never shown any aggression she started to get very 'feisty' for want of a better word.
She is not the fittest of dogs and never has had a great rear end and we're hoping that this loneliness doesn't do too much to hasten her decline.
Best to all...........MD
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Same here MD, a year gone since my Working Cocker went. We went through an awful lot together. I do miss him dreadfully at times.
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Our Lab never came home from the vets on Saturday, restricted arteries and very low blood pressure.
It is very sad, but we can console ourselves that the humane option was taken and they were not left to suffer in lingering agony for however long, unlike when our time comes and all efforts will be made to keep what's left of our miserable shells for as long as possible with no quality of life and increasing misery.
As I get older I have become a strong advocate of euthanasia, while being fully aware of the possible abuses that will in some cases occur.
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MD and RR.
So sorry to hear about your furry friends. I know when our little Lhasa goes we will be devastated and feel for you.
Z
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Repairing a garden wall - Manatee
