02-12-2003, 03:02 PM
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Jane finds her garden:brick wall question
(Nick Maclaren) wrote:
Hello Nick
[Brick Walls]
uk.d-i-y is the "better place" for this kind of thing, but
the reason it seems complicated is because it can be -
especially if you plan on building walls above a certain
height; they need buttressing and reinforcement at specific
places to make sure they don't fall over and squash
someone.
NM No, it's not complicated - that's not the same as needing to
NM be got right.
Maybe complicated is the wrong word, but building a high wall in brick
is a LOT more, well, complicated than simply putting one brick on top
of another until you're done.
No, I think complicated is what I meant, and that maybe you meant
difficult. It's not /difficult/ per se to build a, say, 8' wall (I've
done several), but it's not as simple as it looks. You need to factor
the right amount and strength of foundation, insert reinforcing at the
correct distance and not only buttress, but provide expansion/fall
gaps. And that's without going into the retaining side.
At least - that's how you're /supposed/ to do it, according to regs.
If it does fall over and squash somebody, you're backside is going to
be mighty popular if you didn't follow the exact regulations laid down
at the time of building.
Lot more complicated than it used to be, but that's the price of a
litigation led society. OTOH, it theoretically leads to fewer
squashees.
--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/
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