On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:29:54 +0100, "rtreter"
wrote:

Hello -

I'm planning to have a retaining wall built to hold back a 1 metre height
difference between two gardens, It will be built from blocks mortared
togther. I guess the concrete footings will extend about 1 metre below the
surface of the "low" garden. There are some trees within 30 cm of the
planned location of the wall, their trunk diameters range between about 5cm
and 20cm. I don't want to kill or substantially harm the trees.

The builder I'm getting a quote from says he will put lintels into the wall
and footings so that roots larger than about 1cm in diameter don't have to
be cut. Is this a sensible approach, for the trees and/or the wall?


Sorry, I can make no sense of this at all.

I doubt that 1 metre of footings will be put in below the surface of
the bottom level.

And are you seriously saying that the wall footings will be within 12
inches of an unspecified number of trees and that the builder is going
to accommodate all of the tree roots larger than 1/3 of an inch, not
cut them and allow room for their future growth?

I am boggled. Are you using a builder or a conjuror?

He is suggesting building a wall within 12 inches of trees, some of
which have trunk diameters of 8 inches, without cutting or disturbing
their roots.

Why bother with such an impractical project. I would stick in a
graded slope and live with it.






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