My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.

Richard wrote in :

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying, to
work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds simple I
know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no money. I see this
all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did ask
and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in :

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying, to
work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds simple I
know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no money. I see this
all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did ask
and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but someone
has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it is to dig
trench and fill it with concrete

stuart noble wrote in
:

On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in
:

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The
wall will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a
wall set back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to
be about 30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he
would do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying,
to work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds
simple I know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no
money. I see this all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did
ask and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but
someone has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it
is to dig trench and fill it with concrete

That was my point really with asking for quotes from established builders.
A builder would include footings in their estimate, and will be itemised to
show this. Would nephews quote be so? I very much doubt it.
I have seen walls built on a 2" layer of mortar. Honest.

Baz

"Baz" wrote in message
...
stuart noble wrote in
:

On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in
:

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The
wall will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a
wall set back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to
be about 30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he
would do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying,
to work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds
simple I know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no
money. I see this all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did
ask and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but
someone has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it
is to dig trench and fill it with concrete

That was my point really with asking for quotes from established builders.
A builder would include footings in their estimate, and will be itemised
to
show this. Would nephews quote be so? I very much doubt it.
I have seen walls built on a 2" layer of mortar. Honest.

Baz


""I have seen walls built on a 2" layer of mortar.""

As much as that ???? ;-{

Mike


--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

In article ,
says...

stuart noble wrote in
:

On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in
:

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The
wall will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a
wall set back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to
be about 30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he
would do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying,
to work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds
simple I know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no
money. I see this all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did
ask and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but
someone has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it
is to dig trench and fill it with concrete

That was my point really with asking for quotes from established builders..
A builder would include footings in their estimate, and will be itemised to
show this. Would nephews quote be so? I very much doubt it.

I reckon Baz has about got the measure of your nephew, he sounds like a
proper rogue, I would set the dogs on him if I were you.

Give May Gurney a ring, they realy love doing half day jobs, it won't
cost more than a couple of thousand.

In message , Richard
writes
My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The
wall will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall
set back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be
about 30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.






Never do business with family and friends
--
hugh
"Believe nothing. No matter where you read it, Or who said it, Even if
I have said it, Unless it agrees with your own reason And your own
common sense." Buddha

On Mar 25, 11:04*am, Richard wrote:
My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. *The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? *What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.

As a rule of thumb a gravity retaining wall needs to be of thickness,
25% of it's ground level difference.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:57:36 GMT, Baz wrote:

Richard wrote in :

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying, to
work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds simple I
know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no money. I see this
all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did ask
and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Two simple questions:

1) Has your nephew ever built a retaining wall?
2) Does your nephew understand the lateral pressures on such a wall
and how to respond to them?

If the answer is not "yes" to both with a convincing explanation of
the understanding of (2), I'd say you ignore Baz's comments at your
peril. Removing and rebuilding a retaining wall that fails can be both
difficult and inordinately expensive. Having one that fails is
downright dangerous. Employing a relative as the builder risks a
serious family rift. It's just not worth the hassle.

On 25/03/2011 15:06, stuart noble wrote:
On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in :

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The wall
will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a wall set
back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to be about
30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he would
do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying, to
work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds
simple I
know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no money. I see
this
all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did ask
and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but someone
has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it is to dig
trench and fill it with concrete

When I was contemplating the matter, assumimg I had dug the foundations,
I thought paying my nephew somewhere between £150 to £200 was probably
in the ball-park. That was just off the top of my head having no
experience. Perhaps I was not too far out.

Of course, that is just to build the wall, not including materials.

Perhaps then if my nephew built the wall for £150, that would represent
a very good deal.

My nephew has worked at landscaping. I think he would know what he is
doing. He is honest.

In article , says...


My nephew has worked at landscaping.

Landscaping is not bricklaying

I think he would know what he is
doing. He is honest.

If he's experienced and honest, I'm surprised you didn't ask him what
the labout costs would be.

Janet

On 25/03/2011 19:13, Janet wrote:
In , says...


My nephew has worked at landscaping.

Landscaping is not bricklaying

I think he would know what he is
doing. He is honest.

If he's experienced and honest, I'm surprised you didn't ask him what
the labout costs would be.

Janet


I just want to get a feel for costs before I say anything. It's not that
I don't trust him.

"Richard" wrote in message
...
On 25/03/2011 19:13, Janet wrote:
In , says...


My nephew has worked at landscaping.

Landscaping is not bricklaying

I think he would know what he is
doing. He is honest.

If he's experienced and honest, I'm surprised you didn't ask him what
the labout costs would be.

Janet


I just want to get a feel for costs before I say anything. It's not that I
don't trust him.

Get a quote from three other people first. You will get and idea then.

Mike


--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

On Mar 25, 7:18*pm, "'Mike'" wrote:
"Richard" wrote in message

...





On 25/03/2011 19:13, Janet wrote:
In , says...

My nephew has worked at landscaping.

* * Landscaping is not bricklaying

I think he would know what he is
doing. He is honest.

* * If he's experienced and honest, I'm surprised you didn't ask him what
the labout costs would be.

* * Janet
If one Nephew can build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall for
£150 then .....
A. how much will it cost to have 2 nephews Build the same wall?
B. How much will it cost to have 2 strangers build the wall?
C. How much tea will they dring at 1 mug per person per hour?

He's your nephew, if you trust him pay him a fair rate for the job,
it's not much of a job 4ft high and just under 24 ft long,
as for the retaining wall, made of block I presume, Single block will
do the job if you are not trying to hold a mountain back, set the
first course on the wet concrete making up the footings.
Remember if anything goes wrong you know where he lives, no having to
try to track down some one you don't know.

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...

"Baz" wrote in message
...
stuart noble wrote in
:

On 25/03/2011 12:57, Baz wrote:
wrote in
:

My nephew is skilled (I think he is, he once had a business doing
landscaping) to build a 1.2m high by 7.5m long retaining wall. The
wall will probably be made of one two walls - a facing wall and a
wall set back, immediately adjacent to the soil. I'd say it needs to
be about 30mm from front to back.

Lets say my nephew gets the materials at trade price, and I pay that
price for the materials. Of course, I'd want to pay my nephew a
reasonable and decent price for building the wall.

QUESTIONS: How much do you think I should pay my nephew per metre of
wall that represents a fair price, assuming he is not acting as a
business? What would be a fair price if my nephew were to say he
would do it acting as a business?

Thanks.


Never allow anyone without qualifications, in this case bricklaying,
to work for you.
You should ask for 3 quotes from established builders.
Ask your nephew a price also without him knowing the other 3 and then
decide. BUT having family doing paid work is riddled with problems.

I would bet that the nephew wants money up front for the bricks, am I
right?
You sound unsure of him and if you ARE unsure don't do it. Sounds
simple I know but if you get it wrong you will have no wall and no
money. I see this all the time and it riles me.

I hope you don't think I am insulting you or your nephew but you did
ask and I think I have given you at least something to think about.

Baz

Probably a day's work for a bricky (£200 here in SE London), but
someone has to do the footings first, so it comes down to how easy it
is to dig trench and fill it with concrete

That was my point really with asking for quotes from established
builders.
A builder would include footings in their estimate, and will be itemised
to
show this. Would nephews quote be so? I very much doubt it.
I have seen walls built on a 2" layer of mortar. Honest.


That's more than our house in Norfolk was built on in 1835 and it is still
standing today.

Mike