I built a wall

RichardM

Well, me and my wife did. Now most people would just pay the few hundred dollars to get a bobcat to level. Those same people pay good money to go to a gym....

No before pics, but let's just say that was a BIG mountain of dirt...and being where I am, it's all clay. We friggin' did it!

Brett_H

Looks good mate. Core filled is a great way to go :thumb: The camber of your land looks as though the street runs/drains towards the house. How are your levels?

RichardM

The photos don't show it, but the front of the block drains a bit to the left when looking at the house from the street. The driveway gets the water away, and the house is actually ~40cm off the ground at the front, and 1.8m off the ground at the back, so if there is any water gets there, it just flows straight under (not ideal, but as we put the path between the wall and house, it's going to slope away from the house with a pit drain, so any water that gets past the wall will flow around the house - better than it has been for the last two years). Our biggest storm since the Toowoomba floods of last January happened two nights ago...and tested the drainage 🙂

Brett_H

Brilliant! I'm anal about drainage as our block has so little fall around the house despite being on a hilly street. I've cut down and alleviated the problem using a combination of drainage methods but we still have one door downstairs with the potential for water in in extreme weather events. If I cut down any further Ill need the major services moved/lowered... Thus I have built a large vergola with good guttering and storm water management. Sandbags at the ready may be the cheap option :🙂

RichardM

Brett H wrote:

Brilliant! I'm anal about drainage as our block has so little fall around the house despite being on a hilly street. I've cut down and alleviated the problem using a combination of drainage methods but we still have one door downstairs with the potential for water in in extreme weather events. If I cut down any further Ill need the major services moved/lowered... Thus I have built a large vergola with good guttering and storm water management. Sandbags at the ready may be the cheap option :🙂

Well if we can handle 200mm in a day BEFORE we started doing any drainage and not have the water touch the house (of even come in the garage, which is on the ground), I think we'll be ok 🙂 More houses should be built off the ground in my opinion, but we even had issues finding a builder to do it for us. All of them wanted to cut and fill 😡

derrilex

All houses should be built off the ground - no exceptions. Disabled access easily achieved with ramps

UNM

derrilex wrote:

All houses should be built off the ground - no exceptions. Disabled access easily achieved with ramps

Nothing wrong with building houses into the ground. Thermally efficient. Ohh - nice wall RM.

RichardM

UNM wrote:

Nothing wrong with building houses into the ground. Thermally efficient. Ohh - nice wall RM.

Down south it's efficient. Up here, the breeze under the house is a much better design, thus, the "Queenslander" style.

Brett_H

RichardM wrote:

Down south it's efficient. Up here, the breeze under the house is a much better design, thus, the "Queenslander" style.

Spot on! 200mm in a day is a good test. We had 400mm over two days after the Floods and coped also but only just! My family all come from Townsville and they live in the suburbs affected by the recent Hurricane: Gulliver, Cranbrook, Mundingburra and Vincent. My Aunt and uncle out at Riverside didn't realize there had been a problem until they tried to drive into town. I don't think there is much you can do to prepare your home for these sorts of events. If sombody's roof flies into your house the extra 10% fall in ya drainage is a non-issue. My family were all lucky save power and some trees but their unlucky neighbors are rebuilding from scratch. Hurricanes/cyclones aren't likely to be an issue up where you are RM but boy do you guys get some water!! At least you have that bit covered! :thumb: P.s love the colour! Very Granite Belt!

RichardM

FYI the bricks are Adbri "Versawall", and we got them half price due to some batch changes that were happening. They make the job SOOOOO easy.

Lacehim

You did a great job there RM. I built a wall last year, and the Mrs picked some nasty blocks that needed breaking by hand for the corners and I ended up at the doctors with chest pains. Just muscle pains in the end, but cost me a few visits to the cardiologist to get properly checked out 🙁 They do look nice with the WFO and the marble top.

Koffee_Kosmo

Manual labour :thumb: Helps if you have a helper :thumb: Satisfaction that you did the job with your own hands :thumb: My turn now 😉 - as I have some small rock wall jobs to do and you have inspired me :thumb: Lets hope it doesn't end like this :head: :head: KK