Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Under house retaining wall 2Jan 05, 2024 10:20 am I did a similar DIY project several years ago to build a mancave. I would recommend against using those existing house posts for your retaining wall. I dug new retaining wall post holes well away from existing footings. Then left about 300mm gap between retaining wall and new mancave stud wall. I didnt have any standing water issues but for your situation you should install drainage to take that water away. Re: Under house retaining wall 3Jan 08, 2024 9:12 pm Hi supersleuth, thanks for your reply. Is your reasoning for not using the steel stumps for the retaining wall the same as the concerns I had, or something else? Can I ask what you did for flooring in your man cave? Any other findings/lessons learnt from your project would be appreciated! Thanks again, Sam Re: Under house retaining wall 4Jan 09, 2024 2:27 pm 1 Get it properly designed and get a building permit. 2 Check if subfloor has been sprayed with Aldrin for termite control, if so you may be sitting in a study that will give you cancer. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Under house retaining wall 5Feb 20, 2024 12:37 pm ![]() Hi supersleuth, thanks for your reply. Is your reasoning for not using the steel stumps for the retaining wall the same as the concerns I had, or something else? Can I ask what you did for flooring in your man cave? Any other findings/lessons learnt from your project would be appreciated! Thanks again, Sam Yeah my reasoning is just that those house posts are designed for vertical load not lateral. I just didnt want to risk interfering with the existing house engineering. I hand mixed and poured a concrete slab for the floor - given I didnt want to add height with a deck plus the ground was very rocky.. Doing it now I would get a concrete truck and pump, or maybe even just pay someone to pour it rather than trying to save money. It all turned out pretty good considering it was DIY and I'm an amateur. No building permits, engineering or anything. I ended up buying/taking a couple of old kitchens from gumtree/friends, and used all the cupboards/benchtops etc for storage which worked out well. I plastered it all internally and even had downlights so inside it was nice and cozy. Used ply for one of the walls/splashback to hang tools and work near rather than plaster which also worked well. Even had a bar fridge down there, was a good little setup. It was built under an exposed deck, so I had to design and build a colorbond roof that attached under the deck and kept water out of the mancave. It never leaked once so I did something right. good luck. Dont know what(if any) value it added to the property when we sold but I'm sure it had some value. Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 32459 Interesting. You have great clearance to damp proof course all the way around which is rare with so many cowboy landscapers and concreters. Is there sufficient fall… 2 13987 Semi-regional I guess? Northern NSW, coastal. A lot of the volume builders are building homes that are more for towns/suburbia. This is going to be on a farm and that… 2 9215 |