Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 02, 2013 4:49 pm Hi, Hello everyone. First post! I'm about to have a 20m2 (roughly 3.5m x 6.5m) shed built in besser block and have had the area excavated. I was about to build a timber retaining wall and thought if it needs replacing in a few years it will be an extreme pain as the shed will be so close to the retaining wall. So I thought I might get it made in besser as well. I have since spoken to two contractors who have suggested I don't build a retainer wall at all, instead use the wall of the shed as the retainer wall. I don't know too much about this so does anyone see a problem with this scenario? The area needing retaining is about 1.2m. I could easily shovel it back to 1.0m if that's better. My concern was water as I know besser isn't exactly waterproof. One of the guys suggested 'blackjack' (don't know what that is - presume it's waterproof paint?) before I backfill. Anyone see a problem with this? I was planning to reinforce the besser shed wall and core fill. Would the concreter need to do anything special besides using an edge beam as the footing? Thanks so much, Doggybreath. (adam) Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 2Jan 02, 2013 5:00 pm Its certainly possible. Getting a proper design done would be good. You will need good drainage at the base of the wall ( see http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?p=2302) You will need starter bars cast into the base to fix the vertical reinforcement of the concrete wall The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 3Jan 03, 2013 9:15 am Thanks Bashworth. Glad to know it's possible. Any ideas on what I should be using to waterproof the blocks? The bricky suggested 'blackjack', which I'm not familiar with, but I was wondering whay people use for basements etc. The shed will be used as a music room so I don't want water getting in. Also should I be backfilling with something in particular or just the standard retaining wall procedure... ag pipe, gravel, soil? Thanks. Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 4Jan 03, 2013 11:33 am For something like your application I would be using a professional waterproofing company. A standard gravel and aggi drain should be OK for the Backfill The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 5Jan 03, 2013 1:12 pm Blackjack sounds like a waterproofing membrane product. Years ago I helped a mate do exactly what you are talking about, I don't remember what the stuff we used was called, but it was a black tar like product in a 20lt bucket that we had to roll on and let cure before backfilling onto the blocks. To date, 7+ years later, there has been no problems with the wall at all. Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 6Jan 03, 2013 6:08 pm Should I be using an engineer for this? (never used one before). If so, are they expensive? Will need to retain about a metre high at it's highest point. The main wall will be about 6.5m long. The slab will have an edge beam of 400mm deep, 300mm wide (I guess this is the wall footing). The wall (besser brick) will be reinforced and core filled. What else would an engineer get me to do? Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 7Jan 03, 2013 9:45 pm You will definitely need an engineer for your retaining, especially if you want the shed wall to be part of the retaining. They will need to specify footing sizes and reinforcement requirements, as well as design a suitable build up to accommodate the weight of the backfill against the wall. They also look at any drainage requirements that will need to be installed. The back of the retaining wall will need to be waterproofed as you said above. Blackjack (or Dampco for wa builders) is a tar-like substance that gets painted more or less over the brickwork. All builders use this or similar, to stop any moisture coming thru. Re: Using shed wall as retaining wall 8Jan 04, 2013 10:18 am That's going to need to be one hella-strong shed. We have the same problem when we build things like BMX tracks - you can't just put 100 ton of dirt up against shipping containers, they collapse the whole thing in. For that much dirt you're going to need some properly laid piers. Building a Delta 21 at Craigieburn - http://homeofzero.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit: 26/02. Contract: 22/05. Settlement: 29/05. Site start: 18/10. Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 1327 Is it possible to render an old corrugated iron shed.I have heard that it can be done if it is covered with chicken wire first.Not sure of the ratio of the render mix and… 0 3353 Thanks. Yeh ideally that would have been good, but have progressed too far now. Hoping some well placed internal walls fixed up into the battens will provide some… 2 3459 |