Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Feb 06, 2011 7:33 pm Hi gurus We need to erect a retaining wall ASAP. The wall height varies from 800mm to ~2m. We know we will have to get it engineered, council approval etc. However I have one question I need answered and cant find answer anywhere. People on our high side are building on our boundary. The wall will be on our boundary. What retaining wall can be built that will retain about 1.5m and have a garage situated ON the boundary. I am freaking out!! Thanks Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 2Feb 06, 2011 7:37 pm Do you mean that your retaining wall will be on the boundary? If so I think retaining walls need to be a certain distance from the fence/boundary 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 3Feb 06, 2011 7:40 pm Umm concrete? Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 4Feb 06, 2011 7:45 pm I have looked at concrete sleepers and they all say you cant build within 75% of the wall height. This is a serious question, so please dont mock me. We were told by our builder that we could do our retaining wall at the end of our build. Now our next door neighbour has informed us he cant start his build until the retaining wall has been done. We cant access funds from our construction loan until handover. It is very stressful as we will have to use pretty much all of our savings to do this, then very money we were relying on to help us pay rent and the construction loan during the build and we have just found out we are expecting #2. Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 5Feb 06, 2011 7:57 pm From what you say I would think that next door really need to have a stepped foundation with the lowest level the base of the boundary retaining wall. They should then build off this foundation up to their floor level either in concrete or reinforced brick. The retaining wall only sections can be built separately after the construction of your neighbours house 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: URGENT - retaining wall question 6Feb 06, 2011 8:08 pm Hi guys, we had similar experience with our neighbour,on high side,pretty sure if they are building retaining wall it has to be on their side of boundry,if your building retaining wall it has to be on your side of boundry,you can't straddle a boundry with a retaining wall.Make that if your neighbour is building retaining wall that they take into account your build,some how our neighbour managed to build his retaining wall and got it approved thru shire,but the depth of the retaining isn't deep enough,which has undermined our build.Which means that we have to change our plan and add extra site works.Be sure to ring shire and check with them building regulations and also get a engineered plan of neighbours retaining to give to your builder.Better to be careful. Hope this helps Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 7Feb 06, 2011 8:11 pm Thanks bashworth. But given that their garage is ON the boundary, a stepped foundation would be on our land?? I will have to go out and take photos tomorrow, ring our site supervisor/builder and see if he can discuss it with their builder. I am freaking out. Also, given it is not just a simple retaining, and the increase in cost to us to construct it will be purely cos they have chosen to build on the boundary, would they be up for the difference in cost between a simple retaining wall and a building supportive wall?? ARGH, this is so stressful. Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 8Feb 06, 2011 8:11 pm I wasn't mocking you.. if you think I was. Just that I am always talking concrete of one sort or another Soz Depending on your site ... cut/fill/cutnfill. It would probably need a return at some point. More detail might be worthy Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 9Feb 06, 2011 8:14 pm What detail do you require? I can go through any photos and see if it shows the issue. they have filled to the boundary and building their garage wall ON the boundary. We have cut to the boundary. their fill was about 500mm and our cut is about 1m. I guess I will have a restless night of sleep ahead of me until I can speak to the builder and some retaining people tomorrow. I am gutted Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 10Feb 06, 2011 8:16 pm Oh and I am chick who doesn't understand all the technical terms which makes it all even harder! Council approved their plans knowing the build was on the boundary and our plans knowing the cut to the boundary. I have no idea who to talk to, in order to get this sorted ASAP, for us and for the neighbour Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 11Feb 06, 2011 8:22 pm ^^ still.... don't stress, Probably easier for me to say but... You can't do anything about it tonight! Just collect the relevant info for the site. Then poceed to collect some contractors names for the construction. The money will come and the stress is not required. You will have more to deal with in the future, it is the weekend. There is a 'J curve' to go through... you have started Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 12Feb 06, 2011 9:03 pm By a stepped foundation I mean that the foundation is low on your side of their block and then steps up further away from the boundary. The foundation could remain on their side even if the wall is right on the boundary. As for cost my thought is that you would be responsible for half the cost of a standard retaining wall and they would be responsible for the extra cost of building it in a way they could build their house of it. Check with a lawyer! 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: URGENT - retaining wall question 13Feb 07, 2011 9:51 am Sounds like you might need to object to where they are building. Sounds like a prick thing to do but if the neighbor building on the boundary increases your costs I'd say no way. You should get the neighbor, their builder and an engineer to talk it out. maybe the council too as it sounds as though everyone is working from a set of surveys that show vacant blocks. Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 14Feb 07, 2011 12:22 pm Megan,
I take it they want to build on existing ground level, and you want to take a cut on your side to cut/fill level your block? Is this correct? cheers oops you answered that in a previous post. Righto so they have constructed a retaining wall 500mm high, I will assume that this is a parapet wall (as you say they want to build on the boundary, so thier retaining is either on the boundary or on your side). You now want to increase the retaining by another metre. The wall you need to construct now needs to be sufficient to retain 1.5m of earth plus the weight of the building (called surcharge). A wall to retain 1.5m is very substantial so to retain 1.5m plus surcharge is a big ask - plus the fact that you cannot install drainage as you would be undermining thier building/wall. The only practical way I can thik of is to step in with your wall 1.5m (1:1.5m is less steep than rill angle of sand) and construct your wall there - check with an engineer though to ensure sufficient distance for the surcharge. However you still have a problem of having to excavate behind your wall to install drainage. (unless you have a drainage sytem of weep holes through the wall ) It would be a lot safer to construct you wall before they construct thier garage, too, especially if digging closer than 1.5m from thier wall.\ The type of wall you use if you step in can be anything engineered/rated for your soil type and 1m high wall. cheers Ooops - another edit - the step in is 0.75m not 1.5m. (0.5m existing wall at 1:1.5 is 0.75m) Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 15Feb 07, 2011 12:44 pm Your neighbour will be required to put in deeper foundations (for the carport) to accomodate for your cut. If you have cut right up to the boundary where the fence will sit on top then it will be most likely end up being a legal issue. Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 16Feb 07, 2011 3:31 pm On re reading your posts I now assume that they filled the 500mm without constructing a retaining wall IE thier fill batter is rilling onto your property. It is thier responsibility to retain that or ensure thier rill does not encroach on you. Best bet is to chat to them about sharing costs for a retaining wall which will accomodate thier fill and your cut (1.5m) before they start thier garage build. Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 17Feb 07, 2011 4:40 pm Keen Your last post is correct. They had filled without constructing retaining and we have now cut as well as approved by the council. They have contacted us stating that we need to erect the retaining wall before their builder will commence their slab work. Have had a brief chat with council this evening and I will be heading there tomorrow to have a chat with them about it. Only spoke with council as they rang and left a message about non compliance of our constructed retaining wall. Managed to finally convince them that we haven't DONE our retaining wall yet, let alone built it higher than what we have approval for! Megan and John Signed with Oakford 8/8/10 Plans at council 25/8/10 FINAL COUNCIL APPROVAL 29/11/10 Site start - 17/1/11 Cut & Fill commence - 21/1/11 Follow my build here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41283 Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 18Feb 07, 2011 6:40 pm Without reading every post is sounds to me like you are responsible to build a 1.0m retaining wall that is engineered and is entirely on your land (about 300mm off the boundry). Your responsibility ends there. Beyond that it is not your problem and they can't put down 0.5m of fill and then expect to build on the boundry - they will need a 0.5m retaining wall on THEIR land and they will have to work out the rest themselves. It sounds to me that they are being very cheeky to suggest that you take care of the entire wall at your expense so they can build on the boundry. If thats what they want to do then I'd agree to have a shared wall on the fence line but they need to foot at LEAST half the bill as really it's their problem not yours. As for building a 1.5m wall entirely on your land for their garage I'd tell'em to get stuffed. Re: URGENT - retaining wall question 19Feb 07, 2011 10:04 pm Your site survey pre build will be your friend here - it should prove that you have taken a 1m cut and the 0.5m extra was fill by them. Refer to the contours and spot heights before earthworks commenced. Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 5197 thanks Chippy, i hope they have applied sealer but i am doubt to be honest, so i am gonna do this job after handover. 8 16304 Thanks for the insights, that makes perfect sense, and yeah, I will be leaning on the experience of the excavator operator entirely. 6 16160 |