Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: Retaining Walls 4Jun 04, 2011 2:47 pm Another option may be Dincel (http://www.dincelconstructionsystem.com). Lightweight waterproof formwork, just add some reo & pour conrete. From reading their website & PDFs, appears easy enough to DIY. They are NSW based, but probably have a Vic distributor. Re: Retaining Walls 5Jun 04, 2011 8:31 pm My understanding is anything over 600mm needs to be engineered and have approval from council At the very least take your idea to an engineer to look over it. It could be a very costly mistake if you don't not to mention very dangerous if it gave way whilst someone was driving over it. Not something you would want to live with on your conscience. https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=44762 My Owner builder journey extending a 1930's Bungalow Re: Retaining Walls 6Jun 05, 2011 8:52 am yes they do need a building permit, here at geelong its over 1 metre that needs a permit. yes i need engineers design for the permit. my experience with any/all suppliers of services tells me that you can't trust/rely on them to give you the best cost-effective solution. often they don't know all of the possibilities. quite frankly i am very unimpressed with the knowledge and intelligence of nearly all the designers, draftspeople,electricians, plumbers, etc. that i have dealt with. i have found that if i don't do my own homework then mistakes or wrong solutions will be given to you. Re: Retaining Walls 7Jun 05, 2011 10:00 am When I was looking a building a retaining wall that required certification I felt much the same as you Mark. In the end I found an engineer who was happy to redraw my drawings and sign them off, meaning it was my cost effective design specific for me not some massively over-engineered one solution fits all. Good luck. Building an Eden Brae Saville 27 http://karry327.blogspot.com/ Building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=44247 Re: Retaining Walls 8Jun 05, 2011 11:23 am Mark, Google/Yellow pages, other search for a civil engineer. Call a few up and ask if they can design and retaining wall. If they say yes they'll tell you what you need to supply. Normally you have to give them a soil report, feature survey and details of where you want the wall to run. I it is close to another house you may need to address the angle of repose and may need to supply your neighbors specs from their house (i had to do this) Once you have the design, contact a drafting company/architect and they will draw the plans for the wall for the permit. Submit the engineers design and plans for the permit. As a guess just th paperwork required will cost you around $2k as it will be around $500-$700 for the engineer, $500ish for drafting and another 500ish to submit the plans via a 3rd party company. You can submit them yourself to council, but I added the 3rd party submission to cover all angles. Also if 3rd party they take care of all the chasing up details and plans. Have you got any particular materials picked out? You will have to specify what the wall will be made of so the design can be done and then it has to be that design. Re: Retaining Walls 9Jun 06, 2011 7:50 am hi, thanks for the replies. i am definitely leaning towards concrete sleepers with galvanised steel H beam posts. the sleepers come in various sizes. 1.2M 1.5M 2.0M. the posts are fairly readily available it seems. i have seen one spec. where a 2M high (above ground level) post needs to be 2.5M in the ground. thats a deep hole!! so i need to find an engineer familiar with this system. Soil test and site contour map are the first steps yes, and i need them for the house design as well. the plastic lining, Ag pipe and aggregate seem easy enough to install. i guess the engineer will also specify the type of fill required. i was wondering if "clean fill" (free from a contractor) would be acceptable. and also if and/or how much compacting is required while being filled. lots of details to work out as usual, but i think in the end it will be fairly simple and and the cheapest option for DIY. Re: Retaining Walls 10Jun 06, 2011 10:03 am mark_sorehands the plastic lining, Ag pipe and aggregate seem easy enough to install. i guess the engineer will also specify the type of fill required. i was wondering if "clean fill" (free from a contractor) would be acceptable. and also if and/or how much compacting is required while being filled. So do you want to build over where the fill is going or just drive? If you are building a house over it you will need to get the engineer to have a look at it for the foundations and they will require a specific compaction rate. If you are talking about the back fill behind that wall/the matter being retained, then it doesn't require compaction, but it needs to be free draining material like crushed rock, scoria etc... Also the higher you go with a wall the narrower your sleepers will have to be. @2mt I doubt that you will have wider than 1.5 and more like 1.2 or 1.0 centres(distance between centre post to centre post) As a general rule you must go at least as deep in ground with the post as you want to be out of it. My posts are 150UC gal steel and had to be 1.1xheight out of ground. My treated pine sleepers are 1200mm centres for a wall height of 1.2mt above ground. Re: Retaining Walls 11Jun 07, 2011 9:56 am Dincel would be my choice. To drill a hole 2.5m deep is one deep hole good luck with no rock, they will not be cheap and or easy to dig. A concrete sleeper will not be light to lift in place so not sure how diy friendly. Good Luck Pulpo Re: Retaining Walls 12Jun 10, 2011 2:21 am Hi Mark, Concrete sleepers work well for retaining walls they are very easy to install only difference is over here in WA we use concrete posts instead of steel wich are very bloody heavy but nomally two people can lift with minimal difficulty, I put in 26m @ 2meters high by 2.0 meters wide by my self in about three days you will need to inform your council and get it engineered certified wich isn't hard as most suppliers of the wall system will have sub-contracters who will install for you or you can install your self just ask them and they should be able to recomend a engineer as well and as a rulle of thumb what ever is above the ground has to be in ground as well, as for digging the holes you can hire a small dingo/bobcat from someone like kennards with a post hole digger that will drill down to three meters or you can do it by hand with a post hole digger which I used I did try the dingo but found it very cumbersome to get the hole in the right spot. Good luck with it. Heath PS you can try Retaining Austarlia they seem to be everywhere in Vic http://www.retainingaustralia.com.au/di ... tions.html Render your bathroom walls, two opinions versus the one, makes you wonder. 3 6067 The spacing of the studs looks pretty large especially for a load bearing wall. 3 11125 Nope, only on the inside, I've literally has my ears to the brick outside and can't hear anything. I can sort of 'reset' the noise by pressing firmly on the studs. This… 10 11837 |