Gardening Methods

How to build a garden wall

                    How to build a garden wall (properly)  

Hello

My name is Peter McGuire

I have a small bricklaying company in cumbernauld,we specialize in all domestic brickwork,garden walls,house extensions,conservatory bases etc.

Today I will describe to you how to build a strong, good looking,longlasting garden wall which will add character to your garden for many years to come.

First of all select the position you would like the wall to be in the garden,then mark the length with marker paint or similar,now mark two lines parallel to this line 300mm behind and 300mm in front,this gives a 600mm foundation with your garden wall in the centre,this is the area that has to be excavated and concreted.

Now excavate this trench to a depth of 600mm with squared sides ,so that your foundation is still 600mm wide at the bottom.

A lot of people will tell you not to bother digging down to 600mm,but there is a need to do so,and that is for frost cover or ground heave caused by excessive drying out in long hot summers(we must be due one soon),both these problems can cause a foundation and wall above to crack.

Concreting is next,ensure bottom of foundation is level and drive wooden pegs into the soil at 1m intervals,level the tops of these pegs as this will be the finished height of your concrete,the pegs should be 150mm above the bottom of the trench

Next I like to place a reinforcing mesh along the foundation which eliminates any soft spots in the foundation and keeps it all as one item.

A142 mesh is ideal for this,cut mesh 100mm narrower than the trench to allow for 50mm concrete cover on both sides,place broken slabs etc under the mesh to keep it approximately 50mm from the bottom of the trench,overlap any joins in the mesh by 300mm

now mix your concrete using a small mixer(belle mixers are ideal)

firstly put half a bucket of water in the drum,add 4 gravel,2 sand and then 1/2 bag cement allow to mix for a few seconds then add 4 gravel and 2 sand ,this doesn’t fill the mixer right up but allows for better mixing(most people try to fill the mixer full then discover the back of the mixer hasn’t mixed properly)

continue with this method until your foundations are filled to the top of the wooden pegs,if possible cover foundations with a tarpaulin or polythene to allow for a slow cure (stronger finish) 

Now the wall begins

I personally prefer concrete blocks up to ground level as they aren’t affected by frost damage

Lay a block at each end of the foundation approx 150mm from front of foundation and use a bricklayers line to strike a line from one end to the other,now run a course of blocks from one end to the other,keeping to the line and height of the line as you go.repeat until you are just under ground level then start your facing brick.

I always start with a header course(ends of the bricks facing out)as this sets the thickness of the wall as well(1 header equals to bricks side by side)9″.

When building a header course lay the first header then put a closure(1/4 brick) next to it then another header ,this sets the bond so the joints on the course above are not directly above the joint on the header course.

Try to make your wall full brick sizes if possible,it saves a lot of unnecessary cutting.

next build 3 stretcher courses(bricks long ways)then a header course and so on,this is called english garden wall bond,continue until you have reached your desired height.

when pointing the wall with your pointing key always leave the mortar to set up until it doesn’t stick to the surrounding brick as the key is pulled along (this is very important as this part of the work makes or breaks a walls looks.,then carefully brush your wall and you will be left with a clean sharp looking wall.

Coping a garden wall is very important as the top is the most affected by rain.

Copes can be concrete or tile or brick.

for my area in scotland a brick cope is not a good choice as within a few years the wall is stained and the brick corroded by frost damage ,but further south this isn’t as much of a problem.

always joint you copes properly and key them well as it is the most weather beaten area of the wall.

ideally the coping should have a 50mm overhang to shed the water away from the wall.

I personally like to keep the entire wall covered with polythene for the first few days to try and avoid rain damage on the fresh mortar as this can cause efflourescence (that horrible looking stain on some brickwork).

I hope  this guide is of use to you ,Good Luck

If you should have any queries please feel free to email me on enquiries@petermcguirecontracts.co.uk or visit my site at www.petermcguirecontracts.co.uk

About the Author

t.A.T.u. (So Beautiful)