ask saltatrix hes a brickie

all on the back of swan general purpose cement

1 parts cement

2.5 parts sand

4 parts blue metal

thanks hemi!

How many lineal meters do you have Wayne?

400x250 is 0.1m3 every meter.  10l/m= 1m3

I poured 1m3 at home recently and after costing out the raw material and effort to collect it worked out easier to buy 1m3 from BGC.  Not the most economical way as the truck does have a 4m3 capacity, but the mix is ordered as 20mpa and delivereed as 20mpa, no mess and for around $250 it was easier than being on the end of a shovel all day.   From the truck into the hole in about 30minutes. 

BTW, Do you intend on mixing by hand or cement mixer? If the answer is hand I recommend the only option is from a truck.

Cheers

PG

 perth glory is right,if you use it straight out of a truck ,its a lot quiker ,less chances of cold joints and also by the time you buy the cement,the blue metal etc you wont be saving much ,better going premix,by the way i am a granoworker

I'm about to put up a Pergola and the 'footings' for the posts according to Council specs must be 60cm deep and 60cm wide, I'm thinking your fence footings may be a bit small ??

Are you also putting the 'reinforcing metal' into the footings for stability ??

Sounds like your doing it with-out any council permit, or is it not required for a brick fence ??

 hi mainey,any house improvements in your backyard usually requires council aproval in most shires,eg screen walls,soakwells,pergolas sheds etc,but to be sure always consult with your local council

I'm about to put up a Pergola and the 'footings' for the posts according to Council specs must be 60cm deep and 60cm wide,

Post pads are a different kettle of fish.

If anyone doesnt have a mixer, order a truck

20mm metal is about $90 for .6m3 these days anyrate from the soil joints.  Then there is GP cement and sand.

If the wall isnt tied into another or has a decent corner return you will need pier rods in the footing.

It all happened after that kid hung off a basket ball ring then the wall fell over and chopped his legs in half.

hi fellas - haven't checked this post since the first reply...

here's a few answers;

- length of the wall is about 34m - i have 300x300 pillars every 3.6m

- i've got a brickie starting next friday so i'll be mixing up the footings myself via a mixer.

saltatrix - if the wall is single skin and has 300x300 pillars (the bricks are inter-locking into the pillar) every 3.6m will I still need pier rods in the footings?  Also - when you say to put some galvinaised rods side by side 70mm from the bottom - is this in the center of the footing?  and why are the rods side by side?  could I just use a thicker rod, or is there a purpose to having them side by side?

also, my footings have ended up 500x250 as it was easier to set up a stringline off the existing limestone pillars... 

Okay - so who can work this one out:)

Due to BGC etc being on hols until the 10th I'm going to get the sand/ cement / blue chips delivered so I can mix and pour the footings myself.

Based on the following I need to work out how much to order of each:

this is for  15 l/m at 500x250

using

1.5 parts cement
2.5 parts sand
4 parts blue metal

anyone got a quick way of working this out?

i think i've worked it out...

so every 1 l/m of footing is 0.125m3

15 l/m is 1.875 m3 (round this up to 2 m3)

so as an approximate i'll need:

1m3 of blue metal
0.6m3 of sand
0.4m3 of cement

sound about right?
 

Wayne, i thought you have 34 linear meters. works out to 4.25m3 based on 500x250. Thats a concrete truck!!!

you should really obtain a structural engineers signed and certified detail for the wall. That way, when the local ranger drives by and alerts the building surveyor who then checks and finds you have no approval you may have half a chance of obtaining retrospective approval.  Also find when you sell a house the savy buyers out there condition O & A's with confirmation of council approval for all structures. 

3.6m centres for piers will require reinforcing and cavity filling.

the wall will be catilevered off the footing.  It must be tied back into the footing at the piers to maintain the cantilevered connection.  Whilst providing a level surfce to work from the reason for the footing it to provide resistance to the wall rotating from lateral wind loads.

my best advise is to give structere a call. They are located in balcatta, resonalbly priced and should be able to assit you with a standard construction detail very quickly.   BTW, I have no commercial interest in this company just keen to help you on the right path.

Good luck with your project.

cheers

PG

Hi PerthGlory,

Thanks for the reply.  Yeah - I was working it out on 15l/m as I've only taken down half the existing fence.

When I spoke with council they said that if I'm replacing an existing fence that I don't need approval - hence I've progressed along.  (Note, the existing fence already has limestone piers.)

However, with what your saying I'm now a little concerned so at the moment with the fence already down and the brickie due to start on friday I'm just going to have to build it to the standards then perhaps seek approval at a later date?

Not the ideal situation though.

At the moment the brickie has proposed the following for the piers.  Eg, at each 2nd course the bricks (300x162 clay internals) are switched to interlock the pier.

course 1:

     -
----------
     -

course 2:

---|||----

If this is the case the how can these be cavity filled and a reinforcement placed up the middle? 

I'm happy to put in all the neccessary reforcements etc though I just need a little direction in the best way to go about it.

cheers

Wayne

I also have to step up the footing at the rear on the fence.  When I step it up do I set the height of the step up at "brick height + 10mm for mortar"? 

I have to step up two courses over about 1.5m.  Therefore can you step up two courses straight away, or should I step up one course at a time?

cheers

Wayne

 im doing my driveway on the 6 of january through bgc concrette,as far as i know they are back from the 4 of january and also boral,holsin etc are back from the 4 of january

joe - thanks for the heads up, though problem is that i don't have access for a truck - i guess i would need a concrete pump as it's in the back yard...?

PG - I was just having a think about the pier situation.  What if we brought the piers closer together?  Would this then avoid the cavity fill/renforcement etc?

thanks for your help,

- Wayne

Wayne, can you get access to the back with a wheel barrow?

from memory there are 16 barrows per m3.

would need a few barrows and mates to move it in 30minutes though easily achievable.  I own a cement mixer and wouldnt even attempt what you are proposing.

Mr's  PG thinks cement mixers should be banned for the DIY crew.  She says they just give us greater DIY ambitions that take 2 years to complete.  In my case shes correct!! 

most conservative engineers would be putting 2400mm between the piers still with reo rod.

piers can be built a number of ways. just need to ensure the reo rod is mortared into a vertical joint in the pier. rod is usally centred in the pier,the layout of brickwork you have shown will not enable the rod to be centred to the pier nor be positioned in a vertical joint.

the 2course step in the footing you mentioned sounds the best way to approach it.  if you are using 76mm ht bricks 1 course step if 162mm bricks then 2 course step. + 10mm for mortar as you noted.

I would love to help you tomorrow, unfortunately I have been booked into a fishing trip

How close to Mt Lawley are you? From the 4th on I could bring a barrow and an hour of my time if you need to move 4m3 of concrete fast from a truck.  Would need at least 3 others and a man on the shovel.

Cheers

PG

haha - yeah there is access via a wheel barrrow.  I know it seems crazy though i'll give it a go with the mixer.  I've got the old man coming over and he is going to sit on the mixer all day and i'll be going back and forth with the barrow.  Thanks for the offer though! 

Btw - I'm assume your a brickie by trade?  This wall is one of many to built as we are doing some pretty major renos so would be good to know some guys in the trade!

I'll have a chat to my brickie (when I can get hold of him) and will discuss the piers. 

What would your recommendations be for the piers?  Eg, the best way to integrate them into the brick work?  I guess it maybe a little hard to explain via ------- :)

I just nipped to bunnings and picked up the 6mm galv rod for the footings.  Is this the same rod that you would use going up into the piers?  If so what's the best way to sit it in the footing area before the cement gets poured in?  Is it better to try and pick up a galv rod with a flat plate welded on the bottom so it stands up easier?

cheers

Wayne

PS - i'll post some pics after today once it's all setup....

 send me a pm with your number or call me wayne 0406705676,but if its a single wall the pier bases should be every 2 mtrs

hey fellas - couldn't figure out how to put pics here so i've uploaded them on a new post http://fishwrecked.com/forum/footing-pics

thanks for your help!