Garden Wall Specifications 1
WALL SPECIFICATIONS In regard to constructing a wall there are a few main facts which, if carefully observed, insure success: First. Sink foundations. below the frost line, 3 1/2 feet in most cold weather areas of the USA. Second. Use a formed footing. Do not pour concrete into a rough earth trench. For light, free-standing walls the part above the footing but below grade can be made of concrete tile. This is cheap and easy to lay up. Third. Reinforce cement retaining walls with steel rods placed, usually, in two rows, staggered and about a foot apart. If the wall is of considerable height, use horizontal rods at similar intervals, firmly wired to the upright ones. Fourth. In building forms for cement walls use great care in getting them square, solidly braced, as nearly watertight as possible, and securely wired together. Do not remove them from the wall for at least forty-eight hours after pouring. Fifth. For a concrete wall of considerable height, do not pour it all at once, but rather put in about four feet a day, leaving the top surface rough so that the next day's batch will make a strong bond with the previous work. This method avoids the danger of bulging forms. Sixth. Build concrete walls not less than ro inches thick. Brick walls may be only 8 inches thick, but 12 or 16 inches is preferable. In any case it will be a multiple of the width of the brick. Stone walls may be 18 inches in thickness, but 2o or 24 inches is better because there will have to be less cutting of stones.