Brick retaining wall

Please clarify neighbour's paving situation. Paver blocks or in situ?

Joe

The neighbour's got an area of appr 3-4 meters (against the fence) of paving bricks laid up to the fence. In about 50 cm the ground goes down, and that's where my retaining wall will be build.
I start digging, sand just streams down together with paving bricks... mess..
But I reckon when they start taking down the old fence, part of it will be destroyed any way...
Is there a chance the fence (new or old) may collapse when I dig to lay foundation? I'd have to poor concrete almost directly under the fence. :eek:

Technically, you should be able to combine the wall and fence constructions. Assuming your wall is engineered for full backfill, you can install vertical pipe sleeves (pvc best) for new fence posts in your wall. Helpful to embed about 1.5m rebar along top of wall. Drain pipe sleeves (weep hole in wall) to your new ground line. [After placing fence posts,] fill sleeves with clean sand and/or gravel. For construction, sand's angle of repose is about 1 vertical to 2 horizontal. So you need to excavate about 1m into neighbour's ground, after temporarily removing pavers. After placing drain pipe, work backfill up in layers: gravel, filter cloth, sand; gravel, filter cloth, sand; etc. Gravel zone should be about 10cm thick. Finally restore saved pavers.

Some unclear issues, though: Who owns the fence? Who is replacing the fence? Your contractor or your neighbour's contractor? If your contractor, is neighbour on board with this whole thing? Also need to consult contractor about logistics.

Your original plan would also require a horizontal clearance of about 1m for your foundation excavation, to reduce likelihood of undermining the neighbour's ground.

If all this has stirred the pot too much, I'd go back to my earlier suggestion of closely stepped sleepers, with completely separate construction of wall and fence.

Joe

I agree with Joe on this one and the neighbour should be liable for 50% of all the costs, if the niegbour is reluctant about moving pavers you should impree upon him/her that the pavers would need to be moved for the job to be done in a proper manner any way. The retaining wall sound like it will be to stop water from his side of the fence anyway so placing it under the fence would seem to be a better idea anyway. If the neighbour truely puts a fight up then offer to foot the cost of materials for the wall on your pat malone and he/she will only be paying for the actual fence itself. This way you still come out with a fence and wall. Good for both parties.

Pete

Thanks boys!

The neighbor is paying for half of the fence. The guy who builds the fence neither mine nor his - we found him in the paper.

Looking at complexity of combining wall and the fence, it'll have to be 2 separate structures.

What closely stepped sleepers ill achive vs just a sleepers wall half a meter from the fence? And how many steps would that be?
Do you mean 3 sleepers high (installing 2 sleepers) wall closer to the fence and then step back another half a meter and build 2 sleeper wall? :confused:

I'm not familiar with your sleepers. My murrican translation is RR ties about 6in x 8in (150mm x 200mm). Top one just at your side of the fence post. Top/(your side) corners on a line at 1vert to 2horiz, or maybe 1vert to 1horiz. Flatter slope more stable, but eventually bottom one is next to your house:D

Joe