AZ ranch

[bindian]

I would pound rebar in the holes and fill with concrete. I have seen it down before and the guy backfilled before putting floor joists (a basement) across it. It bowed 1/2 inch.
hugs, Brandi

 

[BoFuller]

Something happens when retaining walls are more then 4ft tall. The amount of pressure on them increases to a point of needing some engineering. Less then 4ft, and it's all easy pleasy.

The two biggest issues are water and water freezing. If you can drain the water away from the side of the bock, you will eliminate all of your potential issues. Adding a deadman, or anchor, or some sort of reinforcing structure to the wall will help, but there is a limit to what it will do when fighting water, and water that freezes.

How much rain do you get in the worse case scenario?

Does it freeze there when the ground is saturated?

I can throw in some perforated pipe before I backfill, making some French drains.
And I could put in a couple anchors.
We’re getting some heavy rain right now. A few inches this week.

 

[BoFuller]

I would pound rebar in the holes and fill with concrete. I have seen it down before and the guy backfilled before putting floor joists (a basement) across it. It bowed 1/2 inch.
hugs, Brandi

Yea, I figured I better fill the block.

 

[BoFuller]

Is the soil expansive like the Texas Clay? If so, then I'd say for sure, but other than that, it is hard to tell for sure. If you do it right, you can do the same sort of thing on the outside to brace it, but getting it tied in properly so it works will be the key. (Not a soils engineer but did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once...)

Yes, a lot of expansive clay.

 

[dstig1]

Oooo. You might want to talk to an engineer on this one. Eddie is right that up to 4' they typically let anyone do what they want, but over that it often requires engineering. He is also right on water management.

You will definitely want footer drains, and then lay landscape fabric over the dirt from the footing on up and fill with 3/4" washed free-flowing rock for drainage. Then wrap the filter fabric over the top of the rock to the wall and add a few inches of dirt to plant grass, etc. This allows water to get down to the footer drain and then out to daylight somewhere (plan for that) plus any water in the rock has tons of space to expand as it freezes so it cannot push on your wall.

 

[Ken]

Yes, a lot of expansive clay.

 

[Ken]

Mr. Fuller, it has been a while since your posting about the new garden building.
with the weather that is mentioned of rain snow and miserable conditions to work outside how is it coming?
Notice the drought in California is gone and the rivers again flowing thinking the mud in Seligman is deep.
Remember driving to a microwave site there and crossing a small shallow creek became stuck. Pick up the front end sank into the mud took a winch cable and tied it to a large tree and tried to pull my way across it. the sinking continued until the truck bed was at water level and called a fellow worker living .near Kingman Arix. before the interstate. took over 2 hours for him to arrive and by now the bed was filling with mud. He tied his truck to another tree and winched cable to the rear bumper to pull the truck backward and I loosened the fan belt to keep from splashing water over the engine, using my winch and his winch to pull the truck backward to higher ground. after the truck was towed to the plant we used a fire hose to wash the mud from under the truck . Never again trusted a creek to be shallow and could get across.
Then a couple of months later spent 3 days trying to get him off Mount Hualalpai. walking out with snow shoes he kept falling into the top of the trees. after this, he and I requested transfers to Phoenix and I went to New Mex. Life is too short to be working with these conditions.
Trust health and family are doing good.
Myself have been taking treatment for cancer and all of last year was nothing done around the place. maybe can get the strength back to clear the fence row of saplings and fix
fences. se'ya ken

 

[BoFuller]

Yes the weather put the kibosh on everything. The dirt walls have caved in on top of my forms and it will be a ton of work to dig everything out when weather permits.
Since Jan 1 we have received 57 inches of snow. More than the last several years combined.
I have been concentrating my efforts on fixing up our mobile home in Phoenix - new carpeting, new laminate floors. Selling stuff, giving stuff away, throwing stuff away. Too much stuff!
Getting ready to sell it.
‘Good to hear from you and we’re praying that your recovery improves.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the update. I would of never of believed that you would get so much snow where you live!!!!

 

[dstig1]

Good to hear from you guys again. Near record snow here too. We are somewhere around 81-82" for the season so far Minneapolis/St Paul. They keep saying if we hit 85", it becomes a top 5. Right now we are around #7-8 I guess. I'm pretty sure we will hit top 5 but no way we will make #1 unless a couple more massive dumps happen as I think it is over 100" for the record. At least the sun angle is now high enough that it has a real impact on melting this down some. It was getting ridiculous on where to pile it all for a while...

 

[BoFuller]

We are finally completely out of the Phoenix home and here at the cabin 24/7.
It took a long time to dig out all the dirt that caved in and get back to where I was last August. I got the footer poured a week or so ago and finally laid the first block yesterday morning. After 6 block, it started to look like rain, so that was it for the first day of block. I have never done block before, so I know you’ll laugh when you find out it took me almost 2 hours to do those 6 block. It’s way more work than I anticipated, leveling in every direction, keeping in line, etc. And all on my knees - that was plenty for the first day.

 

[BoFuller]

Laid 13 block today, in about the same time as I did 6 yesterday. I think I’m getting into a groove.

 

[dstig1]

26 tomorrow, Bo and you are on a roll!!!

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Laid 13 block today, in about the same time as I did 6 yesterday. I think I’m getting into a groove.

That first row is always the time consumer for me, after that it always goes faster.

 

[bindian]

It didn't happen without PHOTOS!
hugs, Brandi

 

[civilian]

It didn't happen without PHOTOS!
hugs, Brandi

But from seeing his progress during the house build, we know this work is progressing. and yes, I hope to see pictures of Bo's work. Jon

 

[BoFuller]

 

[BoFuller]

I did 10 more block yesterday and ran out of block. Another trip to HD tomorrow.

 

[BoFuller]

But from seeing his progress during the house build, we know this work is progressing. and yes, I hope to see pictures of Bo's work. Jon

I know Brandi doesn’t doubt my work, but thanks for the vote of confidence.

 

[BoFuller]

I just now found my tool for smoothing the seam between blocks. I may not use it until the 5th course as everything below that will be covered in dirt, inside and out.