No you need boards (planks) not 2x4 - so if your footings are 20cm deep, buy lengths of 20cm x 12mm - cheap timber decking planks, maybe. Builders use even chesper plywood braced on the outside. This is only temporary, known as form work - basically a bottomless box to pour concrete into to make your footings. A thin layer of gravel at the bottom of the box will help give the poured concrete something to bond to. Try to do it when the soil is dry, so you are not pouring onto mud!
Weep holes are recommended, belt and braces, but not critical. If you find the bed isn't draining properly you can drill holes in between the mortar joints, at hardcore level, later on.
Okay that makes sense - I just need to find some planks and figure out the best way to do this. I'm thinking I just create a bottomless box, but the size of the planter - then pour concrete around the box, rather than inside?
I need to find the best place to put the weep holes if i go down that route. Obviously with what K67 said about protecting the neigbouring fences and my want to have a rendered wall - it will make this tricky.
I would just dump or you could just ram soil back in depends on the gap, if it's tight it might be easier to pour a runny cenent mix in which will find its own level.
Doing this wouldn't put too much pressure on my new wall tho right?
Okay that makes sense - I just need to find some planks and figure out the best way to do this. I'm thinking I just create a bottomless box, but the size of the planter - then pour concrete around the box, rather than inside?
You can do this or just lay boards on edge and put bricks behind for support. Your concrete mix will be fairly stiff and you need to make it as level as you can all the way round or when you come to lay the blocks you will have trouble getting them level. Dont know how high you are going with them but make sure you tie in the corners like house walls.
As to backfilling you won't do this until your wall is built and dry, there is already pressure from the soil already there. When I said ram I didn't mean with force just to make sure you haven't left large gaps.
Okay that makes sense - I just need to find some planks and figure out the best way to do this. I'm thinking I just create a bottomless box, but the size of the planter - then pour concrete around the box, rather than inside?
You can do this or just lay boards on edge and put bricks behind for support. Your concrete mix will be fairly stiff and you need to make it as level as you can all the way round or when you come to lay the blocks you will have trouble getting them level. Dont know how high you are going with them but make sure you tie in the corners like house walls.
As to backfilling you won't do this until your wall is built and dry, there is already pressure from the soil already there. When I said ram I didn't mean with force just to make sure you haven't left large gaps.
Hmm I guess I could do it that way, I'm just thinking my design is somewhat complicated. I have effectively 5 sections which wont require the cement footing (2 larger planter, 2 smaller planter and the water feature reservoir). I was just thinking if i created 5 boxes, i could do the cementing in one hit?
But then i'm also struggling for the right timber to use for that size! I'm trying to keep cost down as much as possible!
Well you could scrap the block raised beds and go with wood sleepers. Or you could use your blocks instead of boards but maybe put plastic between in case the concrete stuck to them. You don't have to do every side at the same time though. Initially although too late now you would have just cut out a channel around the area to lay your footing rather than dig out the whole area.
Well you could scrap the block raised beds and go with wood sleepers. Or you could use your blocks instead of boards but maybe put plastic between in case the concrete stuck to them. You don't have to do every side at the same time though. Initially although too late now you would have just cut out a channel around the area to lay your footing rather than dig out the whole area.
I'm pretty set on the concrete because the rendered look is what I'm going for in particular! The plastic between blocks is a good shout. Would cardboard do the same or would the concrete just seap through it?
I do still have all the dirt piled up near the bed - if it works fine using that, I could put mounds back in to recreate the channels?
As you can see - I'm over thinking this so much haha
You could simplify your block-work design by having two longer boxes the same height, either side of your water feature. Planting lower-growing things closest to your water feature will give you the same sense of rhythm/changes in height without the fiddle of creating all those extra box footings.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
As you can see - I'm over thinking this so much haha
This is good, planning is all. Get your basics in place and know exactly what you want to do and how to go forward with each step. Avoid trying to change things on the fly. Let's just roll back a bit... How big is this feature that you want to build? from photos, looks to be about 5m wide, think you said 700mm total width (depth is the height) , How deep (high)? Try to plan around block modular sizes they are 440x215x100mm usually plus 10mm for each joint so you can calculate pretty precisely exact size to fit your space. Blocks can be cut, but if you can plan sizes for full blocks this makes for an easier life, no? so for example, you would be better making it 850mm wide (2 x block + 10mm joint) if you have space. 3 courses of blocks plus joints will give you a height of 690mm, consider your lower sections height within the design, 2 block courses high? Do drawings for your own reference and to work out your exact design and dimensions first. From this you can then calculate material requirements and consider moving on to executing the plan.. Owd
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You can do this or just lay boards on edge and put bricks behind for support. Your concrete mix will be fairly stiff and you need to make it as level as you can all the way round or when you come to lay the blocks you will have trouble getting them level. Dont know how high you are going with them but make sure you tie in the corners like house walls.
As to backfilling you won't do this until your wall is built and dry, there is already pressure from the soil already there. When I said ram I didn't mean with force just to make sure you haven't left large gaps.
Or you could use your blocks instead of boards but maybe put plastic between in case the concrete stuck to them.
You don't have to do every side at the same time though.
Initially although too late now you would have just cut out a channel around the area to lay your footing rather than dig out the whole area.
I'm pretty set on the concrete because the rendered look is what I'm going for in particular! The plastic between blocks is a good shout. Would cardboard do the same or would the concrete just seap through it?
I do still have all the dirt piled up near the bed - if it works fine using that, I could put mounds back in to recreate the channels?
As you can see - I'm over thinking this so much haha
Get your basics in place and know exactly what you want to do and how to go forward with each step. Avoid trying to change things on the fly.
Let's just roll back a bit...
How big is this feature that you want to build?
from photos, looks to be about 5m wide, think you said 700mm total width (depth is the height) , How deep (high)?
Try to plan around block modular sizes they are 440x215x100mm usually plus 10mm for each joint so you can calculate pretty precisely exact size to fit your space.
Blocks can be cut, but if you can plan sizes for full blocks this makes for an easier life, no?
so for example, you would be better making it 850mm wide (2 x block + 10mm joint) if you have space. 3 courses of blocks plus joints will give you a height of 690mm, consider your lower sections height within the design, 2 block courses high?
Do drawings for your own reference and to work out your exact design and dimensions first. From this you can then calculate material requirements and consider moving on to executing the plan..
Owd