|
Post by treetop on Mar 7, 2022 12:17:07 GMT -5
If you pour the concrete real wet make sure your forms have very little gaps or the concrete will leak through in them areas. Greg, I was going to see if I could use the dirt as the form if I could. The whole footing would be in the ground. It would be a lot of work, but hand dig the 9"x9" trench. No reason you can’t that’s how they pour the walls on a slap but they wrap a 2 x 12 around the top to level it and to get the home up out of the dirt
|
|
|
Post by steiny on Mar 7, 2022 13:41:26 GMT -5
My raised beds 20' x 4', 6x6 treated timbers, 4 or 5 high, spiked together with long pole bldg nails, laps and joints staggered. Very simple to build and they've held up great for over 10 years now, no footing required. I'm sure they'll last another 5-10 years or more.
A big advantage to raised beds is doing your work at stand up height rather than ground level. Make them narrow enough that you can easily reach the center. Regarding using a garden tractor for tillage, that will put more pressure against the raised walls and also compact the soil. Tillage is really pretty easy on a raised bed with decent soils, just remove all the old growth in the spring and hoe them or run a little Mantis tiller over them.
Amazing the amount of produce you can get from a pretty small area.
|
|
|
Post by esshup on Mar 7, 2022 19:32:54 GMT -5
My raised beds 20' x 4', 6x6 treated timbers, 4 or 5 high, spiked together with long pole bldg nails, laps and joints staggered. Very simple to build and they've held up great for over 10 years now, no footing required. I'm sure they'll last another 5-10 years or more. A big advantage to raised beds is doing your work at stand up height rather than ground level. Make them narrow enough that you can easily reach the center. Regarding using a garden tractor for tillage, that will put more pressure against the raised walls and also compact the soil. Tillage is really pretty easy on a raised bed with decent soils, just remove all the old growth in the spring and hoe them or run a little Mantis tiller over them. Amazing the amount of produce you can get from a pretty small area. There are 2 small ones there now, 3' wide x 16 feet long. Dad made them out of 2x12x16, one 2x12 high. They are starting to bow out in the middle, I don't think he put anything below grade, just made the frames and put them on top of the ground.
|
|
|
Post by span870 on Mar 8, 2022 4:42:42 GMT -5
Okay. I think I'm getting it. You are going to build a u shape and fill it with dirt to the top of the wall. Makes a bit more sense now.
Footer, I'm still going with concrete not needed. All it does is provide a flat surface to build on. It will still move the same amount but as a whole. Move along, no but still move. I'm still going with a good gravel bed compacted and a good base layer of compacted sand. The concrete won't hurt but I'm convinced for what you are going to do that it'll offer negligible benefit. Your call. If you decide to pour it just use the walls as a form. Remember unless you form inside the walls quite a bit you're not getting those forms back out. Vast majority of homes I've poured for just use the ground sides as forms. None, and I absolutely mean none besides commercial are below frost line. As far as the walls, what you are planning you absolutely are going to have to mortar and interlock meaning stagger the blocks. Just stacking them and it'll eventually collapse. Me, I'd forgo the footer and spend the money on block fill. Remember once it's built and filled, one block moves there is no way to fix it unless you empty the bed.
|
|
|
Post by span870 on Mar 8, 2022 4:45:07 GMT -5
With what I said above, absolutely nothing in your plan is wrong as long as you finish the blocks. I just think it's overkill. Overkill isn't always wrong. Going with your plan, that sucker isn't going to move on its own.
|
|
|
Post by treetop on Mar 8, 2022 5:28:01 GMT -5
Okay. I think I'm getting it. You are going to build a u shape and fill it with dirt to the top of the wall. Makes a bit more sense now. Footer, I'm still going with concrete not needed. All it does is provide a flat surface to build on. It will still move the same amount but as a whole. Move along, no but still move. I'm still going with a good gravel bed compacted and a good base layer of compacted sand. The concrete won't hurt but I'm convinced for what you are going to do that it'll offer negligible benefit. Your call. If you decide to pour it just use the walls as a form. Remember unless you form inside the walls quite a bit you're not getting those forms back out. Vast majority of homes I've poured for just use the ground sides as forms. None, and I absolutely mean none besides commercial are below frost line. As far as the walls, what you are planning you absolutely are going to have to mortar and interlock meaning stagger the blocks. Just stacking them and it'll eventually collapse. Me, I'd forgo the footer and spend the money on block fill. Remember once it's built and filled, one block moves there is no way to fix it unless you empty the bed. You must not have things inspected in Allen they come tape them before you can pour. If we’re doing slab heat we can’t be below the key way I’ve watched them check plumbing drains with a level make sure they have fall. I’ve had them string them to check us make sure we are not to low
|
|
|
Post by span870 on Mar 8, 2022 7:00:24 GMT -5
Okay. I think I'm getting it. You are going to build a u shape and fill it with dirt to the top of the wall. Makes a bit more sense now. Footer, I'm still going with concrete not needed. All it does is provide a flat surface to build on. It will still move the same amount but as a whole. Move along, no but still move. I'm still going with a good gravel bed compacted and a good base layer of compacted sand. The concrete won't hurt but I'm convinced for what you are going to do that it'll offer negligible benefit. Your call. If you decide to pour it just use the walls as a form. Remember unless you form inside the walls quite a bit you're not getting those forms back out. Vast majority of homes I've poured for just use the ground sides as forms. None, and I absolutely mean none besides commercial are below frost line. As far as the walls, what you are planning you absolutely are going to have to mortar and interlock meaning stagger the blocks. Just stacking them and it'll eventually collapse. Me, I'd forgo the footer and spend the money on block fill. Remember once it's built and filled, one block moves there is no way to fix it unless you empty the bed. You must not have things inspected in Allen they come tape them before you can pour. If we’re doing slab heat we can’t be below the key way I’ve watched them check plumbing drains with a level make sure they have fall. I’ve had them string them to check us make sure we are not to low Lawrence, Greene, Monroe, Marion, orange, and a couple other counties south. Again unless commercial, most are 18" and that is stretching it.
|
|
|
Post by treetop on Mar 8, 2022 8:53:17 GMT -5
We are 36 to bottom of 10 wide trench normally they run a 2 x 12 around the top so you have 14 inches or so to the top of key way 2 inch foam on inside to top of footer for thermal break no less than 4 inch’s house no less than 5 inch’s of mud in garage Footer across garage door opening footer tied to slap every 36 inches
|
|
|
Post by esshup on Mar 8, 2022 9:17:04 GMT -5
Okay. I think I'm getting it. You are going to build a u shape and fill it with dirt to the top of the wall. Makes a bit more sense now. Footer, I'm still going with concrete not needed. All it does is provide a flat surface to build on. It will still move the same amount but as a whole. Move along, no but still move. I'm still going with a good gravel bed compacted and a good base layer of compacted sand. The concrete won't hurt but I'm convinced for what you are going to do that it'll offer negligible benefit. Your call. If you decide to pour it just use the walls as a form. Remember unless you form inside the walls quite a bit you're not getting those forms back out. Vast majority of homes I've poured for just use the ground sides as forms. None, and I absolutely mean none besides commercial are below frost line. As far as the walls, what you are planning you absolutely are going to have to mortar and interlock meaning stagger the blocks. Just stacking them and it'll eventually collapse. Me, I'd forgo the footer and spend the money on block fill. Remember once it's built and filled, one block moves there is no way to fix it unless you empty the bed. Span870, each garden bed will be a rectangle. Each bed will be 20'x50"(or so) inside dimension, 3 blocks high. Yes to the interlock/mortar and no to dry stack. Run rebar up from footer to inside of 1st course, fill first and maybe the 2nd course with concrete, put dirt inside of top course to plant marigolds. There is sand below the grass that is there, or should be, it was brought from here when I renovated the pond here and they needed to reduce the slope to build a pole barn. Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it!! I'd rather spend more now and do it once vs. spend less and have to re-do it all in 15+ years when I'm older. If I was only going to live there for a few years I would just dig up the grass, amend the soil and make a flat garden, but I plan on being there for a while.
|
|