[doingpavers]

this was way way more work than I thought it would be. I poured the footers on the 6th and let them settle. I was worried they might sink too much but they didn't move an inch.

I spent friday afternoon, all day saturday and sunday and I worked like a rabid dog right up to when the truck pulled up at 3:30. I had no idea if I was going to have a blow out. I almost cancelled the load noon but decided to power through it. I asked the driver to leave the mix pretty dry. that just made it harder on me but I think it helped keep the walls up as the concrete was more self supporting.

The pictures are of the back of one and a view from the end of the other. they are 4 feet high (without the footers) 11 feet long. 10" wide at the top and 16" wide at the bottom

 

[mark777]

Nice job :fing32:

Do it right and you only have to do it once....That'll be there for centuries to come...

 

[DJ in WV]

Well now those sure are substantial. They look good too. :fing32:

 

[TUDOR]

Concrete work is BFI. (Brute force and ignorance. When you get older, you're supposed to get smart enough to get someone else to do it!) :ROF

Looks good from here! :fing32:

 

[doingpavers]

Concrete work is BFI. (Brute force and ignorance. When you get older, you're supposed to get smart enough to get someone else to do it!) :ROF

Looks good from here! :fing32:

I didn't spend enough time in my younger years getting money to pay for hired BFI.
I do like to do things myself though. but I admit. half way through the project I had wished I had dipped into my tiny life savings and paid some one else but now that its over I'm glad I did it.

 

[TUDOR]

I didn't spend enough time in my younger years getting money to pay for hired BFI.
I do like to do things myself though. but I admit. half way through the project I had wished I had dipped into my tiny life savings and paid some one else but now that its over I'm glad I did it.

Right there with ya!!

 

[doingpavers]

Right there with ya!!

Then I feel bad for both of us:trink39:

But now my dilemma.

I thought I spent a lot of time tamping the concrete with a long 1.5x1.5 stick. I was really tired when i started and exhausted when I finished but I kept it up as the concrete was pouring in. It wasa thick mix ( no extra slump?)
The first half of the first wall looks almost perfect. then you can see where I was getting tired. then really tired and then exhausted. I didn't run the stick down the side of the forms and just worked the middle.

In short. I think the center of the wall is fine but a lot of the face is pitted pretty bad.

So what should I use to fill in the voids on the face? sand topping mix? mortar? Or just fill in with stucco mix before I stucco?

and how long do I have to wait?

 

[Chagrin]

"mortar mix" (Quickrete yellow bag / green line) would be fine.

Did you put any reinforcement (rebar / wire mesh) in the wall?

 

[doingpavers]

"mortar mix" (Quickrete yellow bag / green line) would be fine.

Did you put any reinforcement (rebar / wire mesh) in the wall?

I went back and forth about that. I talked to 2 contractors I knew and a concrete contractor and all were shocked that the dot engineers didn't plan with rebar. Even the inspector was taken back when I pointed that detail out. He assumed the thing was going to be full of rebar. The dot specs called for some dowels if the footer was poured separate from the wall and 2 sticks of horizontal rebar at the very top and nothing else.

Personally I think the dot is crazy but I wouldn't want to print anything that would get me into an argument with the state.

 

[CleanGreen]

Looks good....how'd the finished product turn out? Worth all your effort?

 

[doingpavers]

Looks good....how'd the finished product turn out? Worth all your effort?

I still have a lot to do. I wanted to make a detail on the top that will be about 4 inches high and taper the ends facing the house. Over all so far it looks pretty professional and very very sturdy. When I am done and get some stucco and paint on it and completely forget all the back breaking work I will be pretty proud of it.

Right now my back and knee still hurt so I'm not 100% sold on it being the correct decision. But I should be better after a slow weekend.

 

[Chagrin]

I didn't mean to ask a loaded question about the mesh/rebar. I was just curious if you used mesh because I was wondering how you kept the mesh from migrating to the surface of the wall as you poured it.

...but if I had done this I would have had two pieces of rebar at the bottom and then maybe two at the top. The rebar adds tensile strength and assuming that the risk to this wall is that it loses support in the bottom/middle it would prevent the wall from bowing down and cracking up the middle.

 

[doingpavers]

I didn't mean to ask a loaded question about the mesh/rebar. I was just curious if you used mesh because I was wondering how you kept the mesh from migrating to the surface of the wall as you poured it.

...but if I had done this I would have had two pieces of rebar at the bottom and then maybe two at the top. The rebar adds tensile strength and assuming that the risk to this wall is that it loses support in the bottom/middle it would prevent the wall from bowing down and cracking up the middle.

Did you mean the fiber mesh or the steel mesh grid like they used to use on driveways.

It does have fiber mesh. there are 2 types from what i understand. commercial and residential. the only difference is the residential is shorter. The commercial can leave concrete looking hairy.

I did put some rebar in. You wouldn't have been able to put any across the bottom because of the pipe though. I guess there could have been some on each side.

I hadn't taken the back of the forms of. I just did one yesterday and found one big void at the corner near the top big enough to put 2 fists in. that was a disappointment and a small structural problem.

 

[CADplans]

I hadn't taken the back of the forms of. I just did one yesterday and found one big void at the corner near the top big enough to put 2 fists in. that was a disappointment and a small structural problem.

I just talked to DOT for you about the defects,

they will be out Tuesday with the letter requiring removal and replacement!! mg:






LOL! :ROF

I would have the stucco materials on site and ready to go before I removed the forms.

I poured a 57 foot long, 4 foot high retaining wall one time. Luckily, my neighbor had done it many times.

We did not end up with a defect big enough to put a dime in.

(Behind the splitter)

 

[TUDOR]

It's a bit late now, but you can rent electric concrete vibrators for eliminating those voids when you pour the concrete. They sure help the concrete to flow. It saves shovelling, rodding the concrete to work it all up against the forms, and beating on the forms to get a smooth surface.

 

[doingpavers]

I just talked to DOT for you about the defects,

they will be out Tuesday with the letter requiring removal and replacement!! mg:






LOL! :ROF

I would have the stucco materials on site and ready to go before I removed the forms.

I poured a 57 foot long, 4 foot high retaining wall one time. Luckily, my neighbor had done it many times.

We did not end up with a defect big enough to put a dime in.

(Behind the splitter)

thats one fantastic wall!

 

[doingpavers]

It's a bit late now, but you can rent electric concrete vibrators for eliminating those voids when you pour the concrete. They sure help the concrete to flow. It saves shovelling, rodding the concrete to work it all up against the forms, and beating on the forms to get a smooth surface.

I knew that but the total length was only 22 feet. I thought I was going to be able to rod it enough but I was just to tired by the time it came to pour and I guess I slacked off.

 

[TUDOR]

I knew that but the total length was only 22 feet. I thought I was going to be able to rod it enough but I was just to tired by the time it came to pour and I guess I slacked off.

When I poured 2 piers a few years ago, I thought about it but didn't bother with the vibrator. If I had done 4 piers at that time, I would have had the vibrator on site. My memory of doing my garage floor 30 years ago is still fresh, and I rented all the power tools available for that job! Vibrator, powered screed, powered trowel, and included my GT to add muscle for the screed.