Garden wall advice!!!

A

Aux100

Guest
Hello all,

We have a three foot wall in our back garden which supports a small bank, although this does the job intended, it doesn't look great as it is damp due to the earth that is behind it.

We are looking to tidy up this space so have decided to build a wall to disguise the bank behind. (5 or 6 feet high)

This is where I need your advice.

Do we build a new wall in front of the older one with some sort of water/damp proof membrane between them? Is this the way to do this?

Ideally we would like a higher wall that we could get plastered and painted white to get a nice clean finnish.

Any help will be appreciated.
 
Hi There

If you are going to build 5-6ft high you really need a solid foundation if the wall is to be built from brick or block, also depending on length piers may be needed for stability.

It is important to allow for drainage behind the wall to prevent soil becoming waterlogged, normally with retaining walls a 22mm dia pipe is built into the base of the wall at intervals, sloping slightly towards the front of the wall. also dont have soil directly against the wall use gravel instead this should prevent any build upof water and keep the new wall from being saturated.
 
You could consider fixing a brush type screen to the existing wall you can get them in various types some are 6/7 ft tall and look very nice .Check them out before you go to the expense of a wall
 
Suggest you excavate behind the existing wall,put a perforated pipe at the base,and backfill 300mm wide and to near ground level with 20size mm stones. Ensure that pipe can drain at either end of wall. Would be good idea to plaster back of wall. This should solve the damp problem. Can then screen or beautify wall. Would be an awful lot cheaper than building new wall.
 
Agree with sallis post above, take the extra precaution of wrapping the gravel and perforated pipe with geotextile membrane to prevent the whole system becoming clogged with silt over time.
 
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