[greenstone]

hust landed a large job, one part of which is to buld a 40' long wall capped with bluestone. the client wants the same brick used as is on the house. the problem is i'm not sure whether i need to dig down below frost line or if i can just excavate a foot or so, drop in 6" of drainage stone, then pour a reinforced 6" grade beam. the wall will be retaining about 16" of bluestone patio on the inside and will be 32" visible on the downslope. its quite a steep slope and really do not want to have to excavate 4' down. thanks for any help.

[dan deutekom]

House brick as a retaining wall? This is a recipe for disaster! House brick when in contact with soil will absorb moisture, which will then freeze and bust the brick apart. Also the brick isn't large enough to retain anything. House brick is just used as a decorative veneer. You will have to build a concrete or block wall and face it with brick.

[diginahole]

This will make in inflexable wall that will require footings below the frostline. It will also be necessary to provide adequate drainage behind and through the wall. I think Segmented Retaining Wall block will be more appropriate and economical in this situation.

I agree with Dan, don't let house brick come in contact with the ground or they won't be long for this world.

[dan deutekom]

Thanks Blair
forget to mention footings and drainage.

[Stonehenge]

Could you do something in a dry laid limestone wall capped in bluestone? That might look very nice.

[greenstone]

thanks for the quick replies guys. i guess i was a little unclear in my original post. the brick will only be a veneer (block or pour centre) and will not have any forced pushing on it. beleive me i wish i could go with one of the retaining wall block out there but the architect specked for this brick and the home owners loved it. money is not their main concern.

[Stonehenge]

For a solid wall of that length I believe a footing below the frost line is what's in order.

Have you done masonry work before? I just did a little recently, and really had a ball with it. If not, I'd recommend subbing a mason, or hiring one (that's what I did).

[Tim]

In this case, since the architect was so keen on specking this particular material, I would want to get him/her to sign an installation method approval for whatever you eventually decide is the best alternative for this project. Tim