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Just ordered 30 massive oak sleepers for our landscaping project. Garden is about 4.5x9m and it slopes quite a bit, so we're digging it all up and putting two proper terraces in. So it's patio, then flower bed 0.6m up which is going to be about 1.5m deep, then another 1.6m up to a lawn at the back.
So when we build the wall out of sleepers we plan to use half a sleeper (1.2m). So the question is about how to concrete into the ground. I'm thinking that we can use a sand or aggregate type material and some cement so that it sets semi-solid rather than full on concrete. Basically like postcrete, but I don't want to have to buy dozens of postcrete bags.
Soace is tight so I think it'd be difficult to mix our own stuff in a barrow and move it about, so my idea is as follows:
1. Dig the trench for the sleepers to the required depth and as level as possible, about 40cm or so wide. There's free space on both sides at the moment.
2. Put sandy gravel/aggregate/whatever on both sides of the sleepers.
3. Put cement on top
4. Mix it up as much as possible in the trench with shovels/poles/whatevever
5. Water it and let it set.
Is this nuts? Mixing the materials in the trench in-situ?
Doesn't sound great, you'll probably end up with mud and crap getting mixed into the concrete. You're in Cardiff? Based on what you've said it might not help but I've got a mixer you can borrow if you pick it up from Newport and drop it back
I don't think you need to worry too much about the concrete depth but think about where the forces are directed. The push will be mostly from behind the 'wall' of sleepers rather than on top of them. It might be worth simply sinking a couple of vertical posts, a bit like fence posts, behind the main wall of sleepers and then use coach bolts to fix the sleeper wall to these posts.
Posts are sunk 2 feet into the ground and set in concrete so going no where, the sleepers are bolted to those so can hold back the dirt
Yeah, nuts! As above, you'll never keep it clean from soil or debris falling back in from the bank.
Also 30 sleepers worth? Assuming from your OP your standing them on (cut) ends, in a 40cm wide trench, that'll be a fair amount to mix by hand.
Hire or borrow a cement mixer and pour straight into the trench, thank me later.
I dont't hink it needs to be clean does it? All I want is stiff soil.
Can you just use rebar to fix sleepers? Lay them flat with rebar through into the ground?.
That'd work for a wall, but I don't think it'd work for a retaining wall. Sleepers have to go deep into the ground, there's a lot of earth to hold back.
Postcrete £5 for 20kg in easily handled bags?
I’ve got a mixer you can borrow if you pick it up from Newport and drop it back
I take it by ignoring my offer it's of no interest, consider the gesture thoroughly withdrawn.
I've seen people make concrete bases with a few rebar sticking out vertically. Then when it's set, drill holes into the bottom of the beams and drop them on. It keeps them out of standing water and if you need to move them later it's easier to move.
No idea if that's suitable though but it looked solid