Building the Wall–The Start

Introduction

Since we bought our home in 1999, we had planned for a Level Entry.  From the street in front of our house to the front door there are twenty-two steps.  For the able bodied, that is not much effort, but as one edges into a life less firm and a bit more unstable, those steps become a difficult prospect on a regular basis.  We have friends that use walkers, canes, and  wheel-chairs, and there may be a day where one of us may need to enter the house in an easier manner. 

As you can see from these earlier photos of the front and back yard, the hillside provides both a challenge and an excellent level access, with a bit of labor, of course.

So in the July, the project got started.  I decided to add a deck from the back door to the edge of the lot, and then a sloping walkway to the street.  (There have been numerous changes to the property since these photos were taken)

Foundation

I modeled the project’s main features in Sketch-Up, in that I am not very proficient at using, there are some modeling errors, but this did provide me with basic form and strength requirements I needed for a wall that wouldn’t ever move.

At the very bottom I put in a cleat.  This is a safety feature to keep the wall from sliding on the ground.  The cleat was then keyed to the first layer of the foundation, then the next layer of the foundation was keyed to the first (not shown) and the wall is keyed to the foundation.  Rebar runs vertically and horizontally throughout all of these.  In the background of this graphic, are the supports for the ramped walkway and the much smaller walls, seating areas, etc.   Not all of this is as clear as one would hope, but I hope as this story continues, you will see all the work that was accomplished. 

Wall Design

The wall is separate 8 foot sections between large heavy posts, two feet square.  The actual wall is less than 7 feet long in each section.  The walls of each post is canted to be wider in the front, and keyed to lock them together with the natural expansion and contraction the climate enforces.  The entire idea is to keep the wall in place during any combination of events: earthquakes, rains, or extreme heat. 

Several years ago we were at a museum that had a wall that had been make to look old, rough cut lumber was used and shimmed to show the deviations in the wall contour and leave the imprint of the wood.  I used this in the garden walls, so I again used it on these walls. 

When forming, the wall is shimmed out with small wood pieces to make the result look rustic.  The rough hewn face of the lumber faces the concrete.  So that when it is removed, the grain of the wood shows in relief on the concrete. 

Concrete Counter in Garden Area

I have shared a few of these in the past, and more will come as this project finishes. What you are seeing is the progression of building a concrete counter from the supporting 2x6 pressure treated members then the plywood stoppers on the underside of the concrete (they are removed once the counter is dried)

Once the concrete has dried for some time, I start grinding.  First to remove the 'cream' from the top to expose the aggregate then using a strait edge and a level, i make the slight flow to the sink from the surrounding area.  The wire you see in the first picture is used to prevent cracking.  the item above the hammer is the drain housing for the sink

 Here is late at night.  The process took 14 hours of almost continuous work to this point
 This photo shows the first grind on the top to remove the cream and expose the aggregate.








The rubber against the stucco makes sure that the concrete does not stick to the wall.  Eventually there will be a back-splash.  I want to build some shelves for plant nursery over the right arm.  

 My step-son Craig is working it here.  He showed me how to grind on the surface, and as is his way, spent most of the day doing it, so I grabbed the camera

.   I have done more work improving the fall into the sink, so that any mess on the counter-top will flow into the sink.

I will post when I have completed that task.

Raised Bed Walls in Garden

We visited the Getty Center on PCH (the old Getty) and saw a wall that my step-son assisted in building many years ago.  The wall was made to look like it had been poured in the early 1900s by putting weathered boards in strips across the face and shimmed out some at different thicknesses to make it accentuate the look.  I loved it, and like the saying goes, STEAL IT!
To get the look, I got some rough fencing material from the big box hardware store, then ripped the 6" wide (actually 5 1/2 inches) into 1 3/4 inch strips.  Each piece is shimmed slightly differently to gain the same effect as the inspirational wall.   I made the form to hold two pieces.  My thinking was that I could pour two as easily as one. With the total weight a bit over 250 lbs, so I could tip it over (photo 1) and I could manage each piece(about 100 lbs) to it's final resting place (photo 2) .  One challenge was to keep the concrete from sticking to the form; soaking the wood thoroughly with a silicone spray did the trick.
My first attempt at producing an actual item was moderately successful  (read: learning curve) and I don't love the terra-cotta color, but that's what I chose at the time.  There is some crumbling, and I didn't shake the form sufficiently to get a great print everywhere.  I believe I released the form too early.  Even with Quick Set concrete, 16 hours is too soon.
I will try to improve on this as I reuse the form. I think it will need a piece of re-bar horizontally to provide more strength.  I used chicken wire in each piece, but the moving of the pieces did crack each of them. This could also be due to the early release and my natural excitement.  I will find a use for these for now, but for the large quantity I want to make (40+), I will have to improve the technique.  
Basically I feel like a kid with a new toy.  What great fun.

6/20/2010  ---

I've made five sets of molds so far, ten parts.  The process has gone through a few improvements.  I am using square drive screws to remove all the sides.  The part just drops out.  

You will notice that there are some color changes in the various pieces.  That is due to the different types of concrete I have used.  I found that the Crack Resistant Quikrete works the best.  I like the color the best too. 
Some of the issues shown here are: too much water in the mix (upper right); off brand concrete mix (left), and our cat being curious. 
More to follow as the project completes...