Building non load bearing boundary wall for driveway.. can it be 4 inch wide?

mrcheez

As per title can I build a 1.2m high redbrick wall that is only 4 inch wide rather than the long side of the brick?

Also can I get a double cant red brick to cap it like https://eshop.solentbrick.org.uk/Double-Cant-Brick-AN-62

All the examples I've seen seem to be either 2 bricks wide, or the long edge of the brick wide.

mr.stonewall

Can be 4 inch but will need enough piers built into it to keep it stable. A cheaper option could 9 inch cavity or block in flat, especially if it has to be plastered. These would reduce the need for piers. The cavity block would allow some rebar to come up from the foundation at a few points in the cavity and it can be filled with some concrete

mrcheez

It wouldn't be a plastered wall, rather the redbrick would need to be visible.

If it were a 8" (2 bricks side by side) wide instead would it still need the piers?

Thanks

Lumen

Questions...

What is the wall for? Is it just freestanding and decorative or does it retain an earth bank?

How long is it?

Is it straight, curved, or have any sharp turns in it?

Terminology-wise, I believe what you're proposing is known as a half-brick wall.

Lumen

The Brits have some decent design guides available, as they've for reasons of history and geology built more with bricks than we have.

There are some guidelines and links to standards here:

https://www.brick.org.uk/uploads/downloads/s-free-standing-walls.pdf

mrcheez

Freestanding decorative wall for driveway. Straight with no curve. Approx 4-5m long.

mulbot

100mm wide x 5 metres long, x 1.2 high. Surely without a midtype support pier, this would easily be pushed over?

Mr. teddywinkles

Deleted

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122216410#Comment_122216410

I was going suggest a Flemish bond or similar, but it's all covered off in that guide. Very handy!

But how do you complete it with a continuous DPC under the coping stone and also have the coping stone well adhered to the wall? Surely the DPC prevents adherence? 🤔

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122216804#Comment_122216804

There are standards governing DPC bonding e.g. search for "bs8215 dpc bonding" and high bond products which are designed for low load applications e.g. under wall coping/capping.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122216852#Comment_122216852

Ah, they use a silica surfaced DPC for capping/coping.

Due to its superior mortar adhesion, the DPC is ideal for use on buildings where a low imposed load occurs but a high mortar bond
is required e.g. parapet walls, beneath masonry coping or capping. The DPC reduces the risk of masonry slippage due to poor
mortar adhesion.

Now I know.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122216472#Comment_122216472

No idea hence me asking here first :)

Just want to get ideas about whats possible before I call someone over

bfclancy2

double brick wall pier at either end is best solution for this scenario if possible

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122217612#Comment_122217612

cheers, also I'd imagine a wall with no pier on the end would look a little bare

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058354374/building-non-load-bearing-boundary-wall-for-driveway-can-it-be-4-inch-wide

It case you were not aware. Two bricks wide is equal to the long edge of a brick.

That’s by design, to allow the two leads on brick to be built together, interleaved for strength.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122218276#Comment_122218276

was thinking of the shorter edge of the brick… but I guess that side is never face down?

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122218340#Comment_122218340

Not usually. Main reason being that side often has a holes or relief for mortar. And would look strange when facing out.

But solid bricks would look normal. And if you really wanted to, it wouldn’t be hard to engineer a wall to be built that way.

FWIW, that brick height times 3 is equal to the long edge.

chooseusername

Just to confuse even more,

A 4 inch single brick wall - bricks laid lengthways in stretcher bond- is a "half brick" wall.

An 8 inch double brick wall is actually a "full brick" wall.

mrcheez

What's the thinnest a 1.2m (incl cap stone if any) red brick wall can be including the width of the piers?

Can you get away with really small piers and pier cap stones?

I assume I can have the pier sticking out on only one side? (I want it flat up against the boundary)

I want to maximise the space available in the driveway

bfclancy2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222361#Comment_122222361

half brick wall will do, piers on one side can be done too, wouldn't look great in my opinion, wall cap would need to over hang the brick by about 50mm to allow the drip to function

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122222638#Comment_122222638

do you need an overhang cap though? What about this?

That's a half brick wall right?

mrcheez

ah I see they are called "attach piers" in the case they are on one side

That style actually doesn't look too bad

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223083#Comment_122223083

That is bad. The point of capping is to prevent water ingress into the mortar. In this case not only is there vertically exposed mortar at regular intervals, the mortar lines up with the row below. Double penetration!

And there's no overhang or drip edge.

I have a brick capped wall. It's shite.

bfclancy2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223083#Comment_122223083

looks like a brick wall unless they painstakingly cut half bricks for the capping part. As has been pointed out a brick cap is not a very robust solution as water gets in, it can freeze and blow out the mortar