Hi everyone,
we are planning to retain a roughly 1.00m (3 ft 3 in) high slope in front of our house by using two concrete bin shelters. This means the concrete shelters will be placed in front of the already vertically cut natural slope, and the remaining space behind them will be filled with soil. This approach has some advantages:
- it allows us to partly hide the shelters
- we can avoid using gabions or similar alternatives here since the shelters need to be placed somewhere anyway
- the area above or behind the shelters can be better utilized or planted
- the shelters and the bins inside are well protected from heating up
We got this idea from our neighbor, whose (very reputable) landscape gardener solved it exactly this way.
Over the weekend, my wife and I bought two shelters at a factory outlet. I casually asked the very friendly and knowledgeable bin shelter specialist if these shelters could be used for this purpose. As I had already expected, she immediately and clearly said no. The slope behind must be retained differently, as the shelters are not designed for the expected loads.
Of course, I don’t want to build an additional wall, and since I believe I have seen this solution somewhere else besides my neighbor’s, I wanted to ask here if anyone has experience with something like this. Comments along the lines of "if the manufacturer advises against it, just don’t do it" are welcome but don’t really help me. What shouldn’t be done can still work perfectly, especially considering this is a natural slope.
So basically, I just want to hear "sure, go for it, I did the same, it works."
Seriously, has anyone done this? Should I perhaps fill the hollow space inside the shelters with stones so that the soil pressure can distribute more evenly before the shelter collapses? Concreting it won’t help unless I also create a proper foundation and add reinforcement.
From a gut feeling, I’d say the shelters can handle it easily. Any ideas?
we are planning to retain a roughly 1.00m (3 ft 3 in) high slope in front of our house by using two concrete bin shelters. This means the concrete shelters will be placed in front of the already vertically cut natural slope, and the remaining space behind them will be filled with soil. This approach has some advantages:
- it allows us to partly hide the shelters
- we can avoid using gabions or similar alternatives here since the shelters need to be placed somewhere anyway
- the area above or behind the shelters can be better utilized or planted
- the shelters and the bins inside are well protected from heating up
We got this idea from our neighbor, whose (very reputable) landscape gardener solved it exactly this way.
Over the weekend, my wife and I bought two shelters at a factory outlet. I casually asked the very friendly and knowledgeable bin shelter specialist if these shelters could be used for this purpose. As I had already expected, she immediately and clearly said no. The slope behind must be retained differently, as the shelters are not designed for the expected loads.
Of course, I don’t want to build an additional wall, and since I believe I have seen this solution somewhere else besides my neighbor’s, I wanted to ask here if anyone has experience with something like this. Comments along the lines of "if the manufacturer advises against it, just don’t do it" are welcome but don’t really help me. What shouldn’t be done can still work perfectly, especially considering this is a natural slope.
So basically, I just want to hear "sure, go for it, I did the same, it works."
Seriously, has anyone done this? Should I perhaps fill the hollow space inside the shelters with stones so that the soil pressure can distribute more evenly before the shelter collapses? Concreting it won’t help unless I also create a proper foundation and add reinforcement.
From a gut feeling, I’d say the shelters can handle it easily. Any ideas?
Hello,
I wouldn’t underestimate the load at a height of one meter (3.3 feet). Also, the issue of water should not be overlooked.
The simplest approach would probably be to excavate a foundation, install formwork, and pour concrete reinforced with rebar up to the desired height. Behind this, of course, a drainage system should be installed, with gravel placed on top.
Sorry that I can’t provide the exact answer you were looking for. I’ve just had first-hand experience with a garden wall between 0.60m and 1.20m high (2 to 4 feet). There is a significant amount of water seeping from the rock!
I wouldn’t underestimate the load at a height of one meter (3.3 feet). Also, the issue of water should not be overlooked.
The simplest approach would probably be to excavate a foundation, install formwork, and pour concrete reinforced with rebar up to the desired height. Behind this, of course, a drainage system should be installed, with gravel placed on top.
Sorry that I can’t provide the exact answer you were looking for. I’ve just had first-hand experience with a garden wall between 0.60m and 1.20m high (2 to 4 feet). There is a significant amount of water seeping from the rock!
Hello everyone,
a quick update: I have waterproofed the small buildings at the back with bitumen, installed a drainage membrane in front, and filled it with soil; they are still standing firm. The sections are made of fiber-reinforced concrete and, despite the relatively thin wall thickness, still give a very solid impression even after 5 years.
a quick update: I have waterproofed the small buildings at the back with bitumen, installed a drainage membrane in front, and filled it with soil; they are still standing firm. The sections are made of fiber-reinforced concrete and, despite the relatively thin wall thickness, still give a very solid impression even after 5 years.
One00 schrieb:
They’re still standing firm as if rooted to the ground. The parts are made of fiber-reinforced concrete and, despite the rather thin wall thickness, they still give a very solid impression even after 5 years. Congratulations! – I would still have said:
One00 schrieb:
I casually asked the very friendly and knowledgeable small shed saleswoman if it was possible to use those sheds for exactly this purpose. As I had already suspected, she immediately and explicitly denied it, of course. ... which I would take as proof of having encountered a truly competent saleswoman. Why you got lucky, I don’t know – as a precaution, I recommend to all readers in similar cases to place the sheds on strip foundations at the front and on L-shaped concrete blocks (lintels) at the back.
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