ᐅ Plot with a change in ground level – boundary wall between neighbors – foundation?
Created on: 10 Jul 2017 19:20
D
DReffects
Hello!
I hope this is roughly the correct section for my question; if not, please feel free to move it.
Situation:
The neighbor’s plot is significantly higher than mine, and their garage was built just 20cm (8 inches) from the property line. Since the development plan actually requires that there be no sudden changes in ground level, the neighbor should have compensated for the height difference with a slope at about 45°. My garden level means there would be a roughly 1.5m (5 feet) wide slope here—of course, at the expense of their plot. So, we agreed that instead of the slope (and demolishing part of the garage...), the neighbor must build a retaining wall on the property line, which also ensures that drainage happens where it’s supposed to.
We have not yet set the final ground level on our side; we plan to lower it by about 70cm (28 inches). Now, the neighbor has dug a trench along the property line, poured concrete into it, and is building a wall on this foundation using hollow blocks that they also plan to fill with concrete later.
If I remove about 70cm (28 inches) of soil on my side, this will expose all but 30cm (12 inches) of their foundation. From my point of view, 30cm (12 inches) is not enough to support a roughly 1.8m (6 feet) high wall along with the adjacent garage and garden.
The neighbor disagrees. Therefore, my question: is there an online calculator somewhere that can determine the required foundation depth? I would rather not have the neighbor’s wall collapse on my children in a year... My construction company has also expressed concerns and does not want to carry out any further earthworks until the wall issue is resolved.
Thank you
I hope this is roughly the correct section for my question; if not, please feel free to move it.
Situation:
The neighbor’s plot is significantly higher than mine, and their garage was built just 20cm (8 inches) from the property line. Since the development plan actually requires that there be no sudden changes in ground level, the neighbor should have compensated for the height difference with a slope at about 45°. My garden level means there would be a roughly 1.5m (5 feet) wide slope here—of course, at the expense of their plot. So, we agreed that instead of the slope (and demolishing part of the garage...), the neighbor must build a retaining wall on the property line, which also ensures that drainage happens where it’s supposed to.
We have not yet set the final ground level on our side; we plan to lower it by about 70cm (28 inches). Now, the neighbor has dug a trench along the property line, poured concrete into it, and is building a wall on this foundation using hollow blocks that they also plan to fill with concrete later.
If I remove about 70cm (28 inches) of soil on my side, this will expose all but 30cm (12 inches) of their foundation. From my point of view, 30cm (12 inches) is not enough to support a roughly 1.8m (6 feet) high wall along with the adjacent garage and garden.
The neighbor disagrees. Therefore, my question: is there an online calculator somewhere that can determine the required foundation depth? I would rather not have the neighbor’s wall collapse on my children in a year... My construction company has also expressed concerns and does not want to carry out any further earthworks until the wall issue is resolved.
Thank you
11ant schrieb:
No. What I mean is that gravity also applies to the neighbor’s soil. It will never move only toward your property but will always move downward as well. In doing so, it presses against the horizontal leg of the L-shaped element (or the cantilever here). The connection between this part and the horizontal leg reinforces the latter and effectively "holds" it in place.Ah, okay! But does that also mean this L-shaped part should be installed as deep as possible in the soil, not just right below the ground surface?
11ant schrieb:
That’s the beauty of physics: it works reliably even if you don’t understand it (or don’t wait to be understood). It acts immediately.11ant schrieb:
I’m not worried about the section of the wall with the garden. For the part with the garage above, I might expect several centimeters (inches) of wall tilt per decade—but only if the ground on the neighbor’s side starts to shift. As long as there’s no heavy rain undermining the garage, I don’t expect that to happen. No guarantees, of course, but also no real concern.Good to know, thank you very much! In that case, it’s also good that the wall on my side has now been worked on and “leveled” with a hammer chisel. So the construction company should have no concerns about removing soil here, right? My biggest worry at the moment is frost causing problems.
Alex85 schrieb:
If you’re still confused about the L-wall principle, have a look at how wave breakers work at concerts. It’s the same principle.Haus² schrieb:
Or the L-shaped metal bookend. It immediately becomes clear on which side the supported books belong.The mention of the bookend made everything click, thanks for that!
But even there: the bookend works only because the L-part is at the very bottom, right? At the neighbor’s property, the cantilever starts about 20cm (8 inches) below the top edge of the lawn and remains well above my ground level at its lowest point.
Thank you all so much for putting so much effort into this! We are quite unsettled here, especially because of the statements made by the construction company…