ᐅ How to raise an old terrace wall?

Created on: 10 Feb 2025 20:49
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MichaBe
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MichaBe
10 Feb 2025 20:49
Hello,

I have a low 80cm (31.5 inches) high wall on the terrace next to the neighbor. It is intended to serve as a privacy screen in the future. I want to raise it step by step—low at the front and gradually higher towards the house wall. When the wall cap is removed, the old wall is straight and filled with concrete. So, I have a good "foundation" on which I want to place the new wall blocks.

My question is: Can I simply bond the new blocks to the old wall using mortar without worrying about them tipping over due to strong wind or similar forces? If not, what is the best way to do it?

Do I need to install reinforcement bars in the "small" wall, or is it enough to fill the formwork blocks with concrete?

The wall should end at about 1.90m (6 ft 3 in) height at the house wall. We live on a slope right next to a field, so the wind can be quite strong around the house.

Thank you very much for your advice!
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Arauki11
10 Feb 2025 20:53
A picture is worth a thousand words... this makes it easier.
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MichaBe
11 Feb 2025 12:54
Here is a picture of the wall with the stepped elevation marked
Toy cars, a wooden box, a metal frame, and small parts are lying on a roof terrace.
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Arauki11
11 Feb 2025 13:07
Wow, I wouldn’t want to decide on a freestanding concrete wall nearly 2m (6.5 ft) high myself, aside from the fact that I wouldn’t want such a structure anyway. If it’s about privacy screening, you could achieve that much more easily, cheaply, and also more attractively.
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MichaBe
11 Feb 2025 22:45
Why wouldn’t you want to do it yourself? And regarding whether you want it or not, fortunately tastes vary... I’m really looking forward to your suggestions for a simpler, more affordable, and nicer alternative!!?
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Arauki11
11 Feb 2025 23:22
I simply don’t want to look at an almost 2-meter (6.5 feet) high wall, which would also mean constructing a rather complex structure.
I haven’t given it much thought yet, but for example, you could maybe screw 4 beams onto the existing wall to create a basic frame, which you could then fill in as you like. I once posted a picture showing how to do this affordably. After that, you could screw battens or inexpensive boards in your preferred color or finish—possibly even different widths—horizontally onto the beams, similar to expensive rhombus cladding but using cheap battens or rough, not too wide boards. You could, for example, hang flower boxes or whatever you like on that. Alternatively, you could place wide, black mortar tubs clad with wood along the wall and plant them, allowing plants to grow up on the built fence elements. You could also stretch wire and let climbing plants grow on it, and so on.
Before thinking further, it would be necessary to know your taste, and maybe we have completely different ideas, which wouldn’t help. A 2-meter (6.5 feet) high wall definitely needs to be built securely so it won’t fall over—that means anchoring it properly, something I wouldn’t want to decide on as a layperson.
With such a solution, the currently rundown wall would also be gone, and you wouldn’t have to patch the plaster or repaint it often. In my opinion, you could make it look much friendlier—with wood or other lightweight natural materials, plants in between, openings for lighting, and so on. There are no limits to creativity, and you wouldn’t have to worry about any structural issues.
Depending on your needs, you could add a partial pergola or have seating space between the planters at the lower level. All of this can be done with inexpensive wood and can look really stylish and unique.