More planning questions

[addy1]

Nice digging there! That will be a sweet pond.

I don't know if you know this, but if you go to photobucket where it says
IMG code just left click and it will copy the code, you can paste the picture right into your thread.

Makes it easy to see your words and the picture that goes with them.

Lilies blooming in my pond..............

 

[jenn.]

Thanks, will do!

 

[j.w]

You are a good digger and it's getting closer and closer to looking like a pond

 

[jenn.]

Well, hubby and I sused a vacation day to work on the pond yesterday. Very slow progress as we leveled the top wall, dropped it 2" and leveled it, adde 2' sand and leveled it and started adding stones and leveling them....then my hubby reads this on the basalite webite..."do not use sand or pea gravel". Son of a ***** ****** ****** ****!!! :lol:

K, I'm better now....so looking online, every other place says you always put sand under a retaining wall. We are on hard packed clay, with decomposed granite stuck into it at that layer actually, so should we be okay?

$50 in sand, 3 trips to home depot and 1 aching back later I hope so!!!!

P.S. Also lost Kirby, my albino catfish this week, got sucked in to the submersible pump inlet :.(

 

[sissy]

sand on clay just gives it more stability and better that way

 

[jenn.]

So I don't need to remove it then right?! My husband wants to rip it all out and start over and I am totally not wanting to do that. Can't find anywhere WHY you shouldn't use sand, lots that say DO use sand and only the one mention of why not.

So what is the WORST that could happen if we leave sand under the wall?

 

[sissy]

nothing I have clay soil 5 years and has a sand base under it freeze and thaw no harm to it snow torretial down pours and on a hill and has never shifted yet

 

[addy1]

You should be fine, the sites suggest sand for preformed ponds for leveling. I use sand to level blocks, we freeze and thaw, so far no issues here.

Leave it, ;

pea gravel can shift, the rocks are loose unless they have something like sand mixed with them, but sand packs tight.

 

[jenn.]

Great! Just wanted to be sure, I would think sand is ideal but big bold warnings on product sites make me cautious. Now if we can just get this pond done! Actually got a call that our filter/parts shipped late so now I won't get to see the finished pond until next weekend :lol: Oh well, maybe that will give us more time for perfection!

 

[jenn.]

So We had a few setbacks this weekend, sick baby, unexpected rain showers and subsequent pumping of pond so not as far along as I'd hoped. Also, our hardware got shipped a little late so won't be ready to install until next week

That said here is where we called it quits on Sunday evening. 2 layers of wall are up and ready to add the last 2 tomorrow!

 

[sissy]

looks good nice and level and like that block with the locking pins since you can go straight up better

 

[DrDave]

I bet you will be glad when the drilling of blocks ends.

 

[jenn.]

Actually that part isn't too bad (just a rubber mallet and screwdriver does the trick), will be glad when we are done with the digging and moving of large objects! I am 5'4" (in shoes) and the hole is 4' deep plus 2' of wheelbarrow = too high for me to dig! Also, we think the blocks weigh between 15 and 60 lbs (depending on size)...owww.

Today we eat, get the child busy with something and then onward! And I will have to post a pic of the giant dirt mounds on the other half the yard.....that will be fun to clean up too! Maybe invite BMXers over and charge admission?

 

[addy1]

We used all the dirt dug in landscaping, but our yard is not level at all.

Looking great there jenn, great job.

 

[j.w]

Very well done and looks perfect in that spot. Your fish and you will enjoy it muchly :yikesu: