I would consider outside dimensions of 4 by 11 or even a little smaller.
Reaching across a space more than three feet gets uncomfortable when gardening
so the inside dimension might be just about spot on depending on the material
used.
I have been using something called Royal Gray, there are several variations on
this material but essentially it is bricks with a lip hanging down along the
back. The ones I have been using last year are about 5 and a half high by 8 by
8. Each sits back half an inch on the row above. You can stick them down with
adhesive, for your application I think I would only stick down the top row. You
will want probably 5 rows or courses for your purposes.
At 4 feet you only have a short distance between the house and the planter but
it is enough to scoot behind to paint the lower courses of the siding and it
keeps moisture away from the building.
I don't know where you live so don't know anything about depth of frost but one
of the nice things about friction fitting block like that is that it should
sustain some movement without disintegration.
You shouldn't need more than 4 to 6 inches of pea gravel as a foundation. I
would consider digging out the surface, you can keep the soil to fill the
planter and I would go right from the house to the sidewalk and a foot beyond
each end if practical. I think, because I don't know about the house foundation
that I would slope the bottom of the excavation away from the building so it is
deeper at the sidewalk edge just to encourage any drainage away from the
building. Then fill with pea gravel or crushed rock preferably washed and quite
clean. Pack it as well as you can, if you don't have easy access to a vibrating
compactor then rake it over a lot as you slowly fill in the stone so it
compacts as good as you can get it. then screed it off as level as you can get
it. If you have it really flat then you should be able to just pull strings or
even lay down reasonably straight boards to line up your bricks.
Then just lay your stones to the desired height.
You can buy capstones to pretty up the top course and you can usually buy
various corner stones if you prefer to end each course against a pillar these
are all attractive additions.
on finishing the penultimate course I would recommend that you line the inside
with land scape fabric. Bring it just over the inside top lip of the planter
and stick it gently with adhesive then lay your cap course stuck down with
adhesive to hold the fabric in place. this will allow some moisture to pass
through but discourage silt and such from staining the bricks and keep stuff
from growing up from below. Then fill up with soil and away you go.
Because your foundation gravel is broader than the base of the planter,
excessive water can drain under the walls and evaporate outside relieving any
hydraulic pressure on the stone work.
I can assure you from experience that laying, packing and leveling your base is
key and well worth the extra time and effort it takes. Small errors amplify as
you ascend.
If you are going to mortar bricks all the same applies except that you should
probably pour a cement footing first. You should also lay a damp course about
the second course up particularly if these are the standard clay bricks and you
should drive stakes just beyond the corners so you can pull tight masons string
to level and to guide subsequent courses level. You can make small adjustments
to height and level by tapping mortared bricks and depending on how fast you
can lay them, I am not skilled enough to go very fast, you will have to point
the joints after which you don't wish to be adjusting the bricks for level.
Small irregularities can be adjusted for with the thickness of the mortar and
invisible to the eye so long as you don't allow them to accumulate.
8 inch cement breeze block is heavy rude stuff but goes up fairly well too. If
mortaring cement breeze block though you probably want a good poured footing
too. I have a situation where ground movement sometimes caused the mortar to
fail but as often the joint held and the block broke. If a frost line goes any
distance down it will crack.
Dan used those breeze like blocks but with dowels to hold them together. They
are somewhat forgiving and don't use mortar but soil will migrate through the
seams unless they are well stuck down with adhesive and preferably backed with
land scape fabric.
There, now I think you know probably everything I know about masonry
construction.
If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Gallik
To: Blind Handyman
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:20 AM
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Questions About Brick Planters
OK Guys (and Gals),
I'm planning to build a brick planter in front of my home this spring and
have a few questions. First, let me explain that my home has a 10 square foot
addition in front that comprises the dining room. This addition sits on a
concrete foundation that comes up about 1 foot and the addition itself extends
out in front of the rest of the house 11 feet or so and is likewise about 11
feet wide. The sidewalk parallels the southern-most outside wall about 5 feet
away; this is where I'd like to put the brick planter. In short, I have about
an 11' by 5' area between the house and sidewalk that I would like to "cover"
with a brick planter. Here are my questions:
1) The foundation rises about 1 foot above ground and I'd like to build a
planter at least 2 feet high; what should I be aware of/concerned about where
the back wall of the planter would be against or near this foundation and
siding?
2) If I build the planter right next to the house, what do I need to think
about so far as maintaining the integrity of the wood siding on that wall? I
guess what I want to know is how would I be able to paint that lower tier of
siding from time to time?
3) Would I need to line the inside of the planter with some type of water
proof material?
4) What about drainage from the planter?
5) What type of foundation do I need to think about for the planter?
6) Is it practical or even aesthetically attractive to build a planter right
out to the sidewalk?
I should say that I'd like this planter to serve as a "guide" for snowblowing
that part of the sidewalk during the winter so having the planter foundation
right against the sidewalk is one of my design intentions. I like to place 4" ×
4" treated lumber along my sidewalk edges (at least one side) to serve as a
"boundary" for the snowblower; it makes for a much neater, straighter resulting
path through the snow as well as eliminating "drift" onto the lawn.
Any thoughts, suggestions and warnings will be much appreciated.\
Thanks!
----
Holland's Person, Bill
- "Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
- US Humorist, Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
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