Railway sleeper - retaining wall - Height restriction

[Richey]

Does anyone know if there is a height restriction on retaining walls built out of sleepers or timber? I know that with brick the maximum height is 1m 20cm, (unless designed by a structural engineer), but does the same apply to wood. The garden has a 1:4 slope with great views from the back of the garden looking over the rooftops, we want to keep this feature but it would mean a retaining wall 1m 80cm high.

Any help would be gratefully received

Richey

[yourgardenworks.co.uk]

Can you not do it double leaf. ? ie Blockwork then sleepers for added strength, just a thought. Im sure some of the more experienced lads will correct me if i'm (probaly) wrong mate.

[Pablo]

Yes but you would need to get a mini piling company to drive some RSJ's into the ground so you can then either fix the sleepers to them or insert them into the slots. It's a job for someone who knows what they are doing. Sleepers on their side or flat can only retain 1m absolute max. And if your house is on the slope close behind it then the wieght loading increases hugely so not one the mess with. An anchor wall would be the quickest and cheapest solution.

[seanandruby]

you would need to dig a deep trench and stand them upright, at least a third into the ground then concrete them in place. back fill once the concrete has gone off.

[Richey]

Standing the sleepers up does seem like the strongest method but I'm not sure I would like the look of that. The budget is a low one and the house is being sold after the garden is finished so nothing has to last long. I was thinking of attaching the sleepers to 100mm x 100mm posts buried behind the sleepers out of site. If I concrete the posts in the ground I'm hoping it will be enough to hold 5 ft high worth of sleepers in place. I just need to know I'm not breaking any building regulations building sleepers up that high.

Cheers
Richey

[seanandruby]

Standing the sleepers up does seem like the strongest method but I'm not sure I would like the look of that. The budget is a low one and the house is being sold after the garden is finished so nothing has to last long. I was thinking of attaching the sleepers to 100mm x 100mm posts buried behind the sleepers out of site. If I concrete the posts in the ground I'm hoping it will be enough to hold 5 ft high worth of sleepers in place. I just need to know I'm not breaking any building regulations building sleepers up that high.

Cheers
Richey

You still need to think of the safety of the next buyer m8.
"Back propping" with 100ml posts is a definate no no, the posts would rot down in no time. you will need to fix each one with long spikes, strap the backs with galvanised metal straps ( like the ones that hold down the roof trusses you may have in your garage.) or a spike all the way through into the concrete footing. you can drill each hole individually as hiring a long auger etc could prove expensive. remember anything over 1200 in height needs to go through a structural engineer. hope this helps.

[Rich H]

5' is too high for sleepers. Full stop. And to leave something in the knowlede that it may come down in the future is not really responsible behaviour, is it?

[lutonlagerlout]

would it not be as cheap to build with 225 concrete blocks and render it?
your sleeper idea sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
i have laid 250 of the hollow ones in a day on retaining walls (on price mind £1.20 a block) so a brickie and a labourer can build a lot of wall with these in a day
if you put sleepers in too high the surveyor of any prospective purchaser may pick it up and veto the purchase
then its a waste of money
LLL

[matt h]

dont do it! sleepers that high are an accident waiting to happen and carrying out the works you would be directly liable should anyone be hurt as a result, or should there be any other damage caused by landslip etc. suggest you get advice from structural engineer and build retaining wall. see main site. can you not terrace the garden to reduce the height?:)

[seanandruby]

dont do it! sleepers that high are an accident waiting to happen and carrying out the works you would be directly liable should anyone be hurt as a result, or should there be any other damage caused by landslip etc. suggest you get advice from structural engineer and build retaining wall. see main site. can you not terrace the garden to reduce the height?:)

Done correctly i would say that sleepers are a good retainer. placed vertically and concreted in situ, in virgin ground they will do the job. laid horizotal you would need to reduce the height to around half a metre. anything over 1200 it is vital to seek the advice of a structural engineer.

[Richey]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm not happy doing things cheaply but both the current owner of the house (my sister) and the builder they've got in to do the inside both said the idea is to make as much money as possible on the property when they sell it on. The builder even thinks sleepers are too extravagant and has suggested scaffold planks. I'm very safety conscience and want to do a good job.
So... we are now going to bring the height down to 1200mm.
Hopefully the future buyers of the property won't be silly enough to continue using something that they can see is rotting away. I believe they will get 5 years out of the proposed design, then they'll have to do it all again, (properly this time.)
Please note I'm not proud of this project. It will look good but it will be superficial. If anyone wants to check out some crazy sleeper landscaping projects, (with retaining walls much higher than I proposed) then go to railwaysleeper.com and see the gallery.

Cheers
Richey

[Richey]

JUst got back from railwaysleeper.com web site. For those who are interested here's two projects worth having a look at. "Epic Hillside" and "Great Wall Of China"

Have fun
Richey

[Rich H]

Compared with new sawn 'sleepers', railway sleepers are much denser timber (made from hardwood rather than softwood), have considerably better strength because of the greater cross-section and, being soaked in all sorts from tar to creosote, will last a very long time. Ugly great things, though!

I seem to recall that there is a H&S prohibition on their application where they might come into regular contact with skin, e.g., if people might sit on the wall.

The 'Epic Hillside' project is mental!

[lutonlagerlout]

i still reckon a 225mm retaining wall would be cheaper and last longer,c;ass B engineering bricks are only about £250 per thou with about £500 to lay
how much are the sleepers gonna cost?
LLL

[matt h]

sleepers on offer until 10 june according to the uk sales site, LESS THAN £14, NOT BAD AT 300X300X2400.noted that the walls on the site were mostly four high, ie; 1200mm high, and had rear supports and backfill:)