harveyc

Moving that much soil around, etc., have you given any consideration of a true "man cave"? I'd probably have one myself if it weren't for my very high water table.

__________________

Niko43

Thanks for the BB's Richard

Richard

Here's an update

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

bananimal

Richard --- did you xplant the Minnie Royal and Royal Lee cherries from the old house?

Richard

Nope -- last year when I shut down the plant-selling side of my business I saved one each of "my favorites". These were mostly in 5-gallon pots. I then moved them to my rental house for a few months, then here to Vista where they were moved into 25-gallon pots. About a dozen of the plants you see on the map I no longer had in stock. This included most of the Citrus which I purchased directly from Durling's last summer, plus a few more outliers that I've been picking up as a find them. I still need to obtain Gold Manukka, Lickver's Pride, about 4 blueberry plants, the white seedless Mulberry, Snow Queen, Easy Going; plus the Green Sapote which I've never owned. Some of these I'll pick up bareroot in the coming weeks and the remainder I hope to have by end of spring.

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

harveyc

Richard, I don't know if you would like to try experimenting or not, but I believe Leo Manuel has a green sapote grafted onto a Giant Fuyu. Maybe it was black on giant, but I don't believe so. I was surprised to see that they were compatible.

__________________

lmswayne

Are you to stop for Christmas break or keep on digging on. I cant believe how much you have done in such a short time. thanks for keeping us up dated. It's pretty cool to watch.

__________________

Richard

I'm taking a break to visit with my inlaws in Redding CA, but a team of masons are busy at my home installing 16 pallets of split-face block around the perimeter of the property.

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

Richard

wall progress

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

wolfyhound

So hard to imagine how many tons of force that wall will be holding back!

momoese

I walk a lot of dogs in Cheviot Hills and see a lot of retaining walls like this leaning over and breaking apart.

In new housing tracts they use some sort of interlocking pieces that seem to work good.

Is it just going to that single row of cinder block Richard?

sunfish

rebar and cement

Darkman

Hi Richard and thanks for the updates.

Is that 8" or 12" thick? Are they setting back each course some or are they vertical?

I do not see any deadmen and that wall is over five feet already. Surely there will be some.

How often will you be compacting? Every 12"?

I also did not see any rebar coming up from the footers to tie the walls to the footer. Are they installing those?

The wall is a solid fill?

__________________
Darkman in Pensacola

AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!!

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

Richard

That block is 10" wide, with 2 runs of 1 1/4" rebar in every row. The total height of the wall when viewed from the property behind me is 5'4", but from the footing is 6'8". Notice in the footing to the left of the corner there is a 6" drain pipe going under the wall. This will be continued all the way to the street side of the property behind me. That drain pipe will be fed by two sets of french drain pipe running behind the wall, one at the base and another 1' from the top. Also behind the wall spanning the entire vertical distance there will be a 1' thick layer of gravel which in turn is backed by geotech fabric as a barrier to soil.

Behind that wall, there is another wall set back 5' from the rear and side external walls! It is built on a footing embedded in the backfill of the first. It ranges in height from 3' to 1' moving from S to N. This insures that the grade of the property is more or less level from S to N. The entire structure is guaranteed by the contractor through my ownership of the house -- and yes, he knows this is my retirement home.

Here's an updated drawing of the situation. You can click on it once, and then again to get a higher resolution:

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

GreenFin

Fitting completion date for a labor of love.

__________________
Set out runnin', but I'll take my time; a friend of bananas is a friend of mine.

www.GreenFinGardens.com

Richard

No, the highest level is below the requirement for deadmen. Of course you and I know what that means, imagine what a construction novice might think.


Seriously though, the footing on the main wall is 52" wide and 16" thick, with lateral and vertical rebar.

Yes, eight feet back of both rear walls. Of course, I'll be excavating after that to plant the fruits shown on the map. The design accounts for water-loading.

Yes, that picture is showing the top level of the rear wall so you don't see the tops of the vertical rebar coming up from the footing.

You bet, and we are using a high-power cement pump because the cement itself contains 3/8" rock.

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

Darkman

That's sweet Richard and the secondary wall is the defacto deadmen.

I don't foresee you every having to file a claim.

Awesome Christmas present.

Mine last year was the mid way point of my waterfall.


I hope in retirement I make it to the West coast. I'd like to see this in person!

Very Sweet!

Thanks for the images.

__________________
Darkman in Pensacola

AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!!

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

sunfish

I don't think it would stand long without rebar and concrete. Gee whats a deadman

Richard

You and I together in person?! Now that's a party!

Tell you what -- I offer you a race ... I go visiting in FL vs. you go visiting in CA !!

__________________
Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

wolfyhound

Just don't do it at the same time or you'll miss each other!