New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!

Of course you'll need to properly slope the backfill away from the upper walls once complete, perhaps with a layer of moisture barrier, to promote fast runoff of any surface flow, rather than percolation into your walls and footings.
 
What Wolfie has built is essentially a gravity wall. A gravity wall relies on its own mass to counteract the force of the fill against it. The hollow block wall has virtually no mass and would have failed without any additional water pressure load. A gravity wall must have a width at the bottom of between ½ and 1/3 the height of the wall. So if that wall is 10’ high it would have to be about 4’ + wide at the bottom with the width of the wall reducing as it gets closer to the top, ie at 5’ from the top it would need to be 2’+ wide. And if constructed with concrete blocks would have to be core filled with concrete to have enough mass.
The wall at 10’ high is supporting fill that has an angle of repose of 2 to 1. (When you add hydrostatic loads there is no angle of repose because water flows level so the force exerted goes up dramatically) So at that, the volume of fill is a triangular prism 20’ long x 10’ high (x 1/2 because it is a triangle) x 30’ which is the width of his shed giving a total volume of 3000 feet cubed. That volume of fill would have a mass of about 120 tons (plus any hydrostatic load) which can never be counteracted by a wall having a mass of bugger all.
Concrete blocks when used for retaining are designed as cantilever walls. A cantilever wall has a wide footing with the blockwork built at the outer edge of the footing to form an L shaped solid unit. Reinforcing steel runs across the footing width and bends at 90 degrees up into the wall which after core filling the blocks is carried out. What stops the cantilever wall from overturning or sliding is that the wall is designed so that the downward pressure exerted by the fill onto the footing, is more than the sideways pressure exerted by the fill.
ando
 
McCanns have a plant down the road from me at Littleport. They leave them (middle picture, top row) by the side of the road...
 
Some thought and consulting went into this wall. It turned out to be a compounding of delays and weather. There is a sizable footing, re-bar sticking out of it, about 1/4 of the cores were re-bared and filled etc... I had also braced the wall and all was good for over 2 weeks, no change. As you can see in the pictures, only 2 feet of the back-fill has let go once the wall fell, so not the full load of back fill weight on it. I am certain the over 2 inches of rain did it in. I have been running into delays left and right, and if the slab would have been in place no water would have collected in the up hill side and this would haven't happened.

The new plan once I can get this mess cleaned up is to use Insulated wall forms with a 10" core. Both end walls pinned with re-bar at each course, re-bar throughout horizontally and vertically pinned into the footing. The finished side will be sheeted with pressure treated ply and further temporary bracing. Then add 5 yards of 5000 psi concrete, embed some steel in the top of the wall and weld the basement ceiling panels to it. Once the welding is done, then I will finish the back fill. I am also going to add a temporary drain in the bottom center of the new wall to relieve any water that makes it in.

Now to wait until spring.....
 
Things are thawing out and things are slowly happening. I sourced materials for the mid wall and had them delivered. Also cleared room for a bobcat to get in and around. My friend with the bobcat will be here in a week or two weather dependent. We will get this mess cleaned up and rebuilt and move on to finishing this project.

Winter having a last hoorah!
New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!


New wall....60,000 pounds of interlocking goodness.
New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!


Ready for bobcat
New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!
 
What I like about you building is the clear-minded way you are approaching it. My shed is large enough to accommodate two cars, however my mental state is a problem. There is lot going on in the family which does my head in. So in the shed fixing my bike is the last place I want to be. Consequently the whole thing has become a mess and if my shed was larger, it would be an even bigger mess.
 
That must why mine is a mess. I'm stuffed in the head, however a few days ago things changed for the better. I'm now much more optimistic. I really need to get the Seeley out for a gallop. My major source of funds depletion has moved.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Tidy shed = Tidy mind...
Click to expand...

Or OCD...

So then, empty shed = Empty mind ?
Many projects in a shed = Multitasking mind. ??
Many bikes in a shed = Smorgasbord mind ???
etc etc.

We used to say at work that a tidy desk = a sure sign of not enough work to do ?
 
So then, empty shed = Empty mind ?
Answer: yes!
Many projects in a shed = Multitasking mind. ??
Answer: multi tasking = doing nothing properly.
Many bikes in a shed = Smorgasbord mind ???
Answer: if it's a tidy shed = lucky and well sorted chap!
etc etc.

We used to say at work that a tidy desk = a sure sign of not enough work to do ?
Answer: well, you were wrong !!

IMHO OCD is an over used term, often just used to describe someone doing something properly. Such people are now classed as not normal in this age of 24/7 trivia drivel !
 
My problem is that I tend to perform many tasks over the top of each other. Does it matter if I use the angle grinder next to where I rebuild my motor ?
 
Been quite busy the last few months. Things have been rolling along and yesterday I finished the building. All that is left to close it up is doors, which are on order. I gave notice at the storage unit, so the Nortons will be home by the end of the month.
Not the most current picture of the front, I need to take an updated one.
New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!
 
bwolfie said:
Been quite busy the last few months. Things have been rolling along and yesterday I finished the building. All that is left to close it up is doors, which are on order. I gave notice at the storage unit, so the Nortons will be home by the end of the month.
Not the most current picture of the front, I need to take an updated one.
New workshop build, 30' x 50' with a basement!
Click to expand...

Wow, that looks nice, I am jealous!

Looking forward to pics of the finished interior inc painted floor, orderly tool cabinets, bikes on lifts, shadow boards, etc...
 
acotrel said:
My problem is that I tend to perform many tasks over the top of each other. Does it matter if I use the angle grinder next to where I rebuild my motor ?
Click to expand...

Acotrel, As you have gotten older ( I believe you are now 70+ years) you have become more and more appalling- you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, does this apply to you :?:
 
You can teach me all the old tricks I have forgotten. The last time I took the Seeley out for a gallop, it was a disaster. What was extremely easy 30 years ago, has become extremely difficult.
 
Well, if you are quite happy to put grinding dirt/grit on your engine, who am I trying to teach you how to suck eggs :?:
 
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