I'm building a workshop (floor for footfall only. No vehicles). About 10' by 8'. First in will be a concrete base. For reasons of economy, the walls will probably be blocks.
Here's the problem. It's on a 1:10 slope, most of which is clay. It has been terraced however.
I could build it at the top of the slope, but that would require a huge amount of digging, building up etc. Even then, to be honest I still wouldn't trust it. Things have a habit of cracking and sliding round here.
So I'm putting it lower down the slope and cutting right back into the slope itself. The whole thing will be built right into the slope. For the base I'm digging down about 7" below the terrace in front (the completed base will therefore be on the same level or very slightly lower. In front of it on the downward side is a 12' terrace containing 10-12 tons of soil.
(1) How thick should the base be? Do I need steel in it? (I'm guessing that cut so far back into the slope, well cut down and with 5-6" concrete it wouldn't.)
(2) As the rear wall and 1 side wall will be right into the slope (it's a double slope, running up and down, and right to left, so it's not even), with soil made up against it to about 4' (from the terrace above, you will almost be able to step right onto the roof below), I need to be sure that (a) it will withstand the pressure, and (b) stay dry inside.
I'm guessing 6" (don't want to lose too much interior space) hollow blocks for those two walls, ordinary blocks for the other two. Will that do?
But how to ensure that the two soil sides are waterproof? As it's on clay (the topsoil is only 9"), there's a lot of water sloshing about.
Thanks.
Here's the problem. It's on a 1:10 slope, most of which is clay. It has been terraced however.
I could build it at the top of the slope, but that would require a huge amount of digging, building up etc. Even then, to be honest I still wouldn't trust it. Things have a habit of cracking and sliding round here.
So I'm putting it lower down the slope and cutting right back into the slope itself. The whole thing will be built right into the slope. For the base I'm digging down about 7" below the terrace in front (the completed base will therefore be on the same level or very slightly lower. In front of it on the downward side is a 12' terrace containing 10-12 tons of soil.
(1) How thick should the base be? Do I need steel in it? (I'm guessing that cut so far back into the slope, well cut down and with 5-6" concrete it wouldn't.)
(2) As the rear wall and 1 side wall will be right into the slope (it's a double slope, running up and down, and right to left, so it's not even), with soil made up against it to about 4' (from the terrace above, you will almost be able to step right onto the roof below), I need to be sure that (a) it will withstand the pressure, and (b) stay dry inside.
I'm guessing 6" (don't want to lose too much interior space) hollow blocks for those two walls, ordinary blocks for the other two. Will that do?
But how to ensure that the two soil sides are waterproof? As it's on clay (the topsoil is only 9"), there's a lot of water sloshing about.
Thanks.
