All Forum Posts by: Kurt F.

Well, you're not going to want to build this wall in poured concrete. But, assuming you're acquainted with a shovel and a level, take some of Rick B's advice and look into the manufactured blocks that are made specifically for what you are doing. Watch some of the block manufacturer's videos.  Do some study.  Read.  Enjoy.

The worst part of this job will be demo and hauling the old material away. By counting the existing 8" tall CMU's in your photo, this wall looks closer to 6 feet tall to me. That's a lot of concrete and rebar... do yourself a favor and get some bids on the demo/hauling.

Yes, you'll need a permit, and yes, you should call the building department and ask about height limitations, engineer stamp requirements, property lines, setbacks, skirt lengths, and giant schnauzers.

But maybe before you alert the townfolk of an imminent geotechnical disaster -- a couple deep breaths and a coffee might be in order. You're not building a spaceship -- it's essentially a big pile of dirt.  Pretty sure you can do this. 

Justin, it sounds you are doomed.  ^

Seriously, like 90% doomed.

If I lived next to you, I'd be checking my prepper stash.  This is gonna get real.  

 Jon -- very nice project.  Great job.  I will listen to the podcast.  Would love to know a lot more about this one...

 Jon -- is this house your project?

This is one of the great things about this forum...  a thread is started and then 19 minutes after posting -- BAM!....  a long, well-written, and informative response magically appears.     

The fiber cement products -- James Hardie, Nichiha, Certainteed, etc. -- can be good performers, but even the pre-finished versions will typically require fresh paint in 5-10 years.  Sound familiar? ;-) 

A couple companies not mentioned above make fiber cement boards and panels that are colored throughout -- which, architecturally makes much more sense, but, of course, is also much more expensive.  This type would require less maintenance.

Arnie's house looks like a nice place.  It appears to have a lot of trim -- also note that the trim components for fiber cement systems add significantly to the overall cost.

I always appreciate and encourage student efforts.  If this were a school/studio situation, the sketches might make a great starting point for discussion and development.

That said, both sets of plans posted thus far seem unresolved and very inefficient -- with some potential code issues.

Would love to help -- but I'm about half a country away!

Nat Chan -- this will seem an odd question, but would you mind telling me what process/expense you've gone through thus far to arrive at this plan?    

Biggert Waters -- what a mess.

Seems to be little progress where this act is concerned -- mainly some hearings on delaying it's effects.

A few weeks back there was some talk that private insurance could possibly become an option -- supposedly proposals and hearings were to take place -- but now I'm finding very little in the news about this. So, it would seem that nothing wonderful has happened just yet -- anyone know anything new?

Interesting article, Lynn -- also interesting about Florida and New Jersey -- where it appears that private insurance through Lloyds of London has become an option -- for only about the last two months. What I'm not clear about is how the two states were able to do this -- especially in light of the proposal and hearing that you posted.