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Knocking down a wal...
 

[Closed] Knocking down a wall next to a pavement...

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[#7688097]

Time's come to take down the front garden wall before it takes itself and a load of pensioners down.

I was just going to whack the mortar joints with a bolster, but am I going to get reet pissed off after ten minutes and wish I'd done something differently?

Use a breaker at a jaunty angle, reverse the car into it or just MTFU and get whacking?

I've got to consider that people will be walking past, albeit infrequently.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 7:48 pm
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I've got to consider that people will be walking past, albeit infrequently.
sell them shots with a sledgehammer - you'll make loads I bet


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 7:58 pm
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Here's an idea: stand on pavement. Hit towards house.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 7:59 pm
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Hit towards house.

I like Toward, he's done nothing to me.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:01 pm
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He did say you ask some silly questions but since you'd joined a mountain biking forum, you hadn't been bothering him so much.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:05 pm
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When I took down the wall that our pond consisted of, some bricks were really easy and virtually fell off while others just split and we're a real pain.
This was with a lump hammer and bolster chisel.

I eventually bought an sds drill to break up the really tough bits and wished I'd had one from the start. Would probably taken 5x less time.
This was a double skinned wall with some very sturdy corners. Might be easier if it's only a single run of bricks.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:06 pm
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If the mortar is softish, it's easy to pick apart with hammer and bolster.

If it's a good stiff mix and well bonded then use a machine. Even a SDS plus drill with a chisel will make a big difference and get it down quicker.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:09 pm
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I eventually bought an sds drill

Remember the old proverb "if a job's worth doing, it's worth buying a power tool for"


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:10 pm
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sell them shots with a sledgehammer - you'll make loads I bet

You are Tom Sawyer and I claim my £5.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:21 pm
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deadlydarcy - Member
He did say you ask some silly questions but since you'd joined a mountain biking forum, you hadn't been bothering him so much.

Is it happy hour in Bedminster?

Anyhow, ta everyone - I'll get the bolsters out and man up. I've an SDS+ thinking about it, so I'll have that on standby.

Cheers 🙂


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:33 pm
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Sledgehammer, dirty white vest, can of tennants on the corner of the wall and glower at any pedestrians that get too near.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:36 pm
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Start at the top, knock it down brick by brick. You can try and be clever and knock over big chunks, but then it still needs breaking up with the sledge and you'll end up with rubble under the broken bricks, rather than just bricks.

If it gets too bad, its still fairly intact/unmessy whilst you go and hire an SDS chisel drill or hire something meatier from HSS.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 8:38 pm
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Small breaker ftw. Genuinely though, don't forget the ear muffs. I'm a bit slack sometimes on ppe when not on site but I'll always wear ear protection now a days as I can hear the ****er for days after if I don't....


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:04 pm
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Put this in front of it.
[img] [/img]
Someone will have flattened the lot by tomorrow morning.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:27 pm
 JoeG
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Posted : 04/03/2016 11:51 pm
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Stand in garden swinging sledge hammer at wall every brick you dislodge and it hits a pedestrian youve got a point,


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:57 pm
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Thanks again all - I'd never even thought of the chisel drill, so I'll [s]attempt to justify buying it for more than the one job I bought it for[/s] start with that and the bolster.

DD, good luck with your confidence issues you clever chap.


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 1:14 am
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Have you thought about painting the bricks in different colours, putting on a boiler suit, getting a box of questions out of your Trivial Pursuit game, holding the sledgehammer incorrectly and inviting some of the neighbours to join you? That way you can recreate the Saturday morning ITV game show Knock Your Block Off to the delight of every resident in the street over 35 years old. If you have an odd number I'll happily come down and be a Bodger, although I'm not being a Brains, that's for geeks.


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 5:18 am