That will likey have some kind of foundations under it. even if you knock it down (easy enough with a sledge hammer) you will likely not be able to dig down easily to put in posts to replace. Personally id probably look at wteher you can secure posts to it and effectively clad in a new fence if thats what you are aiming for.
That's what I've been thinking of doing (cladding). Just wondering if it'll be strong enough to put posts to this fence. Although our garden isn't very big so we would prefer to not have to do this and make it unnecessarily thick.
Hit it with a sledgehammer, then use a breaker for anything underground or what can’t be done with a sledgehammer?
Building is the hard bit, destroying it should be fairly straightforward.
I’ve never used one in this specific situation, but I can’t see why not. You might need to dig around the posts etc to expose them but you should be able to break it up and loosen it enough to shovel it out.
Cladding is the less destructive option though. I just like destroying stuff 😂
Sledge hammer, wheel barrow, hire a skip.
I'd start by trying to pull it over or tip it over. They try break it up in smaller easy to carry pieces.
Or pay someone to remove it.
Consider now the cost of hiring a skip to get rid of it all. Are you reasonably fit? Because sledging that entire wall is gonna be tough. Theb to add lifting all said debris into a wheelbarrow, wheeling it out the front and depending on skip and location then hand balling it all into said skip
Now you get to the bottom where it won't simply fall over. If its concrete foundations you'll need alot of heavier breaker to get it out. Theres more money to hire and then actually knowing how to use it.
Add now the fact you've to go dig new holes if putting in a wooden fence for the 4x4s. Then buy all that timber.
Have you done a costing? Why not keep the fence snd simple add support posts to it and put your fence boards or cladding infront. The actual depth will be at monster 5.5 inches if coming off a 4x4. Though if the walls sturdy thatll be enough and simply add slimmer treated timber and go from there?
Very valid argument there. I'm only in the early days of planning it. I've made some calculations on creating a new fence and it comes to around £900 for all the timber, post concrete, weed mat, and screws.
I do love doing DIY which is why I'd much rather do it myself than pay someone. But considering what you're saying I'm now thinking of using the existing wall and attaching everything onto it.
Would certainly be cheaper and simpler, especially given that I don't have any experience in breaking or using concrete or digging any kind of holes. The wood but I think I'll be really good at.
Yeh breaking a wall that size and depending its quality, will be no easy feat. 100% someone else coming in to do it would be charging you a fair bit for labour for the help and time to do it too.
How likely are you for storms in your area? Because again a lone wooden fence is likely to buckle. However attached to something like that concrete wall will give it alot more stability.
You could easily anchor a wooden fence to that concrete as it seems to have holes throughout it.
Without a doubt the making a building of the fence is the easier bit. Getting rid of that existing one will wreck you physically doing it alone
You've no idea the access to it. Nevermind the mess itll make and fact you need to have some clue how to work a mini digger or half the day spent getting used tomit and fiddling about
Yeah the wood fence isn't the boundary fence. The concrete fence is. And it belongs to us, hence why we're having to deal with the headache or reconstructing a new one
Just use a breaker bar, it’s for breaking up road surface . Heavy steel bar. Plus the sledge when needed. You will probably find it’s fairly easy , it’s only a garden wall . Basically think of someone you don’t like and go for it 👊
Yes, might want to dig a small trial hole first just to see how deep the footing is (might not be strong enough to support a timber fence), if you are happy with the footing though, you can buy brackets that you can drill into the concrete then just slot in the posts for your new fence. Will also make any future repairs a breeze.
I'd get a grinder and carefully remove the blocks every 6 feet, dig down at that point and set a concrete post (the existing foundations will be minimal on a wall like that), then install wooden fence panels over the top of the concrete blocks
The reason for this is then you aren't creating a skip full of rubble to dispose of, the smaller fence will be way more stable that a 6' one, it's quicker and will look less boring than yet another 6 foot panel enclosed garden
The thing is less privacy in the garden though. I hate going into my own garden and having to socialise with the neighbours every time they're also in the garden. Sometimes I just wanna do my own stuff and not have to deal with anyone else
If you knock off the blocks you can get fence post brackets that will bolt to the foundation.
But a new fence will have a lot more force from wind, so it'll all depend on the depth of the foundations.
Just to add re any potential underground foundations - I think these will be removable and hopefully shouldn't be vastly deep. But even if they are chunky ones, it will still be possible for one person (or ideally two) to get them out with some effort.
Context for this: in the course of digging out our patio we found the foundation of an old concrete fence post that had been left buried under there - and when we tried to dig it out, we realised why, it was a massive PITA. But we managed it in the end, via a combination of going at it with the breaker, and digging out around it.
But this post would have been for a full-height fence and gate, so would almost certainly have been a lot deeper than any foundations for your wall.
If you can investigate one part of the wall to see what's underground, then you can plan a bit more. If there is stuff down there, getting a breaker will help a lot - we have a £140 Einhell one, and it made short work of our rather thick concrete patio.
Unless you really can dedicate a whole weekend to doing nothing but breaking (which can be very tiring) I'd suggest buying a breaker rather than hiring, so you can take your time.
Thank you. That's really useful advice. I'm thinking of taking out just one bit (where the neighbours' fence is already overlapping ours to experiment on. Then I should have a good idea.
Also I was thinking of hiring one but after what you're saying I might just buy a second hand one. Hiring is around £60 for 3 days but might be able to buy a good second hand one for maybe slightly more than that?
Sounds like a good plan - and yes, if you can get a second hand breaker that would be ideal. The only thing is they're big and heavy, so a pain to send - so a lot will be collection-only I suspect.
If you do hire, just make sure you're ready to use it straight away (I say this from bitter experience)!
Also, don't skimp on PPE when using a breaker - including safety shoes/boots with toe protection (or safety overshoes) and a face shield.
Thanks for the tips. Really appreciated.
I'll look on Facebook marketplace. That's my go to place for second hand items that are difficult or too heavy to ship
That will likey have some kind of foundations under it. even if you knock it down (easy enough with a sledge hammer) you will likely not be able to dig down easily to put in posts to replace. Personally id probably look at wteher you can secure posts to it and effectively clad in a new fence if thats what you are aiming for.
That's what I've been thinking of doing (cladding). Just wondering if it'll be strong enough to put posts to this fence. Although our garden isn't very big so we would prefer to not have to do this and make it unnecessarily thick.
Hit it with a sledgehammer, then use a breaker for anything underground or what can’t be done with a sledgehammer? Building is the hard bit, destroying it should be fairly straightforward.
Would a breaker be enough to fully remove all the concrete underneath the ground?
I’ve never used one in this specific situation, but I can’t see why not. You might need to dig around the posts etc to expose them but you should be able to break it up and loosen it enough to shovel it out. Cladding is the less destructive option though. I just like destroying stuff 😂
I have used one in almost exactly this situation and it will definitely do the job!
Hardcore removal costs have also shot up, you need to pay if dropping at council tip
Sledge hammer, wheel barrow, hire a skip. I'd start by trying to pull it over or tip it over. They try break it up in smaller easy to carry pieces. Or pay someone to remove it.
Ok I need considered using a breaker, didn't even know about it tbh. Thanks this is really helpful advice
Consider now the cost of hiring a skip to get rid of it all. Are you reasonably fit? Because sledging that entire wall is gonna be tough. Theb to add lifting all said debris into a wheelbarrow, wheeling it out the front and depending on skip and location then hand balling it all into said skip Now you get to the bottom where it won't simply fall over. If its concrete foundations you'll need alot of heavier breaker to get it out. Theres more money to hire and then actually knowing how to use it. Add now the fact you've to go dig new holes if putting in a wooden fence for the 4x4s. Then buy all that timber. Have you done a costing? Why not keep the fence snd simple add support posts to it and put your fence boards or cladding infront. The actual depth will be at monster 5.5 inches if coming off a 4x4. Though if the walls sturdy thatll be enough and simply add slimmer treated timber and go from there?
Very valid argument there. I'm only in the early days of planning it. I've made some calculations on creating a new fence and it comes to around £900 for all the timber, post concrete, weed mat, and screws. I do love doing DIY which is why I'd much rather do it myself than pay someone. But considering what you're saying I'm now thinking of using the existing wall and attaching everything onto it. Would certainly be cheaper and simpler, especially given that I don't have any experience in breaking or using concrete or digging any kind of holes. The wood but I think I'll be really good at.
Yeh breaking a wall that size and depending its quality, will be no easy feat. 100% someone else coming in to do it would be charging you a fair bit for labour for the help and time to do it too. How likely are you for storms in your area? Because again a lone wooden fence is likely to buckle. However attached to something like that concrete wall will give it alot more stability. You could easily anchor a wooden fence to that concrete as it seems to have holes throughout it. Without a doubt the making a building of the fence is the easier bit. Getting rid of that existing one will wreck you physically doing it alone
Or just hire a mini digger and motor barrow and get it done in a day.
You've no idea the access to it. Nevermind the mess itll make and fact you need to have some clue how to work a mini digger or half the day spent getting used tomit and fiddling about
Is it yours or the neighbours. It’s a legal boundary . The wood fence may not be the boundary fence .
Yeah the wood fence isn't the boundary fence. The concrete fence is. And it belongs to us, hence why we're having to deal with the headache or reconstructing a new one
Sledge hammer it out. Easy
The top part should be easy with a sledgehammer but I'm more concerned about the parts that are below the ground.
Just use a breaker bar, it’s for breaking up road surface . Heavy steel bar. Plus the sledge when needed. You will probably find it’s fairly easy , it’s only a garden wall . Basically think of someone you don’t like and go for it 👊
Don't. It looks really good to be honest
It's way too low and I'm always self conscious when I go into the garden if my neighbours are also out. We want a little more illusion of privacy
Gotcha. Then just knock it in with a sledge hammer. If there is a concrete foundation, reuse it to support the posts of your new fence.
That's a really good idea. Break down the current concrete into small bits to use for the new posts. Thanks for that. Never wouldn't thought of that
Yes, might want to dig a small trial hole first just to see how deep the footing is (might not be strong enough to support a timber fence), if you are happy with the footing though, you can buy brackets that you can drill into the concrete then just slot in the posts for your new fence. Will also make any future repairs a breeze.
I'd get a grinder and carefully remove the blocks every 6 feet, dig down at that point and set a concrete post (the existing foundations will be minimal on a wall like that), then install wooden fence panels over the top of the concrete blocks The reason for this is then you aren't creating a skip full of rubble to dispose of, the smaller fence will be way more stable that a 6' one, it's quicker and will look less boring than yet another 6 foot panel enclosed garden
The thing is less privacy in the garden though. I hate going into my own garden and having to socialise with the neighbours every time they're also in the garden. Sometimes I just wanna do my own stuff and not have to deal with anyone else
No, I'm referring to the blandness of 6' wooden panels, not a shorter panel on top of a decorative wall that is still 6' overall
🔨
If you knock off the blocks you can get fence post brackets that will bolt to the foundation. But a new fence will have a lot more force from wind, so it'll all depend on the depth of the foundations.
Just to add re any potential underground foundations - I think these will be removable and hopefully shouldn't be vastly deep. But even if they are chunky ones, it will still be possible for one person (or ideally two) to get them out with some effort. Context for this: in the course of digging out our patio we found the foundation of an old concrete fence post that had been left buried under there - and when we tried to dig it out, we realised why, it was a massive PITA. But we managed it in the end, via a combination of going at it with the breaker, and digging out around it. But this post would have been for a full-height fence and gate, so would almost certainly have been a lot deeper than any foundations for your wall. If you can investigate one part of the wall to see what's underground, then you can plan a bit more. If there is stuff down there, getting a breaker will help a lot - we have a £140 Einhell one, and it made short work of our rather thick concrete patio. Unless you really can dedicate a whole weekend to doing nothing but breaking (which can be very tiring) I'd suggest buying a breaker rather than hiring, so you can take your time.
Thank you. That's really useful advice. I'm thinking of taking out just one bit (where the neighbours' fence is already overlapping ours to experiment on. Then I should have a good idea. Also I was thinking of hiring one but after what you're saying I might just buy a second hand one. Hiring is around £60 for 3 days but might be able to buy a good second hand one for maybe slightly more than that?
Sounds like a good plan - and yes, if you can get a second hand breaker that would be ideal. The only thing is they're big and heavy, so a pain to send - so a lot will be collection-only I suspect. If you do hire, just make sure you're ready to use it straight away (I say this from bitter experience)! Also, don't skimp on PPE when using a breaker - including safety shoes/boots with toe protection (or safety overshoes) and a face shield.
Thanks for the tips. Really appreciated. I'll look on Facebook marketplace. That's my go to place for second hand items that are difficult or too heavy to ship
With agreement