The cost of paying for construction work is astronomical and it is more cost effective and practical to do things yourself if it possible. Building a concrete wall can easily be done as long as the right materials and tools are available. The steps are as follows:
- The area in which the wall will span has to be measured accurately
- Come up with a sketched design of what the wall is expected to look like. This is more preferable than making up the design during construction.
- The bricks and supplies can be accessed from a hardware store once the measurements and description of the activity is described to the store personnel. The exact quantity of bricks and mortar required can be established.
- Pounded the stakes into the areas where the corners are expected to be and a string run from each corner to the other.
- A plumb bob is used some inches from the string crossing at the corners to make sure that the corners are level.
- The corners can be laid first because they act as the guide for the rest of the wall.
- To lay the corner bricks upon the footing, spread the mortar beyond the width and length of the brick’s footing just before placing the brick on top. A trowel is used to scrape off the excess mortar. The block should be well straightened to ensure that the rest of the wall is properly lined up. This should be repeated on all the corners with the use of the level.
- The corners should be built up first and must always be higher than the rest of the wall during the construction process.
- The same procedure of laying bricks on the corners should be repeated for the rest of the wall until the whole structure reaches the required height.
- Some important things to note while constructing the concrete wall are:
- Ensure that the string used in the initial measurement is taut at all times to keep proper measurement.
- During hot days the mortar should be covered with plastic covering
- Mix the mortar in portions that can last an hour at a time.
Depending on where the concrete wall is situated, it may be necessary to contact utility companies within the area to find out whether there are any pipe or underground cables running beneath the surface of the construction.