5,000 years from now they are going to dig this up and it will be a wonder to archeologists of how ancient man was able to cut and melt stone together so perfectly!!
@Chas Laspata That is funny! It is interesting to find stones in creek beds that seems to have petrified around each other and form a cement looking stones. :)
@@SteveAddis I really believe that some of the stones that archaeologists find were almost like our concrete and that is how they got such perfect edges and “cuts” on them.
That's because it's not supposed to be used that way... Only an idiot would do that. I bet it looks like crap now with ripped paper bags n mold and wet dirt n cement leaking out and will probably wash a bunch of ink from the paper out into the ground. Good job. Plus u literally just lifted way more weight then using blocks
@Philidelphia Slim - You are wrong on all of your points. See my latest video of how it looks to prove it. Saved a ton not hiring a contractor and DIY. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html One Year Later ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
I gave you a thumbs up just for the amount of effort it too to build that. We built one just like that, with 80lb bags, over a culvert at a creek. I did a four-part video of it, and it was a chore.
@@SteveAddis keep up the awesome work! If if it's not an inconvenience feel free to do a time lapse of taken the paper off. People on RUclips eat up satisfying videos like that. Might even make you some money if it goes viral
This is really well done. I will be testing out the standard quikrete bag method building a firepit this weekend in my backyard. I'm building a 3.5 ft high retaining wall, 28 ft long. I should do a couple of layers, soak it, leave it to cure, then stack the other layers, wet, and continue onwards? I should have a slight lean back to help against the soil I'm retaining. Should I put rebar in the dry bags to add more stability before wetting? Should I just keep dry stacking this or add in some form of cement sealant in between the cured layers?? thanks again.
Thanks. If you want it perfect then do it in sections and bridge the rebar. You may want to key it with a footer or use tiebacks depending on the soil type. This wall was curved so it will not kick out hopefully. Allow the water to flow through. Rebar before water and curing. Here are two videos that might give you ideas. Improvements: ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html - Latest wall video: ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
$947.20- (512Bags x $1.85)+(Rebar, Taxes), 80' Length, 14" Width, 4' Height at corner, less the rebar. What is your price quote for this? Then it would not be "DIY". Looks better than a common wall using forms, and more fun to do yourself. -Thank you for the comment Grubb Mudd.
It dies look better than a common wall, but have you watched lurncrete videos on youtube, I know the mix design he uses and I can do those walls, anyways I saw your other video and it looks good, but how does it look now?
@@GRUBB-MUDD I will be sure and look the videos. Thanks! Well, so far it is holding up well. At the lower areas of the culvert, when it set, I washed HS concrete in the cracks, because the bags pulled some. Then I ended up coating it with a good coat. The rest I only filled the cracks. Cracks, water, freeze, expansion. I am trying to prevent that. We only have a few major events like in the culvert video a year. This wall, yesterday I pressure washed off the bags, used S type mortar on the tops and cracks. I am not a pro like you in the business. This was a lock-down project for fun. Grandfather was in major construction and he built dam retention walls at times and the concrete was packed and rolled, very dry, so I hoped that the bags would form the crystallization densely. Yet here, if you have stones in the bag sitting at the bottom of the bag and not mix the bag, you know how that ends up. Practical Engineering videos talk about concrete water ratios and the dry ratio is the top pressure test result. I left the bags on for a month or so with water to assist hopefully in curing. Concrete is cool. Take care my friend!
Are all bags laid side to side, do any bags run front to back? How long are the sections of rebar and is it 2 rods of rebar per bag? You do phenomenal work! I subscribed! Thank you for your videos.
Hi. Side to side vs front to back depends if you do setbacks. The culvert wall I did both to interlock them, especially on the top of the culvert 80lb bags were used to overlap two 50lb bags locking the rebar. I tried to use 3.5ft to 4ft rebar on the wall and longer on the culvert. Two rebar per bag locking like legos. Thank you for your kind words and for the sub! It was a pleasure to do the vids. Take care.
@The AirCooled Shop - Thanks. I thought the same thing. I would want a good foundation. Poured concrete, rebar for a home. This is my preference here. www.monolithic.org/
@Burton Kephart - I do cover sections during the build, so that rain does disrupt my build before rebar is place. I also coat the top with concrete and fill any cracks formed by the bags stretching. I now tape the top bags with plastic packing tape to prevent the paper bags from stretching when wet. This video shows some of the results and how it looks now. Thank you for your comment. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
What I’m still not clear on is, does the concrete adhere right through the cardboard of the bag? Can you knock them loose of each other with a hammer after they are set up or do they become a unified mass of concrete?
They are connected with rebar hammered vertically through them so they are all connected and not movable. The paper does not allow to adhere, yet if you punch holes through the bags several times from the top all the way through, they become connected at those points. Please see this video and I explain some improvements. Thanks for your comment. ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html
Interesting.. Not the video i was searching for.. Lol. But.. This gives me an idea.. Let me know if this will work.. And yes.. It's a story.. Ok.. I bought a river lot.. The lower road,the main state gravel rd floods.. At times it has been 10 ft over the road.. Now,there's another rd that cuts up on the hill outta the flood zone,given I'd still be trapped during high water,but i would be fine.. The upper rd.. We'll say its a named alley.. One end has collapsed,cant get up it at all.. The other end.. Is rocky rutted so bad i can't get my Cherokee up it to access my cabin.. The state refuses to do anything so my only option is to fix the rutted end.. If i laid these bags in the rutts and leveled it the best i can,would they work,in the bag like that for a if need be long term solution
@Wascally Wabbit -Yes, I had a neighbor that had had some land that had much more water than we deal with, yet flash flood and it subsides. I have heard that maybe 20 years ago a flood came through from the hills worse than I have seen yet. At the end of this video you will see the water level. So I built a culvert entrance. You need to find ways to slow velocity up hills, then consider concrete that you drive over, yet allow water to pass. The bags would need some cloth to keep soil from undermining. Maybe you might use in combination gabion system. Hope you figure it out and post it online. Take care. ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
Thanks. I did it in sections. The best results, do it in several layers. Tape the top bags with packing tape to stop the bags from stretching when wet. If you stack them too high and get them too wet, they will flatten a bit. Take your time and better results, less finishing.
Hi Robert. It is holding up very well. Same for the culvert wall. When this video was made, I still needed to wash some mix on the faces that had some cracks and imperfections. I will do a followup video. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for your comment! :) Best to say what these do that blocks do not. Bags do not require a perfect level footing and fit to any proportion. These are less than half the price and are larger than manufactured blocks. Bags setup to a more solid form of concrete than castle blocks. Bags allow water to flow between the voids. Rebar can be placed into the bags making them permanent, rather than glue or locking used on landscape blocks. Or, rebar can be laid between the bags if you wish it to be less permanent. Bags look like cobble stone and less like a manufactured product. You can simply allow the paper to biodegrade, or pressure wash them away, like I did with the culvert wall. It all depends what you prefer. I use both for different purposes, and really like castle rock for small landscaping projects.
@@zman783 You are welcome. I started working on it again today, washing mortar in the top bags to seal cracks and a skim coat on top. Been too busy and need to finish it and do the second video. :)
Excellent question Edward, and good idea. On this wall, no I did not because the wall is set with two rebars in each bag, into blue-grey clay one foot deep that is almost like rock. I was concerned about the bottom kicking out like you mention, if many years if the rebar rusts away, so I may add a small concrete key. With the curvature of the wall, that should help, and the bags are stacked level, and inward. I am going to consider one on the long end of the wall now that you mention it. - I will be doing some smaller walls, that have no soil in place and need to be back filled four to five feet, so I will use your tie-back recommendation, sometimes called dead man method for sure. Your project: Be sure to use rebar and if you leave it at the lower levels and do not finish it in a day, leave the rebar sticking out of the bags, so you can bridge the top part, or continue the work as you do the wall, and have it all tied together. You may want to let that part of the wall setup with water, then continue. I did a lot of this with my Culvert Retaining Wall video. The other issue I had was that I stacked the bags too high and it started leaning on me before I did the gravel back fill, so i grabbed the protruding rebars, to pull it back and filled the back side and fixed that mistake. This was hand dug with a pick and shovel and so far, it was the hardest digging I have EVER dealt with. Lol - Thank you for your input. Enjoy your work!
Thanks so much. I will take all that into consideration. One last question if you don’t mind. How long did you spray down the bags, of what’s the recommendation to ensure all the concrete gets adequate water to set?
@@eramer3Your are welcome. If you are going to go 8 to 10 courses, if you do four courses, then place your rebar. Then water that set first. The paper sort of resists the water, and the concrete will draw in the water. Make sure the bags are paper. Mine had two layers of paper. The outer being the weaker more absorbant. You will need to sprinkle water on it all night, lightly. I found that the faces of the bags would almost crack off, when I put too much water on it and the bag would pull away slightly causing small cracks. Now, even with cracks in the faces, after it has completely setup, all you need to do is wash some of the high strength concrete in the cracks with a water hose, and that will setup like rock. For culverts at the base, wash that concrete over the bottom bags really seals it up and it turns very hard. Cement cures, so if you leave the bags on longer, and then soak it over night one section at at time one last time, it seems to get better . Sort of like putting plastic on a fresh concrete pour, and keeping water on under that plastic really makes one solid parking spot. Be sure to loosen the bags, put the bag on its face and get the cement, less stone to that front if you want it to look smooth. You may also experiment on a small section, and let me know how it worked. Have fun!
@@eramer3 I wanted to make one revision. I believe you should completely soak a section at a time. If the curing stops, you may not get the best strength in the concrete. The other item is, when you loosen the bag on its sides, do this more than one time as to mix best as possible. There is a video by Practical Engineering called "What Is Concrete". They mention that concrete that is packed, is best strength, and shows in their tests in this video. The bags in the bottom of the creek setup the best. That video is interesting.
Hi, I’m thinking about building a concrete bag wall for my back yard with hardly any machine accessing. One question about the concrete bag wall, do we need any drainage behind it? Thanks
Nate, you need to sprinkle water on the bags all night so the become saturated. They make a special bag for this called Quikrete Rip Wrap that has fiber reinforced bags. Yet I am using standard bags using lots of rebar through the bags. Culvert video explains a similar build. Take care. ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
That will work but a much better way to build a wall like this to get you some building sand number one Portland cement couple bundles of burlap sacks at least a foot or two into the ground you also need a a hand Tamp every row step-back 2 or 3in backfill every row with the same mix you put in the bags you want to make it one with the ground keep it low enough to where the water will run over it it will last you a hundred years if it's done properly these pure cement bags like this will start cracking used to build headwalls for the county for about 30 years around pipes and Riverbanks as far as I know they're all still there I've been retired about 10 years
Hi Apollo! Your wall process sounds good. And you know it works. Quikrete makes your mix called Rip Rap. My friend, Tom the Engineer (retired) built these on his farms and they are still doing what is required. Thank you for your comment! Take care. :) --Part 2. - ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
I later found that taping the top bags with plastic packing tape, bottom edge, then run straps of tape tight on the bag, keeps paper from stretching. Acts like the reinforced bags.
@billy roberts It needed to be permanent. Dry stack would work. The rebar has a fair amount of cover to protect it at least within the bag. Steel Rebar is used in many concrete applications with enough cover. Most of the water at the base did concern me in regard to exposed rebar. I needed the rebar to pound it in the hard clay soil. Alternatives to steel rebar are basalt and fiberglass rebar which will not corrode. There are no salt conditions that factor into the equation as one would see with highways, bridges and seaside structures. It will likely last a lifetime the way it is. The next person can just coat it with gunite if they feel it needs it. - Thanks for your comment.
@Ricker's Homestead A Hobby Farm - Holding great. Have not had time to seal coat it yet before Winter. Just getting ready to post a general video about this. Thanks for asking! :)
@jon_dough_gets_it - Yes we can sometime. I need to put a contact form on my website soon. I don't post numbers on YT as of yet. Did you happen to watch my improvements video and the updates videos? This video has most of the tips that I did not address in the previous videos. If you are doing walls like this, I would like to know your ideas or thoughts as well. Thank you much for watching. www.stevenaddis.com -Improvements & Methods: ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html
@SteveAddis yes after watching this I found your improvements video, very helpful! This tips and tricks answered most of my questions. Awesome videos brother!
My inspector told me the rebar is no good because it can swell seven times it's original thickness. I did the same thing around my pool with 250 bags although I didn't use rebar and all the spots but I evenly spaced it out and when I told my inspector he's told me that the rebar can swell and the concrete will eventually crumble..😔
Hi Mike. This has not happened with one wall a year old. He may be referring to oxide jacking. The rebar needs to have good cover which is distance from rebar to outside surface. The high PH of concrete forms a thin oxide layer protecting steel. For instance, if you watch my other video, I sealed the top of the wall and cracks in bags for cover. So, you may want to coat your wall tops, and cracks and seal it with some colors to make it look nice. Thank you for your comment! ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
Yes, the paper does fall off. Yet the concrete if packed and mixed properly should do well. Here is the culvert update. Thanks for commenting. ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
** Specifically Made For This - QUIKRETE RIP RAP - Commercial grade blend of Portland cement and specially graded sand, packaged in a Fiber Reinforced, Biodegradable Bag for erosion control applications. www.quikrete.com/productlines/riprap.asp
@@duwaynegebken8703 Thank you DuWayne. I need to use ti-backs, dead-man in the next two walls. This ended up getting longer as I went. I also cut down the back side (hill height) some and all of the soil is very stable, hard blue clay two feet up or more on that wall, then the rest is yellow clay.
How this wall looks today. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
Culvert wall: ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
5,000 years from now they are going to dig this up and it will be a wonder to archeologists of how ancient man was able to cut and melt stone together so perfectly!!
@Chas Laspata That is funny! It is interesting to find stones in creek beds that seems to have petrified around each other and form a cement looking stones. :)
@@SteveAddis I really believe that some of the stones that archaeologists find were almost like our concrete and that is how they got such perfect edges and “cuts” on them.
The best part is you kept all the labels right reading, that's craftsmanship!!
@David Ybarra Lol - Yes, one must go the extra mile when learning to be a sandbag / concrete craftsman. Thanks for your observation!
Looks amazing never thought of using them this way.
@Steeltoe Boots Thank you. And thank you for your comment.
That's because it's not supposed to be used that way... Only an idiot would do that. I bet it looks like crap now with ripped paper bags n mold and wet dirt n cement leaking out and will probably wash a bunch of ink from the paper out into the ground. Good job. Plus u literally just lifted way more weight then using blocks
@Philidelphia Slim - You are wrong on all of your points. See my latest video of how it looks to prove it. Saved a ton not hiring a contractor and DIY. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
One Year Later
ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
I gave you a thumbs up just for the amount of effort it too to build that. We built one just like that, with 80lb bags, over a culvert at a creek. I did a four-part video of it, and it was a chore.
Thanks Mike. I looked at your video. That wall is huge! - Nice job. Take care! (My first culvert.) ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
Super cool Steve! Thanks for showing!
Hi Collin, Thanks - Hope to have it done this weekend, paper removed, surface coat the top bags. Take care. :)
@@SteveAddis keep up the awesome work! If if it's not an inconvenience feel free to do a time lapse of taken the paper off. People on RUclips eat up satisfying videos like that. Might even make you some money if it goes viral
@@collindolan5493 I know, I watch those time lapse videos. I use a pressure washer and the paper just washes away.
Wow, now that is.....somethin'
Thank you for your comment! :)
This is really well done. I will be testing out the standard quikrete bag method building a firepit this weekend in my backyard. I'm building a 3.5 ft high retaining wall, 28 ft long. I should do a couple of layers, soak it, leave it to cure, then stack the other layers, wet, and continue onwards? I should have a slight lean back to help against the soil I'm retaining. Should I put rebar in the dry bags to add more stability before wetting? Should I just keep dry stacking this or add in some form of cement sealant in between the cured layers?? thanks again.
Thanks. If you want it perfect then do it in sections and bridge the rebar. You may want to key it with a footer or use tiebacks depending on the soil type. This wall was curved so it will not kick out hopefully. Allow the water to flow through. Rebar before water and curing. Here are two videos that might give you ideas. Improvements: ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html - Latest wall video: ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
Rất tuyệt vời. Cách của bạn rất phù hợp với vùng đất ngập nước. Địa chất yếu, sụt lún
Thank you and for the input. :)
This looks super cool, I would’ve loved to help you build that thing lol
@Carter - Thanks for being the first to want to help! I am the only laborer. Two others built and about three more to go. :)
how much was all that quick Crete? I could have poured u a wall for the same amount probably lol
$947.20- (512Bags x $1.85)+(Rebar, Taxes), 80' Length, 14" Width, 4' Height at corner, less the rebar. What is your price quote for this? Then it would not be "DIY". Looks better than a common wall using forms, and more fun to do yourself. -Thank you for the comment Grubb Mudd.
It dies look better than a common wall, but have you watched lurncrete videos on youtube, I know the mix design he uses and I can do those walls, anyways I saw your other video and it looks good, but how does it look now?
@@GRUBB-MUDD I will be sure and look the videos. Thanks! Well, so far it is holding up well. At the lower areas of the culvert, when it set, I washed HS concrete in the cracks, because the bags pulled some. Then I ended up coating it with a good coat. The rest I only filled the cracks. Cracks, water, freeze, expansion. I am trying to prevent that. We only have a few major events like in the culvert video a year. This wall, yesterday I pressure washed off the bags, used S type mortar on the tops and cracks. I am not a pro like you in the business. This was a lock-down project for fun. Grandfather was in major construction and he built dam retention walls at times and the concrete was packed and rolled, very dry, so I hoped that the bags would form the crystallization densely. Yet here, if you have stones in the bag sitting at the bottom of the bag and not mix the bag, you know how that ends up. Practical Engineering videos talk about concrete water ratios and the dry ratio is the top pressure test result. I left the bags on for a month or so with water to assist hopefully in curing. Concrete is cool. Take care my friend!
That's cool, here is my link to a video I did ruclips.net/video/KwD__Y1sEvs/видео.html, I have alot more this is just a demo project
I think it looked good! And I am surprised it was that cheap
Are all bags laid side to side, do any bags run front to back? How long are the sections of rebar and is it 2 rods of rebar per bag? You do phenomenal work! I subscribed! Thank you for your videos.
Hi. Side to side vs front to back depends if you do setbacks. The culvert wall I did both to interlock them, especially on the top of the culvert 80lb bags were used to overlap two 50lb bags locking the rebar. I tried to use 3.5ft to 4ft rebar on the wall and longer on the culvert. Two rebar per bag locking like legos. Thank you for your kind words and for the sub! It was a pleasure to do the vids. Take care.
Great job.
I wonder if cement bags could be used the same way people use sand bags to build small homes and such
@The AirCooled Shop - Thanks. I thought the same thing. I would want a good foundation. Poured concrete, rebar for a home. This is my preference here. www.monolithic.org/
What are you going to cover it with?? Maybe I missed what you said but obviously you are not going to leave it as such ?
@Burton Kephart - I do cover sections during the build, so that rain does disrupt my build before rebar is place. I also coat the top with concrete and fill any cracks formed by the bags stretching. I now tape the top bags with plastic packing tape to prevent the paper bags from stretching when wet. This video shows some of the results and how it looks now. Thank you for your comment. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
What I’m still not clear on is, does the concrete adhere right through the cardboard of the bag? Can you knock them loose of each other with a hammer after they are set up or do they become a unified mass of concrete?
They are connected with rebar hammered vertically through them so they are all connected and not movable. The paper does not allow to adhere, yet if you punch holes through the bags several times from the top all the way through, they become connected at those points. Please see this video and I explain some improvements. Thanks for your comment. ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html
@@SteveAddis thanks Steve! This new video is the best I have seen yet on the topic.
Interesting.. Not the video i was searching for.. Lol. But.. This gives me an idea.. Let me know if this will work.. And yes.. It's a story..
Ok.. I bought a river lot.. The lower road,the main state gravel rd floods.. At times it has been 10 ft over the road.. Now,there's another rd that cuts up on the hill outta the flood zone,given I'd still be trapped during high water,but i would be fine.. The upper rd.. We'll say its a named alley.. One end has collapsed,cant get up it at all.. The other end.. Is rocky rutted so bad i can't get my Cherokee up it to access my cabin.. The state refuses to do anything so my only option is to fix the rutted end.. If i laid these bags in the rutts and leveled it the best i can,would they work,in the bag like that for a if need be long term solution
@Wascally Wabbit -Yes, I had a neighbor that had had some land that had much more water than we deal with, yet flash flood and it subsides. I have heard that maybe 20 years ago a flood came through from the hills worse than I have seen yet. At the end of this video you will see the water level. So I built a culvert entrance. You need to find ways to slow velocity up hills, then consider concrete that you drive over, yet allow water to pass. The bags would need some cloth to keep soil from undermining. Maybe you might use in combination gabion system. Hope you figure it out and post it online. Take care. ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
Great job! Did you water the bags between each layer, or just at the end?
Thanks. I did it in sections. The best results, do it in several layers. Tape the top bags with packing tape to stop the bags from stretching when wet. If you stack them too high and get them too wet, they will flatten a bit. Take your time and better results, less finishing.
@@SteveAddis what if we make holes passing through, before adding another layer? will they join together?
Late reply, yes they would somewhat.
How well has it held up
Hi Robert. It is holding up very well. Same for the culvert wall. When this video was made, I still needed to wash some mix on the faces that had some cracks and imperfections. I will do a followup video. Thanks for your comment.
Can you go back and take a new picture on how it looks two years later ?🤘
Yes, I will be doing a new video. It is about the same. The culvert exit and entrance are the same. Thanks for your comment!
I am so lost! Why not traditional landscape blocks? Y bags? Feel like that thing will b dropping paper chunks for a long time
Thanks for your comment! :) Best to say what these do that blocks do not. Bags do not require a perfect level footing and fit to any proportion. These are less than half the price and are larger than manufactured blocks. Bags setup to a more solid form of concrete than castle blocks. Bags allow water to flow between the voids. Rebar can be placed into the bags making them permanent, rather than glue or locking used on landscape blocks. Or, rebar can be laid between the bags if you wish it to be less permanent. Bags look like cobble stone and less like a manufactured product. You can simply allow the paper to biodegrade, or pressure wash them away, like I did with the culvert wall. It all depends what you prefer. I use both for different purposes, and really like castle rock for small landscaping projects.
ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
That is an awesome detailed explanation. I see these walls are very popular these days. It looks good. Thanks for the info.
@@zman783 You are welcome. I started working on it again today, washing mortar in the top bags to seal cracks and a skim coat on top. Been too busy and need to finish it and do the second video. :)
I have a much smaller project and am consider this.Did you do any tie-backs?
Excellent question Edward, and good idea. On this wall, no I did not because the wall is set with two rebars in each bag, into blue-grey clay one foot deep that is almost like rock. I was concerned about the bottom kicking out like you mention, if many years if the rebar rusts away, so I may add a small concrete key. With the curvature of the wall, that should help, and the bags are stacked level, and inward. I am going to consider one on the long end of the wall now that you mention it. - I will be doing some smaller walls, that have no soil in place and need to be back filled four to five feet, so I will use your tie-back recommendation, sometimes called dead man method for sure. Your project: Be sure to use rebar and if you leave it at the lower levels and do not finish it in a day, leave the rebar sticking out of the bags, so you can bridge the top part, or continue the work as you do the wall, and have it all tied together. You may want to let that part of the wall setup with water, then continue. I did a lot of this with my Culvert Retaining Wall video. The other issue I had was that I stacked the bags too high and it started leaning on me before I did the gravel back fill, so i grabbed the protruding rebars, to pull it back and filled the back side and fixed that mistake. This was hand dug with a pick and shovel and so far, it was the hardest digging I have EVER dealt with. Lol - Thank you for your input. Enjoy your work!
Thanks so much. I will take all that into consideration. One last question if you don’t mind. How long did you spray down the bags, of what’s the recommendation to ensure all the concrete gets adequate water to set?
@@eramer3Your are welcome. If you are going to go 8 to 10 courses, if you do four courses, then place your rebar. Then water that set first. The paper sort of resists the water, and the concrete will draw in the water. Make sure the bags are paper. Mine had two layers of paper. The outer being the weaker more absorbant. You will need to sprinkle water on it all night, lightly. I found that the faces of the bags would almost crack off, when I put too much water on it and the bag would pull away slightly causing small cracks. Now, even with cracks in the faces, after it has completely setup, all you need to do is wash some of the high strength concrete in the cracks with a water hose, and that will setup like rock. For culverts at the base, wash that concrete over the bottom bags really seals it up and it turns very hard. Cement cures, so if you leave the bags on longer, and then soak it over night one section at at time one last time, it seems to get better . Sort of like putting plastic on a fresh concrete pour, and keeping water on under that plastic really makes one solid parking spot. Be sure to loosen the bags, put the bag on its face and get the cement, less stone to that front if you want it to look smooth. You may also experiment on a small section, and let me know how it worked. Have fun!
@@eramer3 I wanted to make one revision. I believe you should completely soak a section at a time. If the curing stops, you may not get the best strength in the concrete. The other item is, when you loosen the bag on its sides, do this more than one time as to mix best as possible. There is a video by Practical Engineering called "What Is Concrete". They mention that concrete that is packed, is best strength, and shows in their tests in this video. The bags in the bottom of the creek setup the best. That video is interesting.
Hi, I’m thinking about building a concrete bag wall for my back yard with hardly any machine accessing. One question about the concrete bag wall, do we need any drainage behind it? Thanks
How many pallets was that?
Hi Randy. It is 512 bags and 70 bags to a pallet. Cost me with discount $1.93 a bag at this time.
So does the concrete just form in the bags over time?
Nate, you need to sprinkle water on the bags all night so the become saturated. They make a special bag for this called Quikrete Rip Wrap that has fiber reinforced bags. Yet I am using standard bags using lots of rebar through the bags. Culvert video explains a similar build. Take care. ruclips.net/video/99k19yaOqQ4/видео.html
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做所有的事情。
It will look amazing once the bags dissolve it will look like a stone wall
@A man called hawk - Yes these walls look nice. Thanks for your comment. Have a great weekend!
@@SteveAddis you're welcome you too
That will work but a much better way to build a wall like this to get you some building sand number one Portland cement couple bundles of burlap sacks at least a foot or two into the ground you also need a a hand Tamp every row step-back 2 or 3in backfill every row with the same mix you put in the bags you want to make it one with the ground keep it low enough to where the water will run over it it will last you a hundred years if it's done properly these pure cement bags like this will start cracking used to build headwalls for the county for about 30 years around pipes and Riverbanks as far as I know they're all still there I've been retired about 10 years
Hi Apollo! Your wall process sounds good. And you know it works. Quikrete makes your mix called Rip Rap. My friend, Tom the Engineer (retired) built these on his farms and they are still doing what is required. Thank you for your comment! Take care. :) --Part 2. - ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
This will affect the Resale value of house
I'm not sure I understood how to prevent the top bag from cracking
I later found that taping the top bags with plastic packing tape, bottom edge, then run straps of tape tight on the bag, keeps paper from stretching. Acts like the reinforced bags.
would you consider a 7' high wall built in undulating radii. freestanding?
It might be. I would take advantage of the radii with mass for stability. Yet am avoiding that height this DIY method.
Why use rebar? It splits the concrete and building on a 1 degree badder holds it like a dry stack.
@billy roberts It needed to be permanent. Dry stack would work. The rebar has a fair amount of cover to protect it at least within the bag. Steel Rebar is used in many concrete applications with enough cover. Most of the water at the base did concern me in regard to exposed rebar. I needed the rebar to pound it in the hard clay soil. Alternatives to steel rebar are basalt and fiberglass rebar which will not corrode. There are no salt conditions that factor into the equation as one would see with highways, bridges and seaside structures. It will likely last a lifetime the way it is. The next person can just coat it with gunite if they feel it needs it. - Thanks for your comment.
How is this holding up?
@Ricker's Homestead A Hobby Farm - Holding great. Have not had time to seal coat it yet before Winter. Just getting ready to post a general video about this. Thanks for asking! :)
When the bags start coming off the concrete, it's probably not going look as nice cuz the bags going try to come off in the rain over time
You can lightly pressure wash the bags away after they are well set. You are correct for sure. Thanks for your comment.
@STEVEADDIS great lets talk, can we do a quick call for tips and tricks, this is awesome
@jon_dough_gets_it - Yes we can sometime. I need to put a contact form on my website soon. I don't post numbers on YT as of yet. Did you happen to watch my improvements video and the updates videos? This video has most of the tips that I did not address in the previous videos. If you are doing walls like this, I would like to know your ideas or thoughts as well. Thank you much for watching. www.stevenaddis.com -Improvements & Methods: ruclips.net/video/tUlc1Qb5A74/видео.html
@SteveAddis yes after watching this I found your improvements video, very helpful! This tips and tricks answered most of my questions.
Awesome videos brother!
That is good. If you have any more questions, just let me know. I should add it to the future list. Thanks!
My inspector told me the rebar is no good because it can swell seven times it's original thickness. I did the same thing around my pool with 250 bags although I didn't use rebar and all the spots but I evenly spaced it out and when I told my inspector he's told me that the rebar can swell and the concrete will eventually crumble..😔
Hi Mike. This has not happened with one wall a year old. He may be referring to oxide jacking. The rebar needs to have good cover which is distance from rebar to outside surface. The high PH of concrete forms a thin oxide layer protecting steel. For instance, if you watch my other video, I sealed the top of the wall and cracks in bags for cover. So, you may want to coat your wall tops, and cracks and seal it with some colors to make it look nice. Thank you for your comment! ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
You’re probably going to need a few layers more.
Thanks for the input and comment!
The bags will fall apart eventually
Yes, the paper does fall off. Yet the concrete if packed and mixed properly should do well. Here is the culvert update. Thanks for commenting. ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
What a waste of bagged concrete....
No waste. I used every bag. ruclips.net/video/b1dk4jhQfws/видео.html
Functional but not aesthetically pleasing
You are right. It looks different now with the paper off. I really like stone. Thanks for the comment. ruclips.net/video/LHl5dYp3dg4/видео.html
Not cost effective
Yes you are correct. It cost a lot. Castle block would be even more. $947.20- (512 Bags x $1.85)+(Rebar & Taxes) - Thanks for commenting.
** Specifically Made For This - QUIKRETE RIP RAP - Commercial grade blend of Portland cement and specially graded sand, packaged in a Fiber Reinforced, Biodegradable Bag for erosion control applications. www.quikrete.com/productlines/riprap.asp
Very nice, graceful sweeping curves to match the hillside and stepped ends to meet the grade. Well done Steve.
@@duwaynegebken8703 Thank you DuWayne. I need to use ti-backs, dead-man in the next two walls. This ended up getting longer as I went. I also cut down the back side (hill height) some and all of the soil is very stable, hard blue clay two feet up or more on that wall, then the rest is yellow clay.