Genie,

Get your bf involved...

Which part of it you need to know more?

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 25 2013, 06:06 PM

i dont understand how to make the L stand.
And how to make sure the papan mould stay fix when i do the pouring.

Forget about making L stand. Just let the mesh continue up the wall like in the pictures will do:






When the length is short just cut another piece of mesh and tie them to it.

The papan workform has to be strong. The material is expensive, ie the supporting wood and plywood. If you are only use it for once it is better to do it with bricks. Bricks can form workform and it is cheaper and easier than making wooden workform (if use only once is a waste of money and effort).

Will post some pictures later.

thanks bro. When u said used mesh. Then i know.
Just sambung and bend.
Now will wait for your pictures bout brick workform.
I told my hb last night you spend 6 months to finishes urs.
He said I need 1 year. Coz dig with cangkul 1 hour, rest 3 days.

Look like you are seriously thinking to DIY. Let me help you all the way where possible. Also, we are hijacking this thread from Junhaussen. Hope she is ok.

Cangkul (or spade) is not the tool to use digging the kind of soil of our houses. Unlike paddy field that is cleared of rocks and stones, our compound is full of it including broken tiles, cement, etc.

Digging Fork is the tool to use, effortless compare to cangkul. The pointed edges like needles pierce through into the ground easily and lifting up all the stones and rock together with the soil. Try it you will experience what i mean. You need not use much strength or effect hitting the ground, just lifting it up high and let the weight of gravity do the job falling on the ground doing the digging. Your energy is spent only on lifting the fork. When soil is dry it is hard, therefore, sprinkle some water, do not flood it, too muddy is messy. See pic.



Next...will post brick formwork.

If you able to DIY, 1yrs or 2yrs doesn't matter. Your HB praise you like lady god.

ya. if ask pro do the job. We dont have budget.
If i do the job, then money is for the mesh etc. Labour no need pay.
Maybe Ozak is right, maybe i really need 2 years.

It is good that you are prepared to go for 2 yrs but I dont think you would take any longer time (actual working time) than i did if you were to allow me to guide you. The reason is I have gone thru it and overlooked some of the things and remedy works took up some of the time and you would not repeat the same.

What would make it successful depend on your determination and these are the ingredients:

1. You want it badly, but what hinder you is
2. the price is too high to engage a pro, and the most important of all
3. you enjoy doing it, and lastly
4. you have the support of the forumers here, not just me but all of us your spiritual supporters.

Ok, here is the bricks formwork. But am not going to explain in detail how to do it as this is not the part you should start with. Next post will explain how and where you should start, eg. the design and filtration system.

Do not be worry with the large number of bricks required. It should around 300 bricks. One brick costs 50 sen or less = RM150 only. Comparing ply wood. One thick piece (4'x8') costs RM90. You need many pieces.

See remark on this pic.

so it about the bricks hamburger-ing the mesh then.
cement-brick-cement brick?
Mayb i should start bengkel 4D3N with u guys at my place. would be interesting.
So u can save on the " spiritual supports".

Yes, burger it is. Like burger you can choose what to be sandwich.

You see at first it is mud on one side. It is bad to have mud/soil as you pour concrete because somehow no matter how careful you are the mud will get mixed with the concrete as you compacting the wet concrete. To overcome this problem you plaster the mud. Buy ready made plaster mix. It come with 25kg bag. Simply add water to the mix (plaster in dry form) and make it a paste and with a shovel apply a layer on the mud wall. One coat/layer will do. To make plastering easy first make the mud wall straight, smooth and flat.

now you have a thin layer of concrete (dry plaster) on one side. This form the "outer" formwork. Then you build the "inner" formwork with bricks like the picture shown earlier. For this brick formwork notice carefully the bricks are not standing on the normal face but on the thinner face. You see a brick have 6 faces like die except that brick has 3 pair of similar faces. See pic below:

die


Normal brick laying on flat face side


For formwork purposes and to save the no of bricks used and for lesser work, lay standing on the thin long faces like this


Ok this is part 1, next post part 2

Price price price... One bag of 25kg plaster around RM9 to RM11. There fine one costs more and rougher type costs less. For plastering mud go for cheap rough one, you are not going to see the player surface after it has been concreted, right?

Continue from part one...

Ok, ok, there is no part one or part 2, just to make thing easy to understand.

The burger thing. Now you can choose to have the brick to be a part of the wall or you can tear it down as concrete cured.

Having it be part of the concrete wall making the wall very thick but that does not make the wall any stronger and/or durable than the reinforced concrete. Thicker wall means losing space too. (Note: reinforced concrete means concrete with rebars/bone inside, stronger and harder to break.)

Like wooden formwork, you can choose to tear down the brick after the concrete is set. (Of course the used bricks will have no use or commercial value as it is stuck with cement/concrete. The purpose is not to save money for reuse but for nicer looking and space).

You have to decide before you build the brick formwork. because you have to add a layer of thin plywood behind the brick formwork so that concrte will not stick on to the bricks. Without a layer preventing concrete from joining the brick formwork you can never remove the brick without breaking the concrete. It stuck together like one whole piece.

Price, price, price, money money money.... thin ply wood is cheap, it does not cost you a bomb compared to the thicker plywood.

Do not use newspaper or cardboard or plastic sheet instead of the thin plywood. Paper will "dissolve" as you pour concrete. Plastic sheet will drop off or out of place if you are not careful and it will be hell to dig out the wet concrete and re-position the plastic sheet.

I do not know about oiling it. It is the practice to use oil for steel mould. But for bricks??? The bricks will suck up the oil and still the concrete gets stuck to the brick??? I am not sure, you may want to experiment is first before your actual work. It will be a better and cheaper solution than ply wood if this works. Anyone try that before?

You see this picture. If you have a concrete sprayer you need not plaster the mud/soil wall

so, i sandwich the mesh with bricks.
the bottom is always mud, so i apply a think plaster as base.
When it dries, i have a plaster base to pour my cement.
The more i pour, the higher my wall will be.

Is that?

Sorry I think I have confused you. because the discussion has not been in proper sequence. The correct order or sequence is you concrete the base first before the wall so that the wall sit on the base.

Likewise, before you concrete the base, it is advisable to have a layer of thin concrete covering the mud floor. No need to use plaster, the 25kg bag plaster. Use sand and cement mix will do for the covering of the floor.

Think better discuss from correct order starting with identify the site, the shape and design of the pond first....

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 27 2013, 05:38 PM

let me list down what are the things you should consider its topics

1. The site. Choose where and how big the pond you want and you can have

2. Design. Rectangular or curvy. Straight flow is the latest water flow design where water flow from one end to another, not the conventional bottom drains at the middle. Water fall, fountain and your imagination.

3. Traditional up and down filter chambers or bead filter and sieve

4. Electrical and piping requirements. How to pull cable and type of cable and pipe. considering additional earth leakage (ELCB).

5. Digging. how to dig and where to dig. House footing care.

6. Concrete pond construction. Brick wall or concrete wall. Types of concrete mix, waterproofing.

7. Equipment: pump size, power consumption consideration and UV

8. Right tools and equipment needed.

Disposal of soil is another point to consider.

Yes, that is hell lot of work, worst than digging.

let's sort my mind:
1. lay out chunks of bricks to support mesh.
2. bend the mesh to form L.
3. pour cement through the mesh. So it can be on the mud floor then cover the mesh when overlapped.
4.Use brick to do work form, supported by cheap plank. The brick should be right on the concrete base.
5. Pour cement to form wall.
6. remove planks and bricks.
7. waterproofing.

I am thinking to do fish pond or tiny fountain.
Fish as in birchirs and such. Not koi

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 27 2013, 10:12 PM