Patio Wall Styles

• 4" Fence Block
  4" refers to the width of the wall. Masons in general do not seem to be fond of this type of wall, however it has it's place and niche in the market, especially in the Southwestern United States. It is common to find that your local city or county codes will not approve a wall over 5 feet in height out of this type of material.
  
  The 4" T&G wall was invented in the 1970's to compete with the wood fence. It is not what would be referred to as a "hundred year wall".  It will not give you the years of value that an 8" or 6" wall will, for it has no hollow cavities large enough to utilize vertical wall reinforcement, with the traditional "grout & re-bar".
  4" T&G has two basic structure types:
  
  Post Tension:
  Implanting bolts the height of the wall that will be tightened to specific "torque" requirements, that "bolt" the wall to the footing.
  
  Columns:
  By placing 8" H-block column (a block with a cavity large enough to fill with high compressive grout and re-bar) not more that 11 feet apart along the length of the wall, the 4 inch block then slip into a channel on the H end of the block to interlock with the H-block at each panel successively so that the wall is held upright under normal amounts of stress.
  
  *tongue and groove: no vertical mortar joints, the block interlock to create lateral strength.
  
  

• 6" T&G or CMU (Cement Masonry Unit
  Either T&G or standard CMU 6" walls can save you some money over the price of an 8" wall and as long as you keep them 6 feet high or shorter, you can feel confident, that when properly built they can last the duration of your mortgage and beyond - depending on trees, planters and other destructive forces.
  
  This and all other masonry walls should be built with expansion and contraction in mind so as to prevent unseemly and "wild cracking".  This is done by building "control joints" into the wall as it is constructed.
  
  

• 6" One Side Stucco
  Same as 6" CMU above with a coat of stucco on one side only.
  This and all other masonry walls should be built with expansion and contraction in mind so as to prevent unseemly and "wild cracking".  This is done by building "control joints" into the wall as it is constructed.
  
  

• 6" Two Side Stucco
  Same as 6" CMU with stucco on two sides and top.
  This and all other masonry walls should be built with expansion and contraction in mind so as to prevent unseemly and "wild cracking".  This is done by building "control joints" into the wall as it is constructed.
  
  

• 8" T&G or CMU
  An 8" wall up to 7 feet high can last over a hundred years and you can feel confident that built properly it will last you the rest of your life - depending on trees, planters and other destructive forces.
  This and all other masonry walls should be built with expansion and contraction in mind so as to prevent unseemly and "wild cracking".  This is done by building "control joints" into the wall as it is constructed.