Thanks @Dave-1 and @EricL , super helpful! My wife wants the brick top so I think the Gabion might be out even though it certainly is much easier! Though this makes me think I might be wise to do the...
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Thanks @Dave-1 and @EricL , super helpful! My wife wants the brick top so I think the Gabion might be out even though it certainly is much easier! Though this makes me think I might be wise to do the locking blocks and then just rest bricks on top for now, once happy its all stable etc I can mortar the bricks in place. Yes @EricL, the garden bed is higher than the wall. Where you see it at the top of the trench under the grey fence is its natural level. So I would have 1 brick course higher than that so the top of the wall aligns with the bottom of the fence. The yellow string line is the wall level - from just above the patio render, to just above the plinth boards, to the base of the fence. The trench is currently 750mm deep to build a 350-400mm wall. I was thinking 2 courses of versawall/locking bessa blocks (only 1 leaf/skin thick though not double like the revised CAD image) + red brick toppers, or 6 courses of double brick (double because people said single wasn't strong enough to retain (though 350mm isn't that tall...). This is because the wall needs to be 350mm above the underhouse 'ground' level to match the garden bed edge, then 70mm for 1st brick course buried, 150mm for the slab (perhaps overkill), 100mm for roadbase, and trying to get under the roots etc took it another ~80mm further which I plan to put back in as soil and compact before adding the road base. Another rough drawing attached of the side view.