Brick bed for edging

[OneZero]

If I dig some strips for concrete footings so I can lay 2-3 courses of bricks as a garden edge. How do I get the bed level?

[johnc]

If I dig some strips for concrete footings so I can lay 2-3 courses of bricks as a garden edge. How do I get the bed level?

Cut some metal pins, 8mm rod or larger would be fine, space them a little shorter than your straight edge and hammer them (centre of trench) down to height. Just get the first one to the height you want and then with the level and straightedge adjust the next to height and keep going. As you place in the concrete use the straightedge/screed to get a flat line of concrete between the pins and level across with a float. If you have to step down a level same process, just drop a second pin the height adjustment of a course and once the concrete is in use the pin as a peg and place a block of wood to stop the step slumping.

No need to pull the steel pins out, just leave them as a piece of useless rio, if you substitute for timber pegs these must be removed before the concrete sets..

[OneZero]

Cut some metal pins, 8mm rod or larger would be fine, space them a little shorter than your straight edge and hammer them (centre of trench) down to height. Just get the first one to the height you want and then with the level and straightedge adjust the next to height and keep going. As you place in the concrete use the straightedge/screed to get a flat line of concrete between the pins and level across with a float. If you have to step down a level same process, just drop a second pin the height adjustment of a course and once the concrete is in use the pin as a peg and place a block of wood to stop the step slumping.

No need to pull the steel pins out, just leave them as a piece of useless rio, if you substitute for timber pegs these must be removed before the concrete sets..

Thanks JohnC. How would this work for a rectangular edge. I can see how it would work for a straight length.

Would I do one side and have a peg at the corner. Level the side inc. the corner peg. Then as I round the corner use said corner peg to level the next side?
Hope you followed that as I lost myself half way through!

[PeteV]

for a rectangular shape, use the same method suggested by john... set your heights in the corners, then make sure you have a height indicator within the length of your straight egde.

hope this helps!

[OneZero]

Thanks everyone! Have a much better idea of what to do now.