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amidoinitrite, repossessed to skate, skateboarding

Building my DIY masonry block ledge at The Ditch

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I’ve been inspired by The Build Project and the Cinder Block Ledge by DIY Skate to build a ledge in the stormwater-run-off-turned-bike track (a place I call The Ditch) of a nearby suburb. This blog post documents the process of building my DIY ledge at The Ditch – from inception to implementation.

The ditch

A photo posted by Repurposed Ruin (@repurposed_ruin) on

Identifying a location

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This bank was going to be the location for my ledge, building on some concreting put-down by others. I changed my mind after discovering the concrete would somehow need to be made level and smooth for the best foundation. This would require a lot more work and tools that I don’t have. EAsier to choose a new location and start fresh. Besides, I can always build on this section later.
Determining best ledge length, based on cost, available space and materials.
Determining best ledge length, based on cost, available space and materials.

Preparing the area

Excavation on left bank.
Excavation for flat bricks on opposite bank. The flat bricks provide a solid foundation for the masonry blocks (in the absence of a concrete foundation).
Excavation in detail.
Excavation in detail. The amount of soil removed from the edge of the bank needs to accommodate the length and height of the flat brick, and the width of the masonry ledge.

Gathering materials

Four blocks with caps. Not to low in height and not too high in cost (considering the likelihood of the ledge being demolished).
Four blocks with caps. Not to low in height and not too high in cost (considering the likelihood of the ledge being demolished).
Width of ledge 1570 mm.
Length of ledge 1570 mm.
Two masonry blocks with cap.
Experimenting with materials – Two masonry blocks (390 x 190 x 190 mm) with cap (390 x 190 x 40 mm).
Three masonry blocks with cap.
Experimenting with materials – Three masonry blocks with cap.
Using cardboard masonry block proxies to determine how many flat bricks would be needed as foundation for the ledge.
Using cardboard masonry block proxies to determine how many flat bricks would be needed as foundation for the ledge.
Measuring width.
Measuring width of flat brick.
Measuring length.
Measuring length of flat brick.
Measuring height.
Measuring height of flat brick.

The build

Materials on location ready for the build.
Materials on location ready for the build.
Laying out foundation.
Laying out foundation.
Liquid nailing the foundation.
Liquid nailing the foundation.
Liquid nailing the foundation (Detail).
Liquid nailing the foundation (Detail).
Completed ledge.
Completed ledge.
Completed ledge (Detail).
Completed ledge (Detail).
Overview of The Ditch.
Overview of The Ditch.

My #diyskate ledge at The Ditch.

A photo posted by Repurposed Ruin (@repurposed_ruin) on

My #diyskate ledge at The Ditch.

A photo posted by Repurposed Ruin (@repurposed_ruin) on