Kelly Concrete Block Hire in Reading, Berkshire
Kelly concrete block hire in Reading for material bays, barriers, retaining arrangements and changing site layouts. Coppard supplies interlocking concrete blocks in three sizes across Berkshire. Every block needs plant to move it, so plan handling and delivery from the start. Call 0118 979 2828 with the run length, the height, the use and the access.
Interlocking blocks give you firm separation or storage without committing to a poured wall, and the layout moves as the site does. On Reading work that suits cramped urban compounds and phased jobs, but the planning is still up front: footprint, corners, openings and plant access all have to be worked out before delivery, since every block is a crane or forklift lift.
Modular Blocks Suit Tight, Changing Reading Sites
What Kelly blocks buy you is a wall you can rearrange as the job moves on, which suits how tight and phased a lot of Reading sites are. Perhaps a stockpile bay has to get bigger, a store shifts, or you only want a barrier for one stage; the interlocking units bring weight and flexibility without a poured wall’s curing time or the breaking-out at the end.
None of that removes the up-front thinking. Settle the footprint, the corners, the gaps and any change you can foresee before the lorry comes, so the opening order is about right, and where the blocks split vehicles from stockpiles or work areas on a busy compound, picture how traffic and loading get round the line. Work it up with the Reading Tool Rental Service instead of drawing the wall as a line with nothing around it.
Build the Quantity From the Three Block Sizes
Three sizes are on hire through the Coppard Kelly concrete block range, all sharing a 720mm height and width: 720mm long at 750kg, 1,440mm at 1,500kg and 2,160mm at 2,250kg. Because the height and width are common, you can make up a run of almost any length from a mix of them without breaking the course.
Count from the shape of the finished bay or barrier rather than a rough tally, since every corner, return and vehicle or door gap shifts the total. Note too that the barrier blocks carry a four-week minimum hire, so line the period up against a phased Reading programme before you commit.
Treat a Retaining Wall as a Load-Bearing Structure
Retaining soil, aggregate or bulk material puts loads on the wall that a plain divider never carries. Height, how dense the retained material is, drainage, what the ground beneath will bear, and any push from plant or stockpiles behind it all feed into whether it stands, and you cannot design a retaining wall by piling blocks up to the height you fancy.
Be clear what the wall is holding and what bears on it at the top and behind. Tall walls, heavily loaded bays or difficult ground can want an engineer’s input before anything goes up. That is most pressing where a collapse could reach people, vehicles, a neighbour or a public footway, which on a lot of Reading plots is only feet away.
Plan the Plant Before the Delivery Lorry Arrives
Even the smallest block runs to 750kg, so getting them off the lorry and into place is a plant job. The biggest, at 2,250kg, has a lifting hook cast in, but the machine, the lifting gear, how far it has to reach and the ground under it all still have to be right for the lift.
Sort out where the lorry pulls up, how far each block is carried, and whether the way in stays clear once the first stretch of wall is up, because a tight corner or soft going can turn a simple-looking job awkward on a Reading site. Booking through the Coppard Kelly concrete block range, talk through how the blocks get moved as well as how many, so the delivery and the build are planned as one.
Keep Unusual Uses Separate and Confirm With Reading
The confirmed uses are barriers, stockpile bays, retaining walls and storage that can be reconfigured. Anything like a blast barrier, a security line or a counterweight is a separate question and must not be taken for granted just because a heavy block could in theory do it; get the depot and a technical adviser to confirm first, and ask whether a properly designed system is called for.
When you book, hand over the use, the overall dimensions, the height, the ground it sits on and the lifting plant you have, so the conversation is about an arrangement that works rather than just a lorry-load count. Call 0118 979 2828 to confirm the sizes and what is free, for work across Reading and the Thames Valley.
Frequently Asked Questions - Kelly Concrete Block Hire in Reading, Berkshire
What are Kelly blocks normally used for?
Mostly barriers, stockpile bays, retaining walls and storage that gets reconfigured. The interlock gives a solid modular wall with no pour, which fits phased, cramped Reading sites well. Blast, security or counterweight jobs sit apart and should not be assumed as routine unless the depot and a technical adviser both confirm the use suits the blocks and the setting.
Can I stack them to hold back soil or aggregate?
They will build a retaining wall, but whether it holds depends on much more than the blocks’ weight. Height, what is retained, drainage, the ground’s bearing and any load pushing from behind all shape the forces. Tall walls or heavily loaded bays can need an engineer before they go up, so design a retaining wall round the real material and ground rather than stacking to a height and hoping it stands.
How are the blocks moved on site?
Every size is a plant lift, 750kg at the least and 2,250kg at the most. The big ones have a cast-in hook, but you still weigh up the machine, the lifting gear, the reach and the ground. Fix where the lorry stands and each block’s route before you unload, and remember moving them later needs plant too, so do not design a layout that shuts the machine out once part of the wall is up.
What sizes are available and how do I work out quantity?
The three sizes all share 720mm width and height: 720mm long at 750kg, 1,440mm at 1,500kg, 2,160mm at 2,250kg. With the height and width common you build any run length from a mix. Count off the finished layout, corners, returns and any door or vehicle gap included, rather than off the run length alone, because those openings and returns move the total by a fair margin.
Could planning permission apply to a block wall or barrier?
It might. Whether permission is needed depends on the location, the height, the purpose and the wider development context. You can read the Planning Portal guidance on fences, gates and garden walls at Planning Portal guidance on fences, gates and garden walls on planningportal.co.uk, though commercial retaining walls or substantial site barriers may need different consideration. Where the arrangement is permanent, prominent or close to a highway or neighbour, check the position with the local planning authority before installation.
Need Kelly concrete block hire in Reading?
Give us the layout dimensions, the planned height, the use and the handling access. Call Coppard on 0118 979 2828 to confirm sizes and availability.
