What you'll need:
- Spade
- Four pegs
- String
- Enough cement and ballast to make your concrete (for foundations, your concrete should be 1 part cement to 5 parts ballast)
Step 1: Setting out
For small walls your footings need to be 150 millimetres deep by 300 millimetres wide. However if you're building a wall over a metre high, you'll need to check how big your footings should be.
Once you know how big your footings need to be, mark out the width and length of the trench with pegs and string.
Step 2: Digging the hole
Grab a spade and get digging. Try and cut out any tree roots you encounter and keep an eye out for drains.
Step 3: Filling with concrete
Drive stakes into the trench at one metre intervals, with the depth of footing you're after marked on their tops. Check them with a spirit level and then start to pour the concrete. Leave it to dry for a day and it's ready to build on.