Dry Stack Stone Retaining Wall Construction
Anything taller should be handled by professionals.
Dry stack stone retaining wall construction. Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time. To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site.
Here are the basic steps involved in building a dry stack stone wall. Even if you don t plan to sit on your wall 3 feet is about as high as i would recommend building any dry stacked wall. When putting your wall together mix the stone sizes throughout the wall rather than using only large stones at the bottom and small toward the top. Draw the wall to scale and measure the length and height.
Sort out the coping stones from the collapsed wall first and place them two to three metres from the wall. This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind. The ideal height for a dry stacked retaining wall is 18 to 22 inches so you can sit on it when your gardening chores are done. Try to cut the ditch into native soil rather than loose added soil as the former provides a more stable foundation for the wall.
Each layer of a dry stack wall is called a course. Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas. The easiest way to build a stone retaining wall is to use the dry stack method that requires no mortar between stones and does not need a concrete footing like mortared walls do. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.
Typical applications for mortarless concrete masonry include basement walls foundation walls retaining walls exterior above grade walls internal bearing walls and partitions. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Keep the largest ones nearest the wall to aid building.
Leave a gap of about 60cm alongside the wall for. Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers. Take out the main stones and put the top ones furthest from the wall.