Dry Stack Stone Retaining Wall Detail

Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide.

Dry stack stone retaining wall detail.

For every every one foot in height you ll want to lay the base a foot in from the wall s face. Dry stack walls can typically be made from three types of stones. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Round field stones relatively flat stacking stones and uniformly cut dressed stones.

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. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. Great for making inexpensive raised beds out of rocks. There is no need to build a foundation below the frost line because the loose stones can shift slightly to accommodate frost heave.

Learn to build a simple dry stack retaining wall for the garden using natural field stone. Dry stack walls with surface bonding develop their strength through the tensile strength of small fiberglass fibers in the 1 8 3 8mm thick troweled or surface bonded cement plaster coating astm c 887 ref. Each type will give your wall a different look and feel so make sure you look at pictures to determine which would be the best fit for your house and landscape. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.

The 5 rules below are applicable in nearly all dry stone projects. While it takes a great deal of skill to build a near perfect wall building a good strong wall is within the reach of most people who like do it your self projects. Dry stack walls are built without mortar the stones are stacked one on top of the other. This makes them naturally draining which is important when using a wall to retain soil.

The 5 basic rules for how to build dry stone walls to get this article in a handy pdf click here. Choose the correct face on the stone. 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. Every stone can be laid in a dry stacked wall you just need to see its face.

Prepare a solid foundation or base. How to build a dry stack retaining wall plan out the wall s height and base thickness. Seeing the right face in a large pile of stones takes some degree of experience. How to build a dry stack stone retaining wall tos diy the art of insteading walls trust celebration natural why i love use fences city forest hills tennessee stones select 10 basic rules for stacked pebble junction inc building tips.