In a dry stacked wall the stones always lie down flat so generally the face is the largest flattest edge.
Dry stack stone retaining wall detail.
This makes them naturally draining which is important when using a wall to retain soil.
The 5 rules below are applicable in nearly all dry stone projects.
Use a hand or power tamper to level the base.
Great for making inexpensive raised beds out of rocks.
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.
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 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.
For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.
Higher walls should be engineered for stability.
There is no need to build a foundation below the frost line because the loose stones can shift slightly to accommodate frost heave.
Every stone can be laid in a dry stacked wall you just need to see its face.
Prepare a solid foundation or base.
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.
Learn to build a simple dry stack retaining wall for the garden using natural field stone.
Choose the correct face on the stone.
For every every one foot in height you ll want to lay the base a foot in from the wall s face.
How to build a dry stack retaining wall plan out the wall s height and base thickness.
For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.
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.
Dry stack stone wall detail.
The 5 basic rules for how to build dry stone walls to get this article in a handy pdf click here.
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.
Seeing the right face in a large pile of stones takes some degree of experience.
Round field stones relatively flat stacking stones and uniformly cut dressed stones.