Building A Natural Stone Retaining Wall

Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye.

Building a natural stone retaining wall.

Flat or cut stones are much easier to work with than fieldstone and will make a sturdier wall. 1 cubic yard per 5 wall roll of soil blocking fabric at least 4 wide if the elevation of the footing drops more than approximately 6 step the footing down by making a. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide. Great for making inexpensive raised beds out of rocks.

Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Natural boulders ideally rectangular. This tutorial is designed for beginners interested in building stone retaining walls using a dry stack method but it also works for retaining block and flagstone walls. One pallet will build a 3 x10 wall coarse gravel size 5 7 stone approx.

Homeowners may build their own retaining walls from natural stone without using mortar and adhesives and with careful attention to detail. Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. How to build a rock wall 1.

Building retaining walls prevents this soil erosion and helps disguise the unattractive remains from excavation into a hillside. You can build a stone wall with natural fieldstone that you have on your property provided the stones are flat enough for stacking. Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than. Other materials that could be used for such a project include landscape timbers railroad ties and cinder blocks.

Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. Stone retaining wall tips. Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers. 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.