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.
Dry stone retaining wall construction.
Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers.
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 dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.
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.
Keep the largest ones nearest the wall to aid building.
Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas.
Anything taller should be handled by professionals.
Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide.
Dry stone retaining wall construction method instructions tips.
Dry stone construction is best known in the context of stone walls traditionally used for the boundaries of fields and churchyards or as retaining walls for terracing but dry stone sculptures buildings bridges and other structures also exist.
Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time.
Building a dry stone retaining wall is hard work but it s also fun.
Sort out the coping stones from the collapsed wall first and place them two to three metres from the wall.
To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site.
Leave a gap of about 60cm alongside the wall for.
Use a hand or power tamper to level the base.
3 reasons why you will also love building a dry stone wall.
If the ground is level above and the footing is stable below the simplest form of retaining wall is appropriate.
The dry stone method of building retaining walls to hold back soil when terracing a slope has been used for thousands of years.
Higher walls should be engineered for stability.
Retaining walls convert sloping ground into usable level spaces.
Almost all early retaining walls were built this way using stacked stone without any mortar to hold the retaining wall together.
Take out the main stones and put the top ones furthest from the wall.