Building A Natural Stone Retaining Wall
One pallet will build a 3 x10 wall coarse gravel size 5 7 stone approx.
Building a natural stone retaining wall. Building retaining walls prevents this soil erosion and helps disguise the unattractive remains from excavation into a hillside. Great for making inexpensive raised beds out of rocks. 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. Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible.
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. Natural boulders ideally rectangular. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers.
Other materials that could be used for such a project include landscape timbers railroad ties and cinder blocks. Homeowners may build their own retaining walls from natural stone without using mortar and adhesives and with careful attention to detail. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide. To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site.
Stone retaining wall tips. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time. You can build a stone wall with natural fieldstone that you have on your property provided the stones are flat enough for stacking. Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines.
Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. If you have to buy stone choose a flat stone such as flagstone or a cut stone like ashlar.
Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye.