Building a Dry Stone Retaining Wall

Building a dry stone retaining wall is a challenge. In addition to holding back the weight of the earth it is meant to retain, it must survive the surrounding area's freeze and thaw cycles, and be visually appealing.

Depending on the size and weight of the stones used to construct the wall, the tools and materials for the project will vary. Landscape fabric and a crushed stone or gravel are commonly used to create a base that allows moisture to drain. Proper drainage is essential. Water buildup can exaggerate freeze and thaw cycles, forcing the wall out of its intended shape, or worse, toppling sections altogether.

Smaller stones can be transported via wheelbarrow and moved into position by hand. Larger stones require mechanized lifting equipment. Strings, stakes, brick hammer, hammer drills, and chisels round out the remaining most-used items.

As the height of the wall rises, smaller stones able to be positioned by hand are put in place. Care is taken to stagger joints both for appearance and strength. The wall does not need to be a uniform thickness from front to back. The void not filled in with stone is backfilled with gravel and soil.

Small stones are chinked into place to fill gaps. Each row of larger stones can be leveled using smaller stone pieces like shims.

We can make Mail boxes and great flower bases from wall. We use concert in side of the wall to make strong, and looks very natural outside. Different people have different taste of rock wall. We build rock wall based on very ancient method by over lapping the rock and locking the rock each other. Using lots of rock as a dead man will make the wall very strong. The physical appearance of the wall is also very important as holding the dirt. A smooth and well designed rock wall doesn’t only look good it adds the value of your property.

Value of Landscaping