Building A Retaining Wall With Natural Stone

For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.

Building a retaining wall with natural stone.

You can build a stone wall with natural fieldstone that you have on your property provided the stones are flat enough for stacking. 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. Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. Unlike other types of retaining walls stacked stone walls don t need drainage systems because water escapes naturally through cracks between the stones.

Flat or cut stones are much easier to work with than fieldstone and will make a sturdier wall. A retaining wall s effect on the natural flow of water could impact your neighbors so some communities require homeowners to obtain a permit before construction commences. Tame a slope with a terrace of loose stone retaining walls. Homeowners may build their own retaining walls from natural stone without using mortar and adhesives and with careful attention to detail.

If you have to buy stone choose a flat stone such as flagstone or a cut stone like ashlar. Ask a stone yard to help determine how much material you ll need and have it delivered as close to the site as possible. Building retaining walls prevents this soil erosion and helps disguise the unattractive remains from excavation into a hillside. 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. Once built you ll have a rock solid retaining wall without all the heavy mortar lines. Sedimentary flat stones such as ashlar and flagstone are among the easiest to use when building a wall of this type. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time.

Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than. Prepare the footing photo by russell kaye. Stone retaining wall tips. How to build a rock wall 1.