Building A Small Rock Wall

Big small retaining free standing.

Building a small rock wall.

Building your own rock wall using slip form part 2 it was a long couple of days as i tried to contain my curiosity to see how our first effort at slip form masonry had turned out. How to build a natural dry stacked stone free standing or retaining rock wall. Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than the wall. Use it as a tie rock instead.

Display the less appealing small face on the face of the wall and let the stone s length reach far back into the wall. If you re old of small build or fat and lazy take longer and build a smaller wall. Use the same basic structure of a rock wall for a foundation covering rock wall. Line it with landscape fabric overlapped 12 inches at the seams add a 6 inch layer of inch stone and tamp it with a plate compactor.

When building a simple stone wall look for a variety of stone types with flat surfaces that stack easily. A stone wall doesn t have to be tall or mortared. Here a simple dry laid planter box is made of large flat stones. Add and tamp more layers until the footing is about 8 inches below grade.

The first row of rock should be larger than a bowling ball but small enough to move by yourself or with a helper. The exact depth of the. It sincerely breaks my heart every time i see a wall built with stone blocks courtesy of big box stores inspired by diy cable tv. And i love rock walls.

Use a crowbar to pack dirt in between the rocks. For a stacked block retaining wall that s no higher than four feet a trench filled with three inches of crushed rock will help keep the wall from shifting and settling. Join me as i build my first ever dry stack retaining wall. See tuesday s post building a rock wall using slip form part 1 we placed the stones into the form and filled in behind them with concrete and smaller rocks.

Used in this way this stone will tie into more stones around it and be held in place by more stones above it guaranteeing you a wall that will last many years. Mix stone sizes throughout the wall to create an even fit together look. Low walls can be made with three to four layers of stones. Some good tips about making rock walls that will help build your confidence.

If the concrete or concrete block is too smooth drive some concrete nails in so the cement has something to grab.