Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide.
Dry stack rock retaining wall.
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.
Anything taller should be handled by professionals.
There are two common methods of building retaining walls.
There is no need to build a foundation below the frost line because the loose stones can shift slightly to accommodate frost heave.
Higher walls should be engineered for stability.
For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.
This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind.
And i love rock walls.
One with concrete and mortar and one without dry stacking.
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.
Building a wall with even numbered rows will give the decorative wall a patterned.
Use existing topographical features in the yard to enhance the dry stacked rock wall.
Try and stick with odd numbered layers of rock.
Use a hand or power tamper to level the base.
Big small retaining free standing.
Dry stack walls are built without mortar the stones are stacked one on top of the other.
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.
How to build a natural dry stacked stone free standing or retaining rock wall.
For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.
Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level.
Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas.
Any gaps will be filled with mortar.
A natural spot for dry stack walls is certainly as part of a garden either as an edge to a garden bed or a retaining wall.
But since the technique has a distinctly natural vibe dry stack walls also work well as hardscape elements on their own such as this bench.
Incorporate the wall into a gentle slope or create a raised planting bed and use the rock wall to retain the elevated soil.
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.