Stacked Stone Retaining Wall Design

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

Stacked stone retaining wall design.

This is known as a gravity wall it s a matter of physics and good engineering. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time. Stacked stone retaining wall ideas. 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.

While all stone walls are stacked in some fashion here we re referring to walls consisting of smaller flat stones that marry up nicely with each other. A dry stacked stone wall looks so natural. The spaces between stones in the retaining wall allow water to drain through relieving pressure. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.

Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Here are the basic steps involved in building a dry stack stone wall. 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. 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.

Design and build. Anything taller should be handled by professionals. When putting your wall together mix the stone sizes throughout the wall rather than using only large stones at the bottom and small toward the top. Jun 25 2015 explore gail rose lam s board stacked stone retaining walls followed by 197 people on pinterest.

Each layer of a dry stack wall is called a course. See more ideas about stone retaining wall backyard landscaping stacked stone. Another advantage of dry stacked stone walls is that you can create planting pockets for small rock garden plants such as sedums. Building a retaining wall is suitable for diyers as long as the wall is a maximum of 3 feet tall in most areas.

Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers. Using your stakes string and line level. To build a natural dry stone retaining wall prepare the site. Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide.

Stacked stone retaining walls can be an incredibly beautiful touch to a rustic yard. A stacked stone retaining wall relies on its own weight its setback leverage and the wall s mass to stand up.