rock walls

[bret]

What does one need to know to build a rock wall? Is it basically just stacking them evenly? Can I do it myself or will it require a mason? How high can you safely build them? Does it require mortar?

 

[KennyV]

Is it a decorative wall or are you needing to go to a certain height...
Dry stone walls are fun projects if you can spend the time... lots of work no mortar but you will need some dust or screenings to help in placement... It takes a lot of stone... at around 150 pounds per cubic foot. quite a few small to medium rocks... but it is a very durable wall when you get it done...
You can make a fairly sturdy wall if you make it about 2" wider at the base for every 1' high you go.
A 4 foot high wall, finished at 18" on top, would start out on a 26" base... That wall 10 feet long will take about 73 cubic feet of rock or around 5 and a half ton of rock ....

Time consuming but if you are following Alley Oop in the comics that is what he is doing in the current episode :laughing:... KennyV

 

[bret]

I am looking at decorative not structural. I think the older homes with the stone walls look very cool. I figure if it is something I can pick at maybe I won't get bored with it.

 

[rekees]

The main thing about walls is to have a good base so that when the ground freezes the wall wont collapse. Also need to have proper drainage behind it if it's going to be a retaining wall. There's lots of good how-to info on the Internet.

 

[BlueGrass]

You can build a wall yourself but have a plan before starting to build. Make sure to mark out where you want the wall with landscape paint. It will be like putting a giant puzzle together but with rocks and it's going to take a while to build it if you want it to look good and be able to stand the test of time.

 

[bret]

Just as long as it is not completely unheard of doing it yourself I should be able to at least attempt it. I am that brave. I am very detail orientated so it would probably have more than one plan before I got started.