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I have to terrace a sloping garden and I want to use dry stone. The walls will be between 2 and 3 feet tall and various lengths. No single wall will be too long because we're doing small terraces dotted around rather than a single big terrace. Not sure how deep the wall should be - a foot maybe?
Any tips or tricks greatly appreciated.
It won't work as a retaining wall because it's not anchored to anything. Dry stone walls work because they are self-supporting and don't have lateral loads. Retaining walls are all about lateral loads.
It will work fine with the right sort of stone. Done many of them. Just make sure you barter it back a few degrees and use plenty of flat jumper stones back into the bank. I can show you hundreds of dry stone retaining walls around this part of the world. Of course, it does depend of the type of stone you are using as to how effective it will be. The flatter and more even the stone (like the sandstone round here) the better. Big round cobbles would be rubbish on the other hand.
What about using gabions? Expensive to buy but a lot safer and easier.
Or what about making a concrete block retaining wall and then facing it with a dry stone wall and hide the drain holes in amongst the dry stone.
Can be done. Was once involved in restoring a huge one (about 80m long, 2.5m high) at a engineers I used to work for. Google 'dry stone retaining wall' and one of the first results should be a technical spec from the dwsa (dry stone walling association). Make sure you leave enough horizontal distance between each wall so the upper one isn't surcharging the lower.
I'd be extremely tempted to go with a faced block retaining wall as andyl suggests above though for quicker build and reduced maintenance.
We've just had a retaining wall built along the end of our small garden, which looks out over open filds that slope gently down to us. The bloke who did it, did a superb job with first a footing, then a block wall with drainage behind it, faced with a mortared random stone wall. I wish we had had the time and the money to import some flat Lancashire sandstone slabs or even slate and build a genuine drystone facing wall that would eventually become colonised by plants but at least what we have is functional and maintenance-free. I even got the builder to slope the coping slabs backwards so that we don't get mildew streaks down the front.
My grandfather built one about 20 years ago in my mum's garden. It's about 18 thick, and 3-4 feet high and a good 30 feet long. He'd not built many walls before (or since, he's now 93!) But that wall was impressive, beautifully built, straight and square and it still stands that way now.
The wall retains level ground and runs along level ground too.
Cheers guys.
I've got the basics now. No smooth boulders, slight lean back into the ground it's retaining etc.
Some good articles on the web and some useful vids. I will try a small wall in an easy spot and see how it goes. 🙂
As above , i hope they work - the one in the ditch has been holding my garden out of the ditch for 50 years - and holding hte field out of the ditch for many years prior to that,,,,
If you're having to ask on here, I'd be careful - consider long-term H&S and/or insurance.
IANAL. If it's in your garden, and not above a right of way nor access to your front door, I doubt you'll need H & S clearance. Keep it away from your house foundations.
This is just a little bit of making the garden look nice. Not Hadrians wall 🙂
Starting my first small section of wall today - tying in with an existing bit of wall. Fingers crossed 🙂
the trick is to make sure each stone is touching its neighbours at at least 4 points, ie not rocking. stones should cover the gap in a bond pattern where possible, no vertical cracks extending into the next course. if a stone doesnt fit, dont put it back on the floor, move it along the wall and use it next. put long stones into the wall, not along it. build up behind the wall with chock, well wedged in, no gaps, doesnt have to be pretty. basically every stone should be tight, its the friction between stones that holds the wall up