NARRATOR: The cap must be pinned so that it cannot move. Dry-stack retaining walls are highly … An example of this can be seen on a neighboring wall. Dry stone retaining walls are load bearing retaining walls, which have long been analysed by considering the equilibrium of forces and moments applied to the wall treated as a rigid solid. Dry Stone. NARRATOR: Each end of the frame is anchored with large rocks. Since drystone walls are designed to cope with settlement, they do not need a concrete foundation. National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Preservation Technology and Training Grants, Guidelines for Treatment of Cultural Landscapes, Building and Repairing Drystone Fences and Retaining Walls, Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain, Louisville and Jefferson County Parks Department. Yes, that’s right. The second project is a four-foot wall that supports and equestrian trail and traverses a wet-weather water course in a Louisville park. than 3.5–5 ft. Higher dry stonewalls are possible, but you should consult an expert. You see where my thumb is, it’s sloping like that. Now, on this wall, because we’ve got such a long length to the back, it’s possible that we won’t get this all the way across, so you want that stone to sit across the joint there, a very slight overhang at the front, like that, OK? NARRATOR: Remember to break the joint at all times. Choose large rocks for the face of the foundation. So you’re going to either have to address that or lay the stone in a different way so that doesn’t come into the equation. A rock must be sufficiently pinned underneath. I will put my big, heavy boot on it downwards and make sure it’s embedded right solidly into the ground. These are for me to rest on in a minute or two. The angle of this batter is typically one to six. When calculating the width of the foundation (bottom of the wall), this should be at least half the wall's height and angled so as to get the lean into the slope. That is beginning to look a lot better. Nothing can compare to durability and beauty of natural stone, and when built correctly, stone walls will last a lifetime maintenance free. The space behind the wall is backfilled. Hand crafted stone walls … We don’t want that stone to wobble in any way at all. PAUL WEBLEY: If you’ve got foundation stones which are curved on any of the faces, that’s the face to use downwards. A dry-stack stone retaining wall is just the thing for a sloping yard. These rocks form the core of the wall, and their careful packing plays an important part in preventing any slumping of the wall interior. Pack smaller stones under the rocks so that there are as few gaps as possible. The Dry-stone method of building retaining walls to hold back soil when terracing a slope has been used for thousands of years. This ensures that the face of the wall will be set back, leaving the foundation course projecting by the right amount. Remember to break the joint at all times. Lay the footing and all courses horizontally. A string set at the center of the pipe is used to check that each rock is running into the center, and that each edge forms a neat semicircle. Each tie rock is placed thirty-six inches apart. Almost all early retaining walls were built this way using stacked stone without any mortar to hold the retaining wall together. https://dengarden.com/landscaping/How-to-make-a-natural-stone-retaining-wall A dry stone wall relies gravity only to hold the wall together. The maximum safe height should be no higher We’ll just do a quick test look… Here we are, I’m settled here for the rest of the afternoon. The two other tie rocks are here and here. So it needs to be packed in just as tight as you can possibly get it. You will still have the stone to try again and maybe again. Full Revelations of a Professional Rat-catcher, We like Your Comments and feedback so please click here to leave yours. RICHARD TUFNELL: Can you jump on that, see what happens? the wall so it leans back and is not perfectly plumb. is holding back) you can make a really strong natural stone wall that's completely self-supporting, also providing habitat for mosses and lichens and insects. If you are sourcing the stone locally and not transporting it halfway round the world it NARRATOR: The tie rocks are thirty-six inches apart, and each one is placed so that it covers a joint in the course below. Ranging from granite to limestone and slate our Dry Stone walling products provide an innovative approach to natural stone … Inspect the … Pack smaller stones under the rocks so that there are as few gaps as possible. In short retaining walls, it is easiest to course the wall to the back. RICHARD TUFNELL: You push the batter frames as close together as you can to make for easy working environment, and then you have to push string in while you’re building. L. eave as few gaps as possible, the stones in each layer should NARRATOR: The wall is now finished. Gravel is not acceptable. The second row of tie rocks is eighteen inches above the first. NARRATOR: The beginners’ class will build a demonstration section of retaining wall in a gap of old wall. A series of graphic drawing illustrates the principles of retaining wall construction, followed by two case studies showing on-site training classes. Wall height, stone type, soil type, load, water drainage, and ground slope. Consider the space you are leaving for the rocks that follow. While there is overlap with masonry and other building trades, dry stone wallers have … And then the trail will be about eight feet wide on the uphill side of the slope, just curving around very nicely through there. surface area touching one another and can resist this pressure better and survive because the friction of the stones rubbing against one another works against the pushing force NARRATOR: The second row of tie rocks is eighteen inches above the first. Use heavier rocks for the wall head. NARRATOR: Simple walls can be up to four to five feet high. The cap must be pinned so that it cannot move. Dry stone is more durable than breeze blocks, pre-formed concrete stacking stones and even cropped and cemented natural stone, because it doesn't contain mortar that will crack and So he made a bad choice of stone. RICHARD TUFNELL: If you’re down in the lower courses, then we try to have eight or ten or twelve inches extend from the front face to the back of the wall. A single cubic foot of wet soil can weigh up to 100 pounds. NARRATOR: Once the foundation course is level and packed, raise the string to guide the shape of the face of the batter. When the wall is finished, the foundation will project. Batter – Inward slope of the front face of the wall. For walls that are built in front of the bank, a freestanding upper section can be built to conserve rock. Simple walls have a horizontal foundation, and rock laid in horizontal courses that run from the wall face to the back. The wall’s stability depends on the weight and friction of one stone … Clive Elsdon Passes Lantra Level 2 (Dry Stone Walling Association Intermediate … None of them are experienced masons. The area for the foundation has already been cleared, and all loose earth has been removed so there is a solid base on which to build. Strings are first set to act as a guide line. Strings are first set to act as a guideline for the edge of the foundation course. This video was produced in 2001 by the Dry Stone Conservancy through the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training of the National Park Service. This reduces the amount of rock required to build the wall, compared to coursing rock all the way to the top. dry stone retaining wall I stack dry stone walls nice and tight (not too tight), plenty of through stones, good hearting…and they just last and last. They check each frame to make sure it is correctly aligned. PAUL WEBLEY: If I put something in, and I’m using this in a totally inappropriate way, if I put something like that in there, what have I done? The wall will curve around a hillside, and will be 75 feet long. Instead of facing the wall with a stone’s flattest face, the stones are stacked so that the heft of the stone ties back into the wall … And once you’ve done that you’ve got a stone that’s set. A lot less light in there now than what you could originally see, that’s just what were basically trying to do. The Foundation Stones are the largest stones in the wall and determine the size of the wall. Use the heaviest rocks available for the top cap stones. If possible, the back should tie into the earth bank. The face stones for a wall this high should now be eight to ten inches deep. Large stones that have a lot of So, yep, that’s very close. If it all falls down, providing it's not yet retaining anything, all you will have lost is time. In addition to making sure that each frame is correctly set, they are aligned precisely to each other. And that’s very acceptable. If the wall is less than four feet high, build only one row of ties halfway up the wall. If the ground is level above and the footing is stable below, the simplest form of retaining wall is appropriate. Your house or garden may sit on a rolling hillside. The batter adds strength, giving the wall resistance … A freestanding wall section with a rough back base can be built instead of coursing all the way to the bank. NARRATOR: Every time you lay a rock, it is important to consider the space you are leaving for the rocks that follow. This end is running along the face of the wall, but these stones are much fatter, much heavier, and extend back into the wall more than a foot. NARRATOR: Retaining walls convert sloping ground into usable level spaces. PAUL WEBLEY: Is it wobbling on something? So make sure you have NARRATOR: The front stones of each course are called face stones, and ideally must be eight inches deep so that they’ll be securely anchored inside the wall. The back face can be nearly vertical, or with a slight one to twelve batter. Dry stone walls are almost always built with a batter, which is the inward slope of the front face of the wall. Dry stone walls are almost always built with a batter, which is the inward slope of the front face of the wall. . Their instructor is Paul Webley, one of the dry stone conservancy’s colleagues from Great Britain. The projects in the video were organized and managed by the Dry-Stone Conservancy. Like right here we’ve got four inches, three and a half to four inches. The edge of this course is set back from the foundation. Lighting a slope   Drainage  leveling or The problem is the stones that you’re actually going to put on are not going to be absolutely level. NARRATOR: In this next example, a group of experienced masons are constructing a longer dry stone retaining wall in one of Louisville’s homestead parks. Otherwise, they may inadvertently be broken and used as face stones. Although it can be rough in appearance, this back face must be as carefully built as the front face. NARRATOR: One of the problems that inexperienced masons is being able to tell when a rock is sufficiently pinned underneath. Where the wall spans a water drainage point, a culvert spans under the path. Decide how wide and long you'd like your rock wall to be, and make sure that this … The wet wall uses mortar that binds the beautiful stones together. The footing is cleared of loose earth, and firmly tamped down. So keep the weight down on this side and then we need a really good triangle. North Somerset,       Privacy Set Up a Level Line. Lay them so that the length runs into the wall, and so that the face of each rock is in line with the string. PAUL WEBLEY: What I’ve got here is a mini-spirit level. Waste rock can be discarded and packed behind the wall, and the remaining space filled with earth. It looks good. The ties run right through the wall, tying the two faces together and giving the wall additional strength. You PAUL WEBLEY: What you see here is actually a line of weakness up the wall. If you can, source stone that has come from a wall that is being dismantled, that way you should You turn it that way up, suddenly your wall goes up to there, comes out, and then back in again. Draw the wall … PAUL WEBLEY: Right so, that’s it. the garden. PAUL WEBLEY: So this is the slow part. Most small retaining walls have a batter of one to six. The section at each end will be a small retaining wall. NARRATOR: It is particularly important to avoid what are called running joints. Dry-stone walls are strong and attractive and can last hundreds of years. This spreads the weight of the wall and prevents rain water from undermining the bottom of the wall. Each stone is laid with structural integrity in mind. RICHARD TUFNELL: Ok, if we can break this joint. PAUL WEBLEY: That’s going to be difficult to meet up with. enough. So as long as it’s doing its job structurally that’s all we’re worried about because it’s going to be buried by the field in the back and this wall is more than wide enough to be amply strong for the job it’s got to do. When you get done, it shouldn’t move, shouldn’t rock around as you’re trying to move. Here are the basic steps involved in building a dry stack stone wall. The center of each tie rock is thirty-six inches apart. Using the correct stones, packing them tightly together and getting the basic design right (wide at the bottom narrowing to the top and leaning back into ground it If the ground is level above and the footing is stable below, the simplest form of retaining wall is appropriate. 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; higher walls … Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a load-bearing façade of carefully selected interlocking stones. Stones like this, if I can just put that there for an example for a moment. NARRATOR: The spacing between the ties is the same as in the first row. The stones … A dry retaining wall is set in dirt, rather than in mortar and must be sturdy enough to stand up again the pressure behind it from earth and water. Compress it a bit. The rocks should not move at all. NARRATOR: Continue to carefully pack under and around every rock. The wall is built up course by course, with the lower courses running all the way to the back, where possible. Less movement means the better off we’ll be. Because the wall is higher, the foundation forward not projects four inches out more than the rest of the wall to further spread the load. terracing a slope. end up with a good mix of sizes. Building dry-stone walls is an ancient practice, providing a practical solution to making terraces and raised garden beds or shoring up slopes. Where are you going to seat your next stone to in order to ensure that you cover the joint? The flexibility of mortarless masonry is ideal for terraces and stream banks; it is functional, beautiful, and natural. Dry Stone Wall Terminology Dry stone construction is a separate construction technique and profession from masonry. NARRATOR: A wall head finishes each end of the wall. NARRATOR: The courses are built up to level off the wall between the tie rocks. The width of the foundation from front to back is increased to thirty inches, including the four inch front projection. PAUL WEBLEY: Right, as carefully as you can, right across here. Most projects do not require poer tools or machinery, and there is no need for harsh chemicals common in most construction. JAMES MILES: Any place that you can find a hole, you want to find a wedge that will fit in there just as tight as you can possibly get it. Alright, and so it’s seven inches, so that’s not enough to be stable. walls. What we want to try to do now is find two or three more of these. For DIY 3 ft is about the. The space behind the wall is filled in with earth. At the top of the wall, the pressure from the bank is much less. In places like this you have no option, where you have two rocks that come up to equal the height of one rock, but you know, that’s fine because this one goes on top of that one, this one breaks those two. The taller middle section will also have a freestanding section, with a rough backface that will be backfilled later. So we’re still doing to fiddle around in trying to get these in. NARRATOR: The wall is almost finished and ready for the final row: the capstones. We actually call it a running joint. Have you ever wanted a stone retaining wall to replace your ugly, rotting railroad tie or pressure treated wall? The width of the foundation for a wall of this size is 22-24 inches, including the front projection. Then you can give yourself a nice flat surface to work off of next time. That’s fine. That is beautiful. We’ve got the soil, or the material we’re facing to, that may actually cause bulges to appear in the wall. The distance from the bank to the string sets the width of the foundation. For dry-stack walls, the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. PAUL WEBLEY: Still do exactly what we’ve done everywhere on the wall with this. Sort through the rock supply to separate tie rocks and capstones. 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