Dry stone walls are not only beautiful,
they are also very durable. Unlike sleepers or wooden fences, which may rot
and must be replaced every 10-15 years, stone does not deteriorate. Stone
walls have a charm that is hard to equal and compliment most garden types.
 A "dry" stonewall
means one without mortar holding the stones together. Building with stone
requires a substantial commitment of time and effort but once you've started
it's easy for the project to become a minor "obsession."
The following steps will help you create a
freestanding wall or a retaining wall that will beautify your property for as
long as you own it.
Plan any openings for walkways and gates in
your wall before you begin.
As stone walls demand a lot of repetitive
lifting during construction, a back-support belt and a sturdy pair of
gloves are "should haves".
Mix the sizes of stone throughout the wall,
don't use all the largest stones in lower courses and smaller stones on top.
Save a layer of larger stones to use as a "cap stone" or topmost course.
Take extra care to level the foundation for the wall from side-to-side.
This will help stabilize the wall for the long term.
High
freestanding walls tend to lean and fall apart more easily over time, limit the height of a freestanding wall to less than
a metre.
When building a retaining wall, set each higher course of stone back
about 12mm, creating a continuous back-leaning slope or face. If
you make the wall perfectly vertical, the pressure of the earth behind
it will eventually push it forward and cause it to fall apart.
Use crushed screenings to help level and
stabilize uneven stones as you build the wall.
 Use
a 1.5 - 2kg. club hammer and cold chisel to size and shape pieces of flat stone.
Start by chiselling a line where you want the stone to break, hammering too hard
will cause the stone to break unpredictably; it's better to hit the chisel with
moderate force and go over the line of breakage several times until it parts
evenly. Dressed stone can also be cut with a circular saw and carbide blade.
|
