Natural rock retaining wall...

[rswyan]

Took me almost two weeks to build, including puting in the grass seed. Most of the time moving the rocks here and there, over and over..

LOL .... it looks like it - meaning that it looks like considerable care, time and effort was given to achieving an aesthetic result - it's a work of art ....

I'm not sure if I'll have the patience, time or energy to achieve as good a result ....

It would have been easier if the rocks were more uniform, but had to work with what I had.

Yup, same here .... I imagine it will be a lot of "puzzle-solving" ....

I'm hoping that sorting and grading the rocks will allow me to avoid moving the rocks repeatedly .... at least with the bigger ones ....

If I had to guess, I imagine that I have something on the order of 75 to 125 rocks/boulders that are way too large/heavy to be moved by hand .... and maybe another 150 or so that I could move by hand, but are potential nut-busters ....

I've already managed to trip and fall into the bucket edge on the loader while trying to chuck one of the latter into the bucket .... ain't looking to repeat that experience ....

I dug down and removed the sod about four to six inches, making sure not to disturb any soil I did not have to. With some of the larger rocks I dug a little deeper. The main thing is to keep the soil compacted so the wall will settle as little as possible, but it will settle over time.

Yeah .... the "soil" I will be working with is pretty undisturbed .... in some places it looks like it's well on its way to becoming rock ....

I think for me, the way to avoid excess settling is to ensure that there is little water lying or retained at the base course of stone - fill in around the stones with clay or loam and then slope away from the base to move the water away.

Everything is leaned back into the bank, and I packed the dirt pretty good behind the rocks [ tamped with a big steel tamper ] as I built the layers. Don't look like much of a wall, but it took about 10 yards of dirt to fill in behind it. I folded all the extra fabric back in behind in spots.

That's one of the differences - you had to add soil and fill in behind it - and I removed soil to create the cut - probably something on the order of 5 to 10 yards ....

My "fill" is mostly already there .... the only thing I'll be adding is 4" to 8" of topsoil - on top of the clay and sandy loam that's already there.

Of course, some of that may fall into whatever voids exist behind the wall, between the wall and the undisturbed soil - unless I fill in with some washed 57 gravel (might be better for drainage ....)

The other thing I might do is run the (porous) non-woven up behind the rocks to contain the clay/sandy loam behind the wall .... and then place some woven (from an old pool cover) or solid 6 mil poly at the top, under the topsoil - to prevent the topsoil from falling in and working it's way down behind the wall.

Give the chipmunks more to chew thru.....

LOL .... keep 'em busy .... so they're not chewing on something more critical .... :thumbsup:

Thanks for the input and info !

 

[rswyan]

More ideas for you...

Thanks - beautiful stuff ....

I'm a big fan of the look of dry-stacked, flat stone .... unfortunately, most of the stone I mine here isn't flat (probably less than 10% is flat) - which means that for a lot of stuff the economics just don't work ....

The front of our home has a stone (and brick) facing - where stones were split, and the split was faced outward - personally I hate it. I've been thinking for a long time that I would like to replace it with a dry-stacked look similar to your walls.

Just curious - are the walls largely dry-stacked, with the tops and a few other critical points being the only things mortared ?

ps:
Details on the fire pit construction are here:
Taller tires on a BX? - Page 4

Wrooster

Outstanding !

BTW - I noticed the part about you cleaning/etching the fireplace with muriatic acid :thumbsup: - I'm in the middle of doing a dry creekbed and have been wanting to do that to the rock I'm using - most of which is covered with dirt (makes 'em all look the same - light brown) .... and it will allow me to get rid of the gallon of muriatic acid up in the garage that seems to be weeping/leaking ....

 

[wrooster]

I'm a big fan of the look of dry-stacked, flat stone .... unfortunately, most of the stone I mine here isn't flat (probably less than 10% is flat) - which means that for a lot of stuff the economics just don't work ....

Pick up a stone in your left hand, with the short edge/grain facing up, and with your right hand swing a mason's hammer at the midpoint.

Repeat the process a few hundred times on the rest of the stone. :mur:

Your forearms will look great in a couple of weeks. :dance1:

The front of our home has a stone (and brick) facing - where stones were split, and the split was faced outward - personally I hate it. I've been thinking for a long time that I would like to replace it with a dry-stacked look similar to your walls.

It just takes time, and a couple of pallets worth of stone.

Just curious - are the walls largely dry-stacked, with the tops and a few other critical points being the only things mortared ?

That is correct, good observation. Ensure you have the drainage situation sorted out, start on a good compacted base, and work your way up, mortaring every 3 or 4 or 5th course, depending. Mortar the top course -- note that you may want to tint the top mortar so it doesn't end up looking like a concrete project.

BTW - I noticed the part about you cleaning/etching the fireplace with muriatic acid :thumbsup: - I'm in the middle of doing a dry creekbed and have been wanting to do that to the rock I'm using - most of which is covered with dirt (makes 'em all look the same - light brown) .... and it will allow me to get rid of the gallon of muriatic acid up in the garage that seems to be weeping/leaking ....

Uggghh -- personally I would never, ever store muriatic acid indoors. I buy a gallon, and either use it all up or if not store it outdoors somewhere. Otherwise I would lay awake in bed all night wondering if the jug was leaking -- and permanently scaring the slab in the garage or workshop.

Wrooster

 

[rswyan]

Pick up a stone in your left hand, with the short edge/grain facing up, and with your right hand swing a mason's hammer at the midpoint.

Repeat the process a few hundred times on the rest of the stone.

Your forearms will look great in a couple of weeks.

LOL .... yeah ....

I have the mason's hammer (Grandpa's) ..... I have the rock .... but I don't really have the time or energy .... at least not right at the moment ....

It just takes time, and a couple of pallets worth of stone.

No doubt ....

That is correct, good observation. Ensure you have the drainage situation sorted out, start on a good compacted base, and work your way up, mortaring every 3 or 4 or 5th course, depending. Mortar the top course -- note that you may want to tint the top mortar so it doesn't end up looking like a concrete project.

Thanks - got it.

Uggghh -- personally I would never, ever store muriatic acid indoors. I buy a gallon, and either use it all up or if not store it outdoors somewhere. Otherwise I would lay awake in bed all night wondering if the jug was leaking -- and permanently scaring the slab in the garage or workshop.

Well, it's not really indoors .... it's in the garage .... and that floor needs replaced anyways ....

It's actually a jug that we inherited from my parents .... has to be 15 to 20 years old at least .... I have it stored in a plastic cabinet, which has a 1" well in the bottom .... as long as it don't completely go, the cabinet will catch the seepage ....

I really would like to get rid of it asap though .... made me nervous just to pick it up to put it in the cabinet ....