Natural rock retaining wall...

JerryK · May 7, 2012

Got most of my retaining wall project done. Still need to figure out what I want to do to the top, and if I want to 'chink' it with redwood chips. Started with a 4-6" deep trench and a row of larger rocks on the bottom, with the top layers leaning into the hill some. Backfilled and packed down the dirt by driving over it with a JD 420 garden tractor that is about 1000 pounds. The wall is about 30" tall at the tallest spot. Was thinking of doing it with preformed blocks, but ended up just using rocks off the property. Big rocks moved with a set of QA forks, with final position on some of them using the backhoe and nylon straps/chains.... LOT's OF FUN MOVING ROCKS.... !!!!

DKCDKC · May 7, 2012

Looks good. I'm about to do the same thing here in Virginia. But the rocks are jagged and irregular. I'll be a real puzzle to get them to fit together.

JerryK · May 7, 2012

DKCDKC said:
Looks good. I'm about to do the same thing here in Virginia. But the rocks are jagged and irregular. I'll be a real puzzle to get them to fit together.

It's kind of like doing a puzzle that is all white. You get a feeling for what will fit where, go get it, flip it every which way, toss it down, go get another, repeat..... over and over and over...... Then, after you are done with a section, decide that is not good enough, tear it down, and start over..... Excellent exercise and leather glove test ....

Thomas · May 7, 2012

Looking good..flowers or greens,better than diging hole or pushing stones down bank.

Bob77064 · May 7, 2012

Good job.

crbr · May 7, 2012

Thanks for the pictures

kootch88 · May 7, 2012

Looks great. I hope the frost doesn't raise **** with it though.

cycle_gator · May 7, 2012

What does the wall retain fill for? I built a similar wall, shorter and not as long to level out an area for my fire pit. I used small jagged rock chips to chink it. Photos to follow.

Groo · May 7, 2012

My Dad did tons of those growing up. He always mortared the rocks as he placed them.

JerryK · May 8, 2012

cycle_gator said:
What does the wall retain fill for? I built a similar wall, shorter and not as long to level out an area for my fire pit. I used small jagged rock chips to chink it. Photos to follow.

There is a big sugar maple at the top of the slope, and the slope was steep enough that you had to sit sidesadle on your mower when you mowed. The wheels of the mower degrade the slope/grass, and this wall will allow me maybe to save the big sugar maple. And maybe be able to go to a larger riding mower someday or ZeroTurn .... Besides, I had all these rocks.... and.....

jinman · May 8, 2012

Jerry, how many of those rounded rocks do you have? I like your stacked wall and hope it stays in place. What's the big "gravestone" lookin' rock up behind the tree?

JerryK · May 8, 2012

jinman said:
Jerry, how many of those rounded rocks do you have? I like your stacked wall and hope it stays in place. What's the big "gravestone" lookin' rock up behind the tree?

Don't really know how many I have.. every time I try to plant a tree or dig a hole for some reason I find them..

I live in a pretty hilly area in Northern Michigan and you can find anything from blow sand to gravel to rocks to clay... depending on where the glaciers left it. The big rock is just one of the ones I found, this one was dug up when I put my house in. It kind of looks like a left facing Indian... or the tilted head of the big marshmellow monster in Ghostbusters.....

Once you find a rock, you just GOTTA dig it up to see what you have....

JerryK · May 23, 2012

.... and finally have some grass growing.

jinman · May 23, 2012

JerryK said:
.... and finally have some grass growing.

That sure is purrrdy.:thumbsup:

Dog Lover · May 23, 2012

Looks real nice and goes good in the setting!

crbr · May 23, 2012

looks good

dieselscout80 · May 23, 2012

Was that weed block fabric or plastic that you used behind the rocks?

JerryK · May 24, 2012

dieselscout80 said:
Was that weed block fabric or plastic that you used behind the rocks?

I used commercial grade fabric. But if I did it again, I would probably use two layers. I backfilled and packed the dirt behind the rocks as I built the wall and there is a lot of stress on that fabric in the voids between the rocks in spots. I used 50" X 50' of fabric for about a 30" high wall. I should have went with wider fabric, too. By the time you lay the fabric down under the first layer of rocks and the fabric filling in all the voids, the 50" gets eaten up pretty quick. I fitted smaller rocks into the voids on the dirt side of the wall as best I could, but still should have went with wider stuff.

dieselscout80 · May 24, 2012

JerryK said:
I used commercial grade fabric. But if I did it again, I would probably use two layers. I backfilled and packed the dirt behind the rocks as I built the wall and there is a lot of stress on that fabric in the voids between the rocks in spots. I used 50" X 50' of fabric for about a 30" high wall. I should have went with wider fabric, too. By the time you lay the fabric down under the first layer of rocks and the fabric filling in all the voids, the 50" gets eaten up pretty quick. I fitted smaller rocks into the voids on the dirt side of the wall as best I could, but still should have went with wider stuff.

Thanks

I like your rock wall. :thumbsup: