Building A Dry Stack Stone Retaining Wall

This ditch will act as the wall s footing and prevent the rocks from sliding forward due to pressure from the earth behind.
Building a dry stack stone retaining wall. Plan for good drainage proper width height ratio and distance between tiers. 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 should be engineered for stability. Lay high quality stones and use a geotextile backing to ensure the wall lasts a long time.
The ideal height for a dry stacked retaining wall is 18 to 22 inches so you can sit on it when your gardening chores are done. Dig a ditch the length of the wall that is about a foot wide and 8 to 12 inches 20 5 cm 30 5 cm below the ground level. Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide. For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.
Here are the basic steps involved in building a dry stack stone wall. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. Each layer of a dry stack wall is called a course. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.
When putting your wall together mix the stone sizes throughout the wall rather than using only large stones at the bottom and small toward the top.