A stone retaining wall is an attractive way to make up the difference in grade. It gives much more character to a garden than a terraced slope does. When properly laid out it takes the average terraced slope and gives it an artistic flair. Believe me, with by yard I know all about slopes and trying to make them more manageable.
But there are two questions to ask before starting a project of this size. Is it a design addition that you will want to live with for a long time and what, if any zoning restrictions will apply to a retaining wall?
If the stonewall is the project you want to undertake for your home, climate is your next concern.
A wall, shelter or outdoor fireplace made from brick or stone set in mortar will not stand up in Northern climates unless it is on solid concrete footings. These footings need to go down below the frost line. This can make the wall too expensive for many properties. I live in a zone 5 climate so I have to plan for the effects of frost when creating any outdoor hardscape design.
Provided the drainage in the soil is good, a dry stone wall – one without mortar can be set on a footing of coarse gravel or crushed stone 8 to 12 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches wide. Good drainage in the soil usually means more sand and less of a clay base in your soil. If need be add sand to your mix. This is the style of stonewall I am adding to my home.
If you need a footing, dig a trench for the footing deep enough for the lowest course (layer) of stone in the wall to be buried 2 to 3 inches below the lower grade. For best appearance, build a wall of flat-bedded lime or sandstone from 2 to 4 inches thick, with an occasional thicker piece to avoid monotonous horizontal lines. Always place the bed or grain of the stone horizontally and level, with the trimmed face showing.
As you lay each course in place, to a tight line running the full length of the wall, use a straight-edged board and carpenter’s level to make the courses level. Fill in with earth packed firmly behind each course. Set every fifth or sixth stone with a short face to the front so that the length of the stone goes back into the bank as an anchor.
Note: For safety’s sake, do not build a wall like this over 30 inches high. And for the top layer use broad, flat stones set in concrete mortar. This is the part of a wall I like creating the most. I look for unique flat rocks that will add flair and personality to the wall. I have interesting shapes of flat rock nearby, many with fossil designs.
The rocks set in mortar may crack if the wall heaves from frost, but they will settle back in place afterwards. A good footing should help prevent this or make the problem much smaller.
Also, for strength and river rock landscaping, it is a good idea to build the wall with a slight lean toward the back of 1 to 2 inches for each foot of rise. This will help prevent the rocks from moving forward from frosts or settling.
And as a final consideration is when planning the steps, build the steps into the wall as it is put up, rather than setting them in later. The steps and wall will work together and there will be no hidden surprises. For the steps, have each tread all of one stone, if this is possible, and wide enough so that the step above can overlap the one beneath by 2 to 3 inches.
I mixed stonewall with wooden tiered steps that were 13 foot long. It gives the slope a mixed feeling of stonewall and terraced garden. The steps are dived in the center with a matching wood rail. And the wood raised terraced garden is carried in other areas of the yard and gardens.
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