I am going to build a stone retaining wall behind my house. Does anyone have any suggestions or resources for me as how to take on such a project?? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
nick
I suggest a good tractor with a FEL and a strong back bone. I'm now in the process of building a field stone retaining wall around my barn buildings. Every time I work on it I somehow knock my back out that puts me on the sidelines for several weeks. This is one reason I bought a JD 4710 compact tractor earlier this Spring. This will save my back and likely aid in finishing the wall much quicker.
I could not see building a wall without a FEL but then again I use it all the time. I don't do much that the tractor or FEL don't help some how. Good luck with your wall. I have 30 ' to go on the same project.
knucklehead inspired me to see what the local library had in the way of books on stone walls. His recommendation wasn't at the local library, but they are going to get it for me on intra-library loan. I did find one on the history of N.E. Stone walls called Stone by Stone by Robert Thorson see it at amazon Fasicnating book covering the entire (and I mean entire as in how the rocks were formed billions of years ago etc) history of the stone walls.
One thing. How high is this retaining wall going to be? I dont know if I would go over 3 to 4 feet high without a professanal looking at it. You don't what it falling down, and landing on someone with all that dirt behind it.
The retaining wall I'm building goes from about 2 feet to about 7 feet high. At it's tallest point, my wall is approximately 2-3 feet thick at the base and narrows to about 18 inches as it rises to the top. I start off at the base with the biggest flattest boulders I could find; then, I progresssively stack smaller flat stones as the wall rises. All throughout the wall building, I interlock the stones as best as I can. This is particularly important with the right angles if one is joining two walls at 90 degrees. Because the wall is so high, it's also important to vertically slope the wall at a slight angle....otherwise the wall would most certainly topple (likely through the freeze/thaw cycles).
Bob, needless to say, pictures would be appreciated. Even during construction. I'll try to get some of my brother's - if he has a digital camera, maybe sooner than later.
Yep....I've got the pictures, but the wall is still in process of being finished. I should be finished this fall. My problem is I don't have a digital camera. I have to take pics using my 35mm SLR, then I have to finish the roll, and scan prints as a jpg file. I thought I would wait until the wall was finished then I could post pics of the wall from start to finish. Sometime this fall I'll post here or I'll start another thread.
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