How To Build A Retaining Wall Out Of Natural Stone Pavers
Posted on: 27 September 2017
Retaining walls are an important landscaping design tool that can be used to reduce erosion, control water drainage, and generally act as a decorative set piece in your yard. You can make a retaining wall yourself out of stacked blocks of natural stone with just a few simple tools and some elbow grease.
What You'll Need
Before you get started, gather up all of the tools and materials that you'll be using to ensure that the process goes quickly and smoothly.
You'll need a pair of gloves, a shovel, a tamper, a level, landscaping fabric, a line level, and stone pavers. All of these items can be found at most hardware stores if you don't already own them.
Building a Natural Stone Retaining Wall
First things first, dig out a small trench that is just slightly (about half an inch) wider than the width of the stones that you are using for the wall. You'll want the trench to be deep enough so that the first layers of rocks of your retaining wall are almost completely buried.
Then, use the tamper to smooth out the ground, checking to make sure that it is level with the level.
Next, you can begin to lay the natural stone pavers from one end of the trench to the other. Make sure that it is level and using the tamper to flatten the ground underneath further if necessary.
Then, hammer in the wooden stakes of the line level so that the string stretches over the entirety of the trench. You'll use this as a guide to make sure that your stones are even as you lay them.
Continue laying down the first layer of stones under the line level, using the tamper to adjust the height and levelness of the soil as necessary. Once the entire first level has been laid, you can speed things up a bit: take down the line level, and begin to stack the stones up to your desired height one layer at a time.
Once the wall has been built to your ideal height, you'll want to stretch landscaping fabric along the back side (the side that will actually be retaining the dirt). You can tuck the fabric under the top layer (or the second to top layer) of the wall to hold it in place.
Finally, you can fill in the space behind the wall with dirt and topsoil, and cover that soil with grass, sod, or other plants as necessary for decorative purposes. Contact a company like Retaining Walls Inc for more information and assistance.
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