Begin digging into the ground with a shovel.
How to build a stone and concrete retaining wall.
Dig a trench that s below the frost line and 2 feet wider than the wall.
No mortar is needed.
Anything taller should be handled by professionals.
For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.
Stagger the joints as you lay the next level.
Use a hand or power tamper to level the base.
To create a solid foundation dig a trench for the first course of your interlocking retaining wall blocks to sit in and make sure the ground remains even throughout.
We ll talk more about this but this is the most important part of building a mortared stone wall in winter.
Level to level blocks lengthwise and a torpedo level to level the front to back.
Excavate to a depth of 6 inches along the entire base of the stone retaining wall using the string marker as a guide.
Dry stack walls also drain well allowing water to pass through the wall itself.
Make a plan to keep everything warm.
Add and tamp more layers until the footing is about 8 inches below grade.
Line it with landscape fabric overlapped 12 inches at the seams add a 6 inch layer of inch stone and tamp it with a plate compactor.
The easiest way to build a stone retaining wall is to use the dry stack method that requires no mortar between stones and does not need a concrete footing like mortared walls do.
The exact depth of the.
Make sure there is as little wobble as possible between each stone.
Cascading plants such as creeping thyme alyssum ivy creeping rosemary and vinca minor are very attractive spilling down the sides of stone retaining walls.
When the wall is complete you can root plants into the larger gaps of the wall that bring life to the structure.
Install a layer of large stones for good stability at the base.
Once the first row is installed pack native soil to grade level on both sides of this course to anchor the wall in place.
Mortar like all concrete products must be kept above 40 degrees to cure properly.
The top of the wall should be at finished grade to allow runoff.
Using a tape measure decide the length and the width of your retaining wall then mark off the area with the garden stakes and string.
For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall.