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dry stacked stone on front of house and retaining wall?

soonerhouse2007

16 years ago

Has anyone here used dry stacked stone on a portion of the front of their house? I love the look and I am trying to decide on a rock that I like. Also, we have a retaining wall that runs the length of our house in the front. I think the rock on the house and the retaining wall should be the same rock...I think it would just look nicer. The retaining wall will actually face our house, not out to the road. DH says that in order to get a sturdy wall we should have a concrete wall poured and then face it with the rocks. And he continues to say that using the dry stack method would be very costly. Any ideas, pictures or opinions on dry stacked stone and retaining walls would be very appreciated. Thanks to you all!

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Comments (3)

owl_at_home
16 years ago
I thought about the dry stack for our rock work, but I was told by multiple sources that it can cost almost twice as much because of the amount of materials and labor.
I love how it looks, though. If I were you, I would get an estimate both ways for the whole project and go with the dry stack if you feel it's affordable. I don't know about your retaining wall. It sounds to me like it would be better to have the rock work all the same, but it might depend on how it's positioned, how far it is from the house, etc.
cynandjon
16 years ago
My problem with dry stacked for a veneer on a house is rodents and snakes and bugs living in the wall and without mortar water can enter compromising the structural integrity. Especially if you live in a freeze thaw area.
either way its a good idea to use thermadrain behind the wall on a house. It allows for drainage and makes a necessary air space to prevent the wall behind it from rotting.
Ive seen plenty of dry walls successfully built for gardens. they are lovely.
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While ancient walls have been built like yours and still stand, Marcinde's method makes it easier to guarantee that you won't have problems. Your wall looks like it has decent batter, but it cannot be determined from the picture if it's consistent throughout. I think this is one of the most important components of dry-stack retaining wall stability. Keeping batter sufficient throughout will help wall longevity. With greater batter comes greater stability and, personally, I like the look of it as long as it's uniform. You could easily create a wooden triangle with a level attached to gauge the batter uniformly.
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No need to put a drainage pipe behind the wall. Make sure you put in a good solid base and use gravel behind each course to stabilize the rocks and reduce washout of soil behind the wall.
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Well first off, you're going to need to level out the ground somehow if you want to put a solid foundation of stone. Use a pick axe or something or hire someone stronger to dig into the roots. Then get large stones and place them level on the ground. Otherwise it won't work (unless you just want a one course wall). Here is a source for stone: http://www.lakeviewstone.com/products.htm
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Anyone know of a quarry that sells directly to the public or a dealer in the Los Angeles (or surrounding areas) that wholesales to the public stones/rocks (like fieldstone, basalt, bluestone etc.)? I want to build a short (18" high), dry stacked retaining wall along the back of my property. We have a couple of local places (e.g. Bourget Bros. Building Materials and West LA Building Materials) but they have limited selections and are VERY pricey. Thanks in advance!
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a_overlie_hotmail_com
13 years ago
My husband and I currently in process of building a home. We have chosen massion rouge brick and want to use dry stack stone on sections of home. Only problem we are facing is choosing a color of dry stack. Any suggestions?

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