dry stacked? - No, wet set, ie, mortared. what kind of stone? - New England blue stone and Ca. brown stone mixed. what are the words i use to ask for 'the stones that are different sizes but end up making a smooth, tidy wall'? - as Audric mentioned, an ashlar patterned wall stone. We go one step further and call this our precision series. how much? - price is contingent on too many factors to really give you a precise number. We pay our craftsmen well, respect our workers and provide benefits. A precision hand crafted Blue stone wall bid out from our Californian office is in the range of $ 65 a sq. foot installed.

Visit a stone specialty retailer to get some ideas. You will find stone in every size, shape, and color, and possibly a display area of sample landscape uses. The link below is an example located near me. I would think you could find something to either blend with or accent your home. Stay true to the architectural qualities of your home so the new addition flows visually, even with the color change. Here is a link that might be useful: KRC Rock

Check out the Stained Glass and Mosaic forum at That Home Site--I'll bet they'd know exactly how you could acomplish your idea.

I love stone walls. Go to Ireland, they are EVERYWHERE, and they always look great. Regarding slope, I think you are better off with small steps, rather than trying to slope your wall. In books I've read, they suggest small steps are more stable than a downward sloping wall. Of course, it all depends on what kind of stone you are using, and the degree of slope. You should be able to use a wall as both freestanding and as a small retaining wall. Retaining walls may be somewhat easier to build, because you only need to worry about what one wall face looks like, rather than two. I would also keep the wall low, 2 feet high is big enough to look substantial, and a comfortable height for sitting on. I suggest going to the library or a bookstore and look through lots of stone books to try to find a photo of what you are trying to do, with the kind of rocks you have available. I find just having a picture that's close to what I'm trying to do helps me so much in visualizing the end result on MY property. Another thing is to print off pictures of your landscape and draw pictures of the wall you want right on the pictures. It also really helps to visualize the final result. Good luck! You are ambitious!