Building the wall........
9 years ago
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- 9 years ago
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Need help with building stone wall behind woodstove
Comments (8)The link below shows my fireplace. I used cultured stone (fake rock, cement rock, etc...) like ChristopherH mentioned. I highly recommend cultured stone because I did the work myself and it was my first time. It looks real and most people who come in my house believe it is real rock. You can really only tell it isn't real if you hit it with your knuckle. The feel and sound lets you know it's not real. I used an S type mortar and tried to get my joints as small as possible to give it somewhat of a "dry stacked" look. I actually framed my fireplace with dura rock and put a mesh wire (made for laying stone) on top of the dura rock. The stone was easy to lay and I would recommend using a grinder with a masonary cutting wheel to use for those few places that you just can't get a stone to fit. Be sure and wear safety glasses and a mask while cutting because it gets very dusty. The quotes I received to lay the stone (labor only) were from $1200-$2000. It took me about 12-14 hours with one helper to complete the job. I believe I did use sand to mix the mortar. Just check the bag or your supplier and they will make sure you mix it properly. If you do the job yourself, it may not look as good as it would if the best rock mason in your area did the job, but I can promise you that you will take a lot more pride in your rock work if you do it yourself! Here is a link that might be useful: Cultured Stone on My fireplace...See MoreCost to Build Masonry Wall To Block Road Noise
Comments (13)I started doing a little more digging. The house fronts a double lane US Hwy, single family, rural conservation designation. While the County might allow me to erect a masonry wall, it turns out the DOT has a right of way set back of 135 feet. While the house is on 4 acres, it is only about 60 to 75 feet from the road. That's a risk I'm not willing to take. The government could come in by eminent domain and demolish the house if they wanted to widen the road. I'd be out of luck. The house predates the US Hwy system. Sucks. It's a beautiful old house. I'm going to have to pass on it....See MoreHelp: Building a wall fountain
Comments (18)I have been reluctant to pitch in, having limited water feature experience, but here goes with a few tidbits that may be helpful. 1. You asked about the size of the reservoir at the top of the feature. The reservoir in all of those features pictured is almost assuredly below grade and not at the top of the feature. You can contact Aquascapes out of St. Charles, Illinois for a specific product called Aquablocks. They are for creating reliable, rigid containment below grade. 2. Bigger containment means longer time between replenishing the water. It also means that you have more room in front of the feature to avoid 'oversplash' onto your patio or adjacent space. Or, you could do an 'auto-fill' to eliminate the need for refilling entirely. 3. There are many types of limestone, some of which would be suitable for your application, while others would certainly not be suitable. Limestone sourced from Wisconsin is used in water features all the time here in northern Illinois. Three of the big quarries are Eden, Halquist and Buechel. While they wouldn't ship a small quantity they do supply distributors all over country and perhaps there is one near you. 4. Your ledge (spillway) material is a very small cost if you really want granite or marble. And, yes, you are correct to avoid slate or sandstone materials completely. That being said, stainless steel or copper made to fit the space might be an easier approach and you can find stainless steel spillways in stock sizes of 24" and 30" with a bit of searching. Aquascapes might even have them. Good luck with your project....See MoreBuilding a wall and patio
Comments (2)Is threatining wall being built with the proper drainage for starters as for the colorof the patio post a picture of the pavers for the wall....See More- 9 years ago
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