How To Build A Small Stone Retaining Wall

How to build a stone retaining wall dig a trench about 8 10 inches deep so that the first course of stone will be fully or mostly submerged.

How to build a small stone retaining wall. Set up a level line. Use wood stakes and a masons line to mark the location of the front face of the base of the wall. Use a hand or power tamper to level the base. For every every one foot in height youll want to lay the base a foot in from the walls face.

For dry stack walls the base should be as wide as the wall is tall. Prepare a solid foundation or base. Dig out a trench of at least 6 10 inches. For this 18 inch high wall the footing should be at least 18 inches wide.

Instructions organize the stones. Excavate the area. Fill the trench with a 2 to 3 inch layer of paver base. The top of the wall should be at finished grade to allow runoff.

Choose a paver base with landscape rocks between 12 inch and 34 inch in size. Plot where the retaining wall will sit at the bottom of the slope using stakes and string for a straight terrace. To calculate the. Plan out the walls height and base thickness.

Organize the wall stones roughly by size and shape making different piles as needed. Use the rack to ensure the stones are evenly distributed. No mortar is needed. Tamp the paver base with your tamper to make sure the foundation is evenly compacted.