How To Build A Natural Dry Stone Wall or Rock Retaining Wall for your Garden. Design
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- #drystonewall #buildstonewall #retainingwall
We look at building a clay mortared natural stone wall or rock retaining wall. Dry stone walls have texture add interest to the garden design, and have been used in the UK in France where they are called 'Pierres seches' and throughout Europe for centuries.
The same stonewalling techniques have been used in buildings. Also known as Muros de piedra exteriores, the stones or rocks and the clay are all sourced on site, or you could buy them in if needed.
The rock, stones or other materials that you use can be varied and could include, old bricks, terracotta pipe. old concrete slabs in fact just about any masonry type materials.
We include a few examples of imaginative uses of other materials.
Key Moments
00:00 Introduction to Dry Stone Walls
01:10 Site Preparation
01:42 Base Layer
02:23 Stretcher Bond
03:13 Through Stones
04:09 Random Rubble
04:38 Choosing the right Stones
05:14 Laying Stones
06:39 Filling behind the wall
07:15 Creating a strong wall
07:29 Capping Stones and more support
09:50 Cleaning the wall
10:10 Drainage and Hydrostatic Pressure
11:15 The Completed Wall - results 
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Wow , those are some beautiful walls .
it must take forever to fit every piece so harmoniously . very very nice 👍
For me, it would take forever, for Ross, a lot quicker, more methodical and a better result. Practice makes perfect....
Nothing more beautiful than those walls I really wish I could afford it
Thanks for watching, more coming soon.
I like the terracotta usage.
Ross is a real inspiration, he reuses everything and lots of second hand materials. Thanks for watching.
Really useful vid. I have a sleeper retaining wall that is on it's last legs, and want to do this when it finally comes time. Love the clay mortar and the 'breathing' aspect of this.
We also have a sleeper wall that we will be replacing.... they just don't last that well. Good luck with the project.
What a Beautiful Wall! I wish I had known this when I lived in North Carolina in the US. All we had was red clay …
Two champions!
Thanks Al. Ross is the Champion, and willing to share....Crevice gardens coming soon....
Beautiful work.
So beautiful!! My favorite type of wall. What an artist!
Thanks for that, more coming on the wall builders own garden....stay tuned.
Nice to meet you this Morning Johnny!
I wish I had a lot of land so I could get enough rocks to make a wall like this. I have a little garden and pretty much nowhere to source rocks. If I want to get rocks I have to pay extortionate prices for them lol
Ask a farmer. They usually have tons of fieldstones that they are happy to get rid of. Just need a way to haul em.
Nice vid, think I learnt something, many thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching.
Well that was an interesting gardening video thanks you
Thanks Kay, we have a little more coming on that sort of thing, so stay tuned.....
clay instead of mortar, how clever!
Yes, its a very old idea, and it works.... Thanks for watching
Thx
Thanks for watching.
Beautiful work showcased here. This video has been inspirational, and I'm planning on using this technique next spring on mixed materials I'm gathering now. May I ask: Are you in a freezing climate? I ask because I'm curious if using clay as a mortar would be tenable in my (cold) area. Also, do you mix anything in with the clay? Sand, or lime? Do you filter / clean the clay in any way prior to use? Lastly, do you use cement mortar on top layers for stability (i.e. kids)?
@BookofNick hi, thanks, I just added a reply to a comment below on how I mix my mortar, I don’t sift, but if you have any small stones in the mix they will upset the compaction, so you may want to check that reply out and sorry, but I have no idea how freezing would affect the integrity of the wall, but suspect that the expansion and contraction may be a factor, but it would also depend on the severity of the freeze. You can put concrete capping on, I’ve done it at home on veggie beds that I regularly clamber over. Think John may be doing a vid on that, but all it requires is a bit of formwork and you are good to go. There are a few considerations, but best they are illustrated than have me do a word salad.
Forgot to say, you can fool around with sand and lime and even cement, but I never bother as I do tightly chipped walls and “stabilised earth” mixes are probably best employed where the gaps are considerably larger. I love quick lime and do rendering and traditional mortar projects with it, but for a bog ordinary garden wall it’s quite possibly overkill.
Have you ever had a problem with water coming from behind and washing out the clay? Seems like the technique would work better in dry climates.
No problems with that and these walls are in areas on medium to high rainfall.
Thanks
Does it need to be perfect clay or clay like... we have clay type soil, but it still has small rocks & dirt in it.
Will that still work? Or do we need to get the dirt or rocks out before tackling this project?
Thanks
Beautiful job. Lots of clay here in Oklahoma! How was the clay mixed for your project? And, should one not have clay on their property, do you suggest a type of store bought clay brand to use? After screening you add soil and can then plant whatever? I have a customer requesting I build her a retaining wall and I have never done this type of project before. I’m excited! I do not want to make a mistake! Any more advice?
Thank you so much and such talent!!!
The clay in this case was from the sub soil. So just a little extra moisture to make it workable, HOWEVER not wet. Not sure about buying clay, its always been available on site. As for advice.... very difficult/impossible to give advice without seeing the site and the stone. Very interested to know how it turns out.
@@johnnyAGardening thank you for your reply. It turned out great. I’m positive your shared wisdom helped me immensely. Thank you so very much!
It's hard to believe that there is no mortar /concrete, but the reason seems valid i.e it will end up trapping water and will crack eventually- Very natural look - By only negative would be the clay was a bit orange and I preferred no bricks in the wall just the stone. great job
Hello Ian, thanks for the comments, you make a few points we should have explained a little more.... These are two different walls on two different projects, one with stone (thats the one we built in the video), the other with a range of masonry, just to show what you can do. As for the clay, once it is wire brushed (after drying a little) the orange tones do go away and it gets back to a stone look and colour. Thanks for watching....
@@johnnyAGardening Thanks for explaining. Cheers
Beautiful walls can I ask is the clay just mixed with water to a suitable consistency? Been looking for the wall I want to do thank you I’ve found it. Cheers
Yes the clay can be mixed with water if it is too dry, however you don't want it too wet and sloppy, so just enough to make it pliable.
@ianparkinson7039 Might add that a tough, rubber bucket with a broad open rim is ideal as it takes a bit of a beating. The hardest thing I do when putting a wall together is doing the mix, there is no other way than by hand. Start with a few shovel loads, add water to make a creamy mix, then chuck in more and turn it with a post hole digger style of shovel until it is a stiff mix. If it is a bit too wet, just chuck some dry clay on top and let it absorb. Stiff mix is best. I use a four pound mash hammer and put a rubber cap on the end of the handle to pound the rock in place.
Great video. But where can I get clay?
It depends on where you live. Mostly its in the sub soil, in some areas not.
when building multiple terraces, should I start with the bottom one or at the top?
it really depends on the site, steepness, access and how much levelling, excavation you need to do. For us, start at the top. Make sure you carefully plan your levels first. So the terraces need to be mapped out and roughed in. Also make sure you use adequate through stones. We have a video on a steep terraced garden coming soon.....
@@johnnyAGardening Awesome! I look forward to that video. Meanwhile, I'll be planning and drawing!
Hope the clay doesn't shrink a lot when dry. It will crumble away from the face.
Has nor been a problem, with the moisture from behind the the wall doing the job naturally..
Seems as though it would erode over time