If you want to build a stone fence - a more suitable term than a wall when the structure is more intended to delimit a property than to perform the function of a barrier - this article can give you all the necessary information, allowing you to do a good job even if you are not an expert in the field.
Steps
Step 1. Start by getting a large amount of stones, which are of the right size for the size of the wall you intend to build
If the wall is to be large, get large stones, if it is to be small, find small ones. Get small stones to fill in the gaps. You can also use stone blocks.
Step 2. Make sure you have a solid foothold available before you get to work, otherwise the wall could collapse
If the ground at the base is uneven, use a level to smooth it out.
Step 3. Determine the thickness and length of the wall, how high you want it and where you want it to be placed (mark everything with a folding rule or put it on paper in the form of a project)
Step 4. As a rule, the top of a drywall should be slightly inclined inwards for 1/6 of the height
Step 5. Make some sort of rail (using pegs, wooden boards, stones, etc.)
) to guide you in the realization of the wall and highlight the point where the structure will be built, so that the measurements are regular. To build the wall so that it stays level, take a string or ribbon and tie it to the props at the ends. Make sure that the rope marks exactly the height of the wall.
Step 6. Get help
Talk to an industry professional, sturdy friends or neighbor. Use a wheelbarrow or four-wheeled cart to move the heavier stones. Larger rocks may require the use of special equipment.
Step 7. Arrange a layer of flat, wide stones along the inside of the wall
Fill in the empty spaces and make this first layer of stones as even as possible; close the holes with some filling material to make it more stable.
Step 8. Continue placing the stones layer by layer until the wall is high enough and always make sure that the structure remains level
To make a solid wall, place each stone on the two below.
Advice
- Old walls are an excellent source of material, as long as they are not intact. If a wall has collapsed, you can use it to build a new one, otherwise, better not do it. If the stones are collected on private property, one can legitimately be accused of theft.
- For longer walls (15 meters or more), it is better to build the two ends first (two walls about one meter long), then stretch a rope between the two constructions and make the central part of the structure. This allows the facade of the wall to remain straight and smooth.
- Work in a group. In this way you will have who will help you to fix the stones and the wall will be better. Make sure everyone knows who the foreman is, because he will then judge the quality of the final work. If group members do not work in the same direction, the quality of the wall will inevitably suffer.
- For simplicity, try to use stones of the same size.
- When placing the stones, make sure that the top of the wall remains slightly inclined towards the center of the structure. If it remains tilted outwards, it could collapse.
- Sometimes it is the slight imperfections that make a stone wall truly unique. Don't be afraid to experiment with stones of different shapes and sizes.
- Use local stones if possible. These will adapt better to the surrounding landscape (for color, presence of particular lichens or types of moss, etc.) than "imported" ones.
- If you have a particularly beautiful stone, try to make it stand out (on top of the wall or at one end).
Warnings
- Make sure the wall is stable, away from drains or cables.
- Make sure the base is stable.
- If constructed incorrectly, the wall may collapse, so balance the structure better.
