A stone wall embellishes the garden, serves as a sloping support, protects from the wind and the sun but also from prying eyes. Practical and aesthetic at the same time, it fits perfectly into the landscape, especially if the stones are natural.
Building a stone wall requires expertise to make it very stable. Moreover, this type of construction is generally used to stabilize slight slopes or simply to delimit plots. It will actually contribute to the decoration of the garden and may require the help of a landscape architect to form a perfect harmony with the rest of the property.
But first, how do you do it roughly?
To make a stone wall, the basic material is limestone, shale or granite. It is better to opt for stones that are not too rounded and of different sizes to facilitate the work.
First, you have to start by cutting the stone, especially if the shapes do not fit together. This step consists of drawing the faces. For this, the tools that can be used are the stone hunter, the hammer or the pointed hammer, also called stubborn. As a foundation, use the largest stones to form the foundation. With a level, check if they are horizontal. The construction of a low wall is quite delicate, because it is assembled like a puzzle, without joint or anything. It is therefore necessary to marry the stones together taking into account the shape and thickness, then arrange them over the rows.
The dry stone wall is more resistant in frost-prone regions, because even if it moves, it quickly returns to its place without risk of breakage. If it is mounted on unstable or poorly drained ground, a foundation of at least 20 to 30 cm deep is required. Otherwise, with recalcitrant stones, it is important to cross them well in order to avoid cracks over time.
In addition, each builder has his own way of making a wall, or even his own style. For the wall to be very stable, it must be tilted backwards, i.e. 5 cm per meter of height on average in order to resist the pressures of the earth. Apart from that, a fairly long stone every 1.50 to 2 m will be able to reinforce it.
Place the finishing touches, if you want to plant plants between the stones, the ideal is to use a geotextile film above the drain so that it does not clog. It is also possible to make larger plantations. Do not hesitate to call on an expert landscaper for any advice on your landscaping! Indeed, the stone wall must not break the aesthetic harmony of the garden, the materials must blend into their environment to form a whole.
