Garden Walls

[MatthewC]

I'm at the stage of thinking of doing four separate limestone walls in the garden, with the house itself largely done (Happy Day!). Drystone walls might be typical Cotswold but I reckon they are beyond me, and all the existing walls are mortared. Can anyone please give advice on mortar and sand types, plus required depth of foundations versus height?

One wall will be about three feet high to hold back the rising ground so I am thinking of doing a composite wall with limestone facing but brick (and cement?!) behind. Does this sound feasible?

Thanks in advance

Matthew
(photos are available...)

 

[Feltwell]

I thought I'd bump it up for you.

No problem with building a structural wall with a limestone facing, but use blocks - quicker & cheaper to build than brick. You could of course build the whole thing with limestone, but it may well work out cheaper just to have a thin "facing".

A long while ago I did just this on a Civil Engineering job - retaining walls about 20' high for the Sheffield Supertram works, the walls were built from re-inforced concrete with a purely decorative stone facing.

As for foundations - I don't believe you need building regs approval for garden walls so it's up to you. Depends on ground conditions and how tall your wall is really. If the wall is low you could get away with 18" or so I reckon. Bear in mind you may need PP for walls depending on how high they are and if they are next to a pavement/road, and of course LBC will apply if you're listed.

 

[biffvernon]

Dry stone walls are not so difficult to build but if you really don't feel confident use a mortar of mud. A mixture of subsoil and sand is good. It really does work and will last for ever.

 

[middi]

Dry stone walls are not so difficult to build but if you really don't feel confident use a mortar of mud. A mixture of subsoil and sand is good. It really does work and will last for ever.

You forgot to mention, Biff, that by building the wall in that nice " old fashioned " way it can also be " decorated" with a few well chosen trailing plants. Within a couple of years it will look like the oldest wall in the street/road :wink:

Middi

 

[MatthewC]

Dry stone walls are not so difficult to build but if you really don't feel confident use a mortar of mud. A mixture of subsoil and sand is good. It really does work and will last for ever.

Actually, one job is to repair the ends of the old wall where I cut the driveway through. This wall is about 20 inches high/14 inches thick and seemed to be held together with not very much apart from roots, so perhaps that is what it was.