The decision to build a dry-laid fieldstone wall should not be taken lightly, to get the job done, you’ll need a lot of time and energy on your part. Prior to starting a project, there are many aspects to consider. Prior to beginning construction, you’ll need to select the type as well as the color of stone that will be used in the project.
Many different kinds of stone masons and color combinations are available today and many dollars can be saved if you can get fieldstone and perhaps cobblestone for free any substantial amount of this stone will necessitate the use of a heavy-duty truck, which can be risky to drive if overloaded.
Dry-laid fieldstone walls look great when finished and require little maintenance over the course of many years, all that is needed is a periodic check to ensure that no rocks have become loose or have been removed by youngsters while playing.
As the name implies, dry-laid walls rely on gravity to maintain their shape over time, rather than mortar, make a point of stopping when you come upon a stone wall in the countryside and there is a small concavity to the top of the wall, as well as a minor inward lean on both sides.
Building a wall out of the stones plowed out of fields each spring required many years for farmers in most situations and the repeated freezing and thawing of winter forced the stones to the surface, where they were discovered by the plows of the eager farmers.
Thestone masons walls were built to define the boundaries between fields and to keep the stones from harming the horses’ feet while they dragged the plows, the faces of your wall will not be precisely flat if you choose natural stone rather than man-made stone or masonry pieces.
There will be a few nooks and crannies as the stone progresses upwards in elevation-
In order to ensure that you aren’t building on your neighbor’s property, it is recommended that you keep the wall a few inches back from the property line. In order to do this, place a thread or dry line among each edge of the intended wall.
Make a loop on one side and put it over the first pin, then, pull and wrap the string as soon as it hits around the second pin, this string line must be crossed when laying a stone, never cross it, no matter how close you get. Your wall will be as even as possible if you keep the stone faces close to the string.
As you continue in your work, raise the string higher and higher and you’ll be able to detect if a stone doesn’t fit or appear right as your skills and eye improve with practice.
After you’ve installed your pins & string lines, take one step back & examine if the finished wall foundation is where you want it to be, afterwards, you won’t be able to bear the thought of tearing it down and moving it, the average depth of your largest stones’ diameter should be the minimum depth of the trench, if the area is suitable.
Excavate to a depth of six inches for a stone with a diameter of six inches, each half of the trench’s width should be slightly sloping downhill into the wall’s center and the word slightly refer to a very small amount, you want the foundation stones to lean inward, but you also want to maintain the apexes as level as possible.