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The
aged fieldstone wall rambling through the countryside will forever
be a symbol of our New England lifestyle. Freestanding fieldstone
walls serve as property lines and fences. Retaining fieldstone walls
not only are beautiful; they also serve a very important function
to hold back and stabilize steep embankments. Walls made of wood
or concrete will deteriorate and crack after a short period of time.
A dry-laid wall made of fieldstone will allow the free flow of air
and water so that the wall will last indefinitely.
MATERIALS NEEDED
1) FIELDSTONE
Choosing the fieldstone that is right for you will depend primarily
on your taste and style. Stoneyard.com, for example, stocks many
different types of fieldstone in Littleton, Massachusetts. The
two categories of fieldstone are "aged" and "quarried."
Aged stone has been out of the ground for at least 75 years. There
may be moss or lichen on the stone, giving it a wonderful antique
quality. Quarried stone has been recently taken from the ground.
This stone has a more "cut" or uniform look. The easiest
fieldstone to work with is flat and simple to stack. The most
popular types of fieldstone at Stoneyard.com are the NE Flat and
the PA Flat fieldstone.
Approximately one ton of stone will be needed for every 7-1/2
face-feet to build a freestanding wall with an average width of
24 inches.
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For a
retaining wall with an average width of 18 inches, approximately
one ton of stone will be needed for every 10 face-feet of wall.
2) THREE-QUARTER INCH CRUSHED STONE
Crushed stone will be needed behind and in your fieldstone wall.
The crushed stone is important in preventing water from becoming
trapped behind the stonewall. Crushed stone will ensure that your
wall will make it through the freeze/thaw cycles of New England
winters without shifting. Approximately one ton of crushed stone
will be needed for every six tons of fieldstone used.
PREPARE THE BASE
1) It is very important that a fieldstone wall be
built on undisturbed soil or well-compacted soil.
2) Remove 6-12 inches of earth below the grade.
Be sure that this area is flat and sloping in to provide a proper
footing for your wall.
3) Use stakes (or an A-frame) and masonry string
to create the "batter" and line of the wall. The batter
is the ratio of lean (back) to height. For every 12 inches of
height, lean your wall back 1-2 inches. When you lay your wall,
place stones as close as possible to the string but never allow
stones to touch the string.
LAY FIELDSTONE WALL
1) As you lay your wall, be sure to stagger your
joints. Lay the stones level, not parallel to a sloping grade.
This will give your wall a professionally finished look.
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2) Begin to lay
your fieldstone below the grade. Lay 6-12 inches of fieldstone.
Use your largest stones for base stability. For an average width
of 18 inches (wall heights no greater than 4 feet) lay your fieldstone
approximately 2 feet wide at the base. Slope stones slightly into
the wall. Remember, a minimum batter of 1 inch for every 12 inches
of height is recommended.
3) Use small stones and crushed stone to prevent
movement of all stone. Hand-set all stone. Never deposit crushed
stone into large voids; fill voids with large stone. Then hand
work the smaller, crushed stone into the voids. 4) Continue your
batter as you build your wall. Remember that for every 12 inches
of height, lean your wall back by 1 inch minimum. We repeat this
because of its importance. This is essential to create a sturdy
wall.
CAP THE WALL
1) Use larger, heavier stones to cap your wall.
This will ensure that your stones will not shift.
2) For retaining walls, the top of your wall should
end at the finished grade. This will allow heavy rains to run
over the top of the wall.
MAINTENANCE
1) If you occasionally notice holes behind your
capstones on a retaining wall, fill them in with crushed stone
and earth. These holes occur as part of the natural settling process.
2) Enjoy and admire your fieldstone wall!
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