About Stone Retaining Walls

A stone retaining wall saves your yard and adds value to your home. There are boulder walls, brick walls and walls made to look like castle walls. A stone retaining wall can also be used to create a terraced lawn, thus expanding the usable area of your lawn. It will also save your lawn from eroding, and keep dirt from spilling over onto pathways, driveways or into your house.

Function

Stone retaining walls hold back dirt. They are usually found next to walking trails or roads, and sometimes in back, front or side yards. They can be used to create a terraced lawn look and increase the usable area of your yard.

Types

A stone retaining wall can be made of either large boulder stones, bricks or stones that are called "castle stones." The boulder stones give the wall a natural look, whereas the castle stones have a more polished, regal look. A brick retaining wall gives a continuous look, if you have a brick house. Any type of retaining wall will keep your land from eroding away and thereby add value to your home.

Size

A boulder retaining wall is generally three or four levels (or rocks) in height. It can be as long as you like or need it to be. There is dirt or mud between the rocks, which holds them in place.
A castle rock wall can be any height or length. The stones are usually held together with cement mortar, but sometimes they can be held together with gravity. That is, the stones are stacked one on top of another; the weight of the whole wall holds the individual stones in place. These walls are usually not very tall, but can be very long.
A brick retaining wall can only be very short if brick is all that is used, as regular red bricks are small wall-building materials. However, you can make a brick facade over a wooden retaining wall. This is done using cement mortar and building up the bricks in front of the wall.

Benefits

A stone retaining wall not only keeps your land from traveling downhill, but it also adds value to your home. It will keep unwanted dirt from coming into your yard, and you can create a terraced effect to increase the usable area of your yard.

Expert Insight

You can add a stone retaining wall to a slope in your yard, thus creating a terrace. Place the wall at the bottom of the slope if it is a sharp slope; place the wall halfway down the slope if it is a gradual incline. Bury the first layer of rocks and put the next layer on top of that. Build the wall up until it is roughly even with the top of the slope. Using top soil or dirt, fill in from the wall to the top of slope, then tamp it down and rake it even; then plant grass.