Building a Native Rock Wall
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Finding the Stones
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Building a native rock wall requires using stones that are found in the immediate area. You can expand this immediate area to include just the surrounding county, state or region of the country the native rock wall is located in. To be creative, you can narrow the category to native stones that were used during a certain period of time in industry. A wider category would be granite used in homes. You can find these stones loose on the ground in your own backyard, but most likely you will need to contact a stone and masonry store that sells the particular variety you are interested in.
Designing the Wall
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To design the wall you should draw the plan on graph paper. Use a 1 square equals half a foot ratio (meaning one square on the graph paper equals one half foot in real life). This gives you more drawing room and allows for more accurate calculations. Measure the area where the wall will be installed in your yard. In this case we will build a 6-foot long wall. Draw a line that encompasses 12 squares to outline the front of the wall. Draw curves and sections of the wall accurately. Then measure and draw the thickness of the wall in the same way.
Building the Native Wall
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After you have completed the drawing it is time to build. You should have an idea of how many stones you need from the drawing. You can count the squares to determine the size and number of stones required for one layer, then multiply that by the total height. First excavate with a small square edged shovel, pulling back dirt and smaller rocks until you have a clean section of ground. Lay down a 1-inch layer of gravel for drainage. Then start lining your first layer of stones along the ground.
Building up the Wall
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Make sure each stone is resting with the flattest portion to the ground. Each stone should create divots or notches that the next layer of stones can fit into securely. Begin to stack stones along the first layer, selecting them by their shape and size and how they fit into the layer below. If needed, rearrange the first layer, turning stones over to make a more stable fit with the next layer. You can use smaller stones with a different shape to fill in gaps between the first and second layer if needed.
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