Tips for Building a Stone Wall
Building a stone wall at your home is a great way to increase both privacy and resale value. While many people believe that stone walls are extremely expensive to implement, this sentiment is not always true. When planned correctly, stone walls can be built to fit your budget, and can add a great deal of beauty to your property.
Traditional vs. Dry Stone Wall: Before you set out to build your stone wall, it’s important to decide whether you wish to build a traditional or dry stone wall, as they are quite different in design. While a traditional stone wall is held together by mortar or concrete, dry stone walls do not utilize a bonding agent. As a result, dry stone walls must be built in such a way that the stones will stay together, which can be achieved by interlocking the stones. Dry stone walls are very attractive and will save you money in the long run, but may be a bit difficult for the average person to construct.
Stone Choice: The most important factor that will determine the look of your stone wall is what types of stones you choose to use. The most attractive stone walls utilize a wide variety of different stones. While you can purchase your stones, many people attempt to save money by finding stones on their own on riverbeds or otherwise. This can often be quite labor intensive, but can reduce the cost of your stone wall to next to nothing.
Height/Length: The height and length of your wall should be taken into consideration, as the higher/longer the wall, the more difficult and expensive it will be to build. Stone walls are usually implemented as barriers, yet are often under 4 feet tall. The length of your wall, however, will be quite dependent upon the size of your property.
