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Use flat stones or at least stones that have flat sides. You can make a concrete footer below the frostline, if you want to go all out. Use the biggest stones for the top and bottom, and fill in the middle with the rest. Having the big stones on top will prevent snow and ice from getting in the wall and forcing it apart when it freezes, and it looks nicer. Depending on what stone is available to you, you could learn to chisel bumps and high spots off stones to make them fit better. Make the wall wider at the bottom than the top, even slightly. There's a rule,"two over one, one over two", which just means overlap joints in the next course, like a brick or block wall. Check for level and plumb as you go, with string, boards, and a long level. Take your time and watch your fingers!
There's probably some good sites about it somewhere, I'll see what I can find.
I have stack stone walls and my son builds swimming pools and all kinds of water features so I have had little experience with a lot of different types. What are you trying to accomplish exactly????. If you intend on putting a lot of dirt in back of them it will dictate the type and size of stack stone you will use. You will not need a formal footing with concrete stacking stone but you will need a good solid base for them to lay in. I know that some manufactures recommend sand,and it does work to a point, but a better thing is what is called dirty base. It is a fine residual that is left over from gravel crushing operations. It will get hard under the stone after awhile and provides a solid base. These stack stone walls are really very very easy to build and can be done fast after you get them started. Just remember that each row will more than likely set back on top of the lower row by at least a 1/2 inch. This is because most have a locking tab on the rear of the block. you will need to make allowance for that in your plan.
Claypa------ I think this person is refering to the cast concrete stack stone and not regular flat stone like flagstone.
I think they're referring to real stone--every time I've heard someone use the term "dry stacked stone" it refers to the real stone not concrete. Hopefully tsurg will be back to clarify! Walls like that are definitely easier to build if you use the concrete blocks, but it doesn't give you quite the same look so it all depends on the look you're going for.
I think you are right about that. I just generally have come to think of stack stone as the blocks period I suppose. We will have to wait and see what they are trying to do. I can guarantee it would be cheaper with the blocks. I just bought some hard sand flagstone last week for a walk and at wholesale it was $169 a ton. The real stuff has went thru the roof my son tells me. He builds a lot of decks and patios out of flag stone. But he sets them in cement over 4 inch concrete base. Starts at about $28 a sq ft and goes up from there.
I think a lot of the price is for gasoline- at the quarry and to transport to the site. Some people have stones in their yard, too. A good trick is to find someone who wants to get rid of stone, not unusual around here.
Have a look at [HYPERLINK@www.VillaLagoon.com] as it is a house made with concrete dry stack walls. These big hunks of man-made stone ain't going anywhere ! Would be good for a retaining wall or raised bed.
