I'm building a rock wall and have never built anything before...?

any words of advice? I truly have no idea what I%26#039;m doing...I know where, how tall...I visualize random rocks- nothing brick-like...I%26#039;d love to be able to plant small plants/flowers within it as well...

I%26#039;m building a rock wall and have never built anything before...?
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_droc...





I%26#039;ve pasted a link to DIY Network%26#039;s show, %26quot;Rock Solid%26quot;. It%26#039;s an episode that I watched where the hosts built a wall like the one you have described.





The hosts are Dean and Derek, and they%26#039;re cousins. They are professional masons and work in rocks, stone and other natural materials. These guys are so great, I%26#039;ve learned a lot from their show. I even fixed a brick wall in my house after learning from them. Not bad for a farm girl!





Good luck!





ps...if you follow the links through the episode in the web site I sent you, you%26#039;ll get step by step instructions that you can print off.
Reply:I have some good news and some bad news. Flat rocks do exactly that; they lay flat so they are easily stacked. Round rocks or those that seem as if they have no flat side can be layed side by side to creating 2 walls,(one behind the other) in order to stack the rocks higher. Now the key is to always start at the lowest point of the projected wall. This way you are building into the grade and gain better support for the wall itself. Always best to backfill with soil as you are increasing the height of the wall. Build according to the grade or build it with a stair step effect to run courses level. Stand back periodically when building the wall and visualize where you like plants and create a plant pocket at that point.
Reply:I would lay the rocks out and group them by size/shape so when you are far into your second layer you can just scan the pile and find the shape that will best fit the spot. they do best if you stagger them, like they do with bricks because it gives the wall strength and each rock will help hold the other in place. I say just start laying them down, and go with it. Begin at the lowest point of the wall, and move around from there. You may think you haven%26#039;t built any thing, but surely as a child, you played with stacking and wall making (blocks, cards,... rocks), you might surprise yourself if you just get in there and do it.
Reply:Here are a couple other sites that may help:





http://www.gardeneureka.com/-Newsletter/...





http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP13025...





If the wall is very tall, be sure to study the parts about %26quot;dead-men%26quot; - restraints that go back into the slope so that the wall doesn%26#039;t bow or fall. I recently saw a retaining wall at a very expensive home that tumbled into a gully because the builder didn%26#039;t include dead-man features.



acne scar