River rock retaining walls are a beautiful way to add natural beauty to your landscape. It’s also a great way to create space in your yard that you can use for growing plants or relaxing.
The dry stack river rock retaining wall is designed to be built without mortar. It is a low-maintenance and cost-effective solution for your landscaping needs.
It is made from real stone, which means that it will last for many years to come. The stones are laid in a staggered pattern, so you won’t have to worry about the stones falling out or getting knocked over by the wind or rain.
The dry stack river rock retaining wall can be used for a variety of different applications, including:
* Retaining walls
* Landscaping walls
* Privacy walls
Dry stack retaining walls are the perfect option if you want to add extra height and dimension to your property. If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to make improvements on your house, this is an easy project that does not require too much skill or experience.
What is Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
Dry stack river rock retaining wall is a popular choice for creating a landscape feature in your yard. The stones are stacked on top of each other without mortar, and they are held together by gravity and friction.
Uses of Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
Retaining walls are used for many purposes, but the most common is to serve as a support structure behind a wall or walkway. Retaining walls can also be used to protect against erosion and create outdoor living spaces.
The great thing about dry stack river rock retaining walls is that they can be installed on sloped terrain with ease. Since this type of retaining wall does not require mortar, you won’t need any heavy machinery or tools during installation. You just have to lay down your rocks in a way that they create a flat surface from one side of your yard to another. The best part about installing a dry stack river rock retaining wall is that it doesn’t take up much room at all.
Reasons for building Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
There are several reasons for building a dry stack river rock retaining wall. Here are some of the most common:
- To create a retaining wall
- To add a decorative element to your landscape
- To help prevent erosion, especially in areas where water may pool and overflow during heavy rains or flooding
- For privacy from neighbors’ prying eyes
Materials needed for building Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
Materials needed for building Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall:
- River rocks that are 3 inches or smaller in diameter. You can find these at a local stone yard or landscape supply store, or you can buy them online from Amazon. If you decide to purchase your river rocks through Amazon, you may have to pay an additional shipping fee because the company uses it’s own warehouses instead of third party sellers who charge a lower price but offer free shipping if the order is over $25. We recommend purchasing enough river rock to fill your retaining wall; however, if you want to save money on shipping costs there are websites that offer bulk quantities of dry stack retaining wall material.
- Landscaping fabric (can be found at Lowe’s)
- Landscaping sand – this is used as drainage under your rocks and will help keep them stable while they’re being installed (also available at Lowe’s).
- Landscaping soil – this acts as both drainage and backfill material (available at Lowe’s).
- Stone mortar – used between each layer of stacked rock so that they don’t fall apart over time (you’ll need this even if using concrete mix for backfill). You can purchase it from any hardware store but if purchasing online we recommend getting it from ebay since their prices tend to be lower than other retailers’. Be sure not
Tools needed for building Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
To build a dry stack river rock retaining wall, you need the following tools:
- Shovel
- Ruler or tape measure (to measure the length of each stone)
- Trowel, to spread mortar on the back of each stone and then smooth it out. If you don’t have one, use your hands or a rubber mallet if it’s not too muddy.
- Wheelbarrow, for hauling rocks from the quarry and for mixing mortar in.
- Level (for leveling out your foundation). A level is also called an inclinometer, which means “inclination meter.” You can buy one at any hardware store or home improvement center; they’re inexpensive and worthwhile investments.
Once all these tools are assembled on-site at your project site and ready to go…
Cost of building Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
The cost of building a dry stack river rock retaining wall depends on the size of your project and the quality and quantity of materials you use.
For example, a small wall that is 10′ wide x 22′ long would cost about $5,600 in materials (using river rocks) and require at least two days to install with one person working alone. Larger projects will require more money for materials and labor. If you hire contractors to build your dry stack retaining wall for you, expect to pay between $8-$12 per square foot or more depending on how skilled they are or if they have access to special equipment such as cranes or excavators (some companies offer these services).
The tools needed vary depending on whether or not you plan on using concrete blocks instead of stones for your construction project; but generally speaking, there are three basic categories: hand tools (drill bits/saws/screwdrivers), power tools (drills/hammers) and machinery used when working with concrete blocks like cement mixers or forklifts (which usually come at an additional cost).
Steps involved in Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
Step 1: Determine the location and plan the height of the wall.
Step 2: Plan for drainage.
Step 3: Dig out the area for the footer.
Step 4: Lay and level the first course of stones.
Step 1: Determine the location and plan the height of the wall.
If you are building a dry stack river rock retaining wall, you need to determine the location and plan the height of the wall.
You can determine the location by measuring the distance from the house to the edge of property.
Step 2: Plan for drainage.
You will want to make sure the wall is sloped to allow water to drain. If you are building a retaining wall on a slope, make sure it’s sloped away from the house (towards the backyard) so that water doesn’t collect at the base of your home. If you are building a retaining wall on a flat surface, make sure it’s sloped away from the house as well.
Step 3: Dig out the area for the footer.
The next step is to dig out a section for the footer. To do this, remove the topsoil and dig down to the level of the footer (in our case, this was 2 feet). Make sure you have enough room around your area to use some sort of wheelbarrow or cart to haul away all of this dirt.
You want to dig out as wide an area as possible because it will give you more room for laying down your wall later on. The length of this section should be equal to the height minus 6 inches (for example, if it’s going up 8 feet high then make sure it’s at least 12 feet long). The depth should be equal to 1/3rds of its overall height, so if you’re making a 10-foot tall wall then dig down 3 feet before starting construction on building up from there (this will allow room for three courses).
Step 4: Lay and level the first course of stones.
The first course of stones should be placed in a criss-cross pattern. This helps prevent the wall from leaning to one side or the other.
- Use a level to ensure that each stone is perfectly level. A perfectly straight wall will look more professional and make it easier to build further courses of stone on top of it later on.
- If you’re using river rocks with flat sides, there’s no need for you to spend time making sure they’re all lying flat against the ground; just place them in an alternating pattern and move on. However, if you have some larger rocks with uneven surfaces (like I did), take care when placing these so that their rougher sides face away from view and don’t leave any gaps between them when all’s said and done.
- With medium-sized stones like these ones from Home Depot®, hammering dirt out from between each individual rock can be time-consuming so much so that many contractors choose not even bother doing this step. But since we’re working with very small stones here instead (which means they’ll likely fit together tightly without needing extra help holding them together), this extra step will save us quite a bit of labor down the road by preventing cracks along seams between two neighboring pieces so give yourself some credit by taking care while leveling off those edges now.
Step 5: Lay and level the second course of stones, ensuring proper placement and stability.
Now that your first course of stones is in place, you’ll need to lay and level the second course of stones. To do that, use a level to ensure that the wall is straight and properly leveled. Make sure all of your river rocks are level with each other as well as even with the ground (or slightly above). You can also use an angle grinder to cut off any excess material on top of the wall if necessary.
Step 6: Fill in any gaps between stones with soil or sand and tamp down soil behind the wall to ensure stability.
- Fill in any gaps between stones with soil or sand and tamp down soil behind the wall to ensure stability. Use a tamping tool to tamp down the soil behind the wall, being careful not to go too deep into the ground or you will risk breaking through your rocks.
Using a level, check for straightness throughout all sides of your retaining wall. Use a shovel to fill in any gaps between stones, then tamp down soil behind the wall to ensure stability.
Maintenance tips for Dry Stack River Rock Retaining Wall
Dry stack river rock retaining wall is an excellent choice for homeowners looking to add style and durability to their property. However, before you start building your retaining wall, it’s important that you know how to clean and maintain it. Here are some tips:
- Clean the stones regularly with soap and warm water so they don’t get dirty or moldy.
- Repair small cracks in your dry stack river rock retaining wall with mortar or cement. You can also use epoxy resin if you have an ugly crack that doesn’t need to be fixed right away but still needs fixing soon.
- If a stone or two breaks from your dry stack river rock retaining wall, replace them as soon as possible so they don’t fall off on someone’s head one day when walking past your home.
A dry stack river rock retaining wall is easier to install than you might think.
Dry stack river rock retaining walls are a great option for people who want to add a beautiful and functional structure to their landscape but don’t have the time or money to hire a contractor. We’ll walk through the steps of installing one, including how much it costs, what materials you’ll need, and where to find them.
In Conclusion
Dry stack river rock retaining walls are an affordable, easy-to-build solution for creating a beautiful retaining wall on your property. They’re also highly customizable, so you can choose the style that best fits your needs and aesthetic. If you want to build one of these walls yourself but aren’t sure where to start, we recommend checking out our guide on how to build a dry stack river rock retaining wall.
