Natural stone is great material to use as a wall material. There are many ways in how we construct these walls: dry stacked, dry stacked with a wet mortar backing, mortar showing, and veneer.

I am particully fond of the dry stack with the wet mortar backing. The perfectly placed stone has an extremely tight look and with the mortar backing, it is extremely strong. By looking at the front of the wall or column, you can not see the mortar, but you have the piece of mind knowing that there will be no falling over, kicking out, sliding, etc.

With all the different wall options, there is a common denominator with all the walls we construct - the drainage. Every wall we construct is back filled with 57 gravel, and sometimes filter fabric and 4" drain tile is needed. This is done for a couple of reasons - first and for most, it relieves the wall of any hydrostatic pressure that has the potential to build. Second, it prevents any silt from weeping thru the wall and staining. Many of these walls start approx. 6"-10" below the grade and sit on either a gravel or stone dust bedding. What will be used is determined by the finished wall heighth.

In my opinion, natural stone is the finest of all the building materials. But choosing the material is just half the equation. They are a lot like plants, in that the right stone needs to be chosen for the right spot - a poorly laid stone wall is just a pile of rocks.

Walls are one of those few constant elements in the landscape and can add structure that very few things can emulate.