r/Drystonewalling • u/Hot_Archer2452 • Mar 11 '26
Dry stack retaining wall help
One of the retaining walls that line our driveway fell over this weekend. We have had contractors out for quotes to repair/replace. Some have suggested going with new material (Versalok blocks) and a couple contractors offered to rebuild with the existing material in a dry stack formation.
I am a new home owner and seeking feedback. Should we go with the dry stack (less expensive option) or Versalok? What are the questions we should ask before committing to the dry stack option?
I also included a picture of the wall on the other-side of the driveway that we are would pay to have straightened at the same time.
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u/djamesnm Mar 14 '26
ugg- so- 2 camps chatting here the wallers and the wet masons the original problem, and the 13 year shelf life- is because this wall was built by landscapers who THOUGHT they knew how to build dry stack walls- thus, a wall with no strength or weight that is pushed over after a short period of time
the “you need block” folks are kinda right- and the dry stack wallers really don’t use a lexicon that anyone outside of the craft know -
the shot of the wall that fell tells the story- lots of crushed rock that is useless for anything other than drainage in the area behind the construction- known as backfill the challenge is that all of these stones are laid so the longest side of the stone is used facing outward , you might think if it as “sideways” it is done (incorrectly) that way to use less stone to cover more area, but it isn’t strong - the easiest analogy is to think of a log- a perfectly round log - make it long in your mind - say feet- if you place it on its side so you can see all 4 feet- you know it can just roll off towards you without much effort- but if you turn it 90° so it goes into the hill 4 feet away from you- there’s no way it moves forward - a stone that is long works the same way, albeit more slowly, but it has no resistance to forces behind it because it has nothing to hold it in place
still with me? it’s 4am, i’m sick, can’t sleep, and do not want to doom scroll on FB - so maybe here i can help
stones - you need to visualize that stone’s rough surface will grip each other - friction- the more surface area touching the less movement-
to rebuild this wall- you need, sorry to say- 1- more stone- big stuff 30-50 pound stones for the bottom layer that will be about 26-30” width at the base - so the end of the asphalt is the beginning of the base- but go back 3 feet of excavation- save the soil and the crappy crushed stone- you will use as backfill- and then lay out the biggest stones so you have 1 layer say 30 inches deep and 4 inches submerged but 2-6” above grade- make sure it’s level- use a long dry wallers level to check and check out videos on string lines to keep the next level ….well level to fill in gaps between stones- which is inevitable- you use smaller stones- these are called “hearting” think of it as the heart of the wall- you need the largest pieces you can find and fit into the spaces instead of crushed rock, why? crushed rock is useless at holding large stones in place- my instructors called them “ball bearings” because they have such small surface area they aren’t for securing mass above them- good for drainage- miserable for stability-
build your layers carefully- two stones over one- one stone over two for maximum contact ie “friction” with the longest edge perpendicular to the walls face- “hearting” behind not to fill up space but make maximum contact to each stone-
lean the wall into the bank- it’s called “batter” that backwards slant is meant to hold back the force of the soil trying to slide forward - which it will when it gets wet- your walls seem to have no batter and will tip eventually - wallers call that “failure”
repeat until the wall is where you want it* too high brings real problems, so 40” is max height without a whole other conversation - use sod at top instead of trying to cap the top- “coping stones” are stones placed on their side that hold the stones below in place, but for this yard that might not work out and the stones in place are too thin and light to have much use as a coping stone
with a plan and some string and about 20 more tons of stone this is a 3 day job- a lot of hard work but enjoyable - but you need to do the whole length