 | Randy Hayes
is the manager of Habitat's HomeMart located at Towne West in the old Office Depot location. Having been in the retail furniture business for 20 years, and having started both Home Accents and Cost Plus Furniture Warehouse, Randy jumped at the opportunity to further his career in the furniture industry while giving back to those in need. Habitat's HomeMart is a non-profit retail store with all profits going to building homes for Wichita Habitat Homes. Randy, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, has two sons who he enjoys watching progress in their football careers in the Maize school district. You can reach Randy at (316) 943-6996 or email rrhayes@habhomemart.com |
Furniture
2004-03-01 15:26:00
Landscape retaining walls
: I want to create a landscape retaining wall. Any suggestions on working with landscape timbers versus stone or paving blocks?
ANSWER: Retaining wall products made from wood can rot, warp, and become insect and rodent motels. Stone or paving blocks are made to be durable, flexible, timeless, and are available in many different colors to blend with your home's exterior.Here are a few tips when constructing a retaining wall with paving stones: Although it's not absolutely necessary, a 1" bed of sand in the bottom of your trench is extremely helpful. In order for your wall to be attractive and serve its' purpose it needs to be level. This first step will save you time when using your level on the bottom row. Stones need to be securely anchored in the ground. How deep it needs to be anchored is dependent on whether you are doing a short wall or a tall wall. A short wall is defined as any wall 3-courses or less and a tall wall as any wall 4-courses or more (7-courses is the maximum recommended wall height). For a short wall it's recommend burying the bottom layer 1/2 (or two inches). On a 3-course wall this will leave 10 inches showing out of the ground. For a tall wall it's recommend burying the entire bottom layer (or 4 inches). On the maximum wall height of 7-courses this will leave 24 inches showing out of the ground. By burying the first row, you have created a stable footing to support the rest of your wall and will keep movement to a minimum. For tall walls you might also mix dry cement in with your sand. After your wall is built, the cement/sand mixture will draw moisture from the ground and help secure your bottom row creating somewhat of a footer.Landscape fabric used behind the retaining wall serves as a filter to keep small soil particles from working their way through the wall when moisture is present. Any material used as a barrier behind your wall must allow moisture to come through so it can help prevent your wall from failing.Do not attempt to build a wall using an edging product that is not designed to be stacked.When used as a retaining wall it will fail. Edging stone is designed as a single layer product for doing straight, curved, and serpentine type edging. Used in decorating, it can be stacked three layers above the ground (which would be approximately 11"). It is required that one additional layer be totally buried in the ground for support, which would make a total of four (4) layers.It is not recommended mortaring retaining wall products; these walls are designed to be mortarless. A good construction grade adhesive is recommended when you need to secure the top row to prevent kids from moving your wall pieces, and is highly advised. There are several concrete adhesives that work well and most adhesives can be applied with a caulk gun. When building your wall, you may need partial units. Stones can be easily cut to size with the proper tools. These tools can often be rented or purchased inexpensively. Start by measuring the size of the piece you will need to finish the row. For cuts that are 1/2 of a stone, you will notice that many of the stones you have purchased have a groove in the backside of the stone. This is a built-in stress point to help you split stones in half. You start your cut by scoring the wall piece around all four sides with a heavy-duty 3" masonry chisel and a hand sledgehammer then simply roll the stone onto its face with the back sticking up in the air. Then set the 3" masonry chisel into the groove and strike it with the sledgehammer. This function is best performed on a hard surface such as a sidewalk. After a couple of blows the stone should split in half. For cuts that are smaller or larger than a 1/2 stone, you will need to make your own stress point. After measuring your cut size, use the same measurement to mark your stone on the top, bottom, and back.Always use protective eyewear when splitting stones.
