Last week Maryah and I had the pleasure of working for some friends- Ken Rumble and Meg Stein (incredible local artists and musicians) who wanted some stone work done. We built three terraced stone walls, some check dams, which are used in trail work to create landings that help keep soil on the trail, and installed some stone curbing. This is work that we love doing, so if you want help doing it yourself or know someone who wants it done, let us know!
My first taste of stone work was in Montana where I worked for the Montana Conservation corps. I worked as a crew leader for an Americorps trail crew that worked with the park service and forest service (mostly). We helped their crews with (mostly) back country trail projects. I then went on to work for the park service in Yellowstone and for the Green Mountain Club in Vermont. When we did trail projects in the back country we’d have to dig out all the stone we needed from the surrounding hillsides. This job was a cinch in comparison- rather than trying to dig stone off the property we had it delivered. Which, is obviously the norm for residential jobs, but I’m still grateful to not have to go hunting for rocks.
Since my trail days I’ve worked with stone in other landscaped setting doing dry stack and mortar work as well as flagstone and brick patios.
Maryah, who is an artist and fine furniture maker by trade was a newby at dry stack stone masonry, but she got the hang of it as soon as she laid her first stone. It’s all about fitting the rocks together how they want to be fit and not trying to force them. If there is such a thing as an expert, she’s already there. And you can be too.
Following is a photo journal of our building process. Let us know what you think!
Maryah prepping for the first wall
Maryah and Me
Collier tamping a “bench” to start the first dry stack wall
Maryah laying the first courses of stone for the first retaining wall
The job in process
wall in progress
Collier tamping soil behind the first wall
Walls and check dams almost done!
Collier building “check dams”
Collier fitting stones together in a “check dam”
Collier and Maryah hot and tired.
I have experience with this work in residential setting and backcountry settings. Maryah, who is also a fine furniture maker and amazing artist, is a natural at fitting stone together.
Wow! the retaining wall is simply amazing. You both have done a marvelous job. “Sure” You ought to be really hot and exhausted not only from the hard work, but also from figuring out which stone goes where and in what position. However, your hard work has actually paid in full.
Visit the link for Rock Retaining Walls Construction in St George.