Boulder wall

[Builder]

Customer asked me to build a simple, economical, stacked boulder wall to retain ~4' of fill dirt for a large garden. It's about 120' long. As you all know, odd shaped boulders don't stack real well. I trucked in about 15 loads of 24"-48" boulders.
I started out by skimming off a level ledge for the first courses to sit on. I doubled/tripled up on the 2 bottom courses so the next course will stack on top without falling off. Looks more like a boulder "berm" than a wall. Second/3rd course is more challenging.

Would you use fabric behind the wall to keep dirt/mud from coming through the front openings left because the walls are not perfectly sealed? I was also considering a 3" stone vertical layer behind the fabric, then folding the fabric over the top and behind the 3" stone, but cost/complexity is of concern. Can't get too carried away on perfection-it's not supposed to be a work of art, or cost like a work of art. However, don't want smaller rocks being pushed off or mud oozing through.

I'm more used to building stone/mortar or interlocking block wall with proper pipe/drainage behind it. This thing looks like it might be a problem in the future.

 

[beenthere]

Are you just part way along? Finished?
As to an answer to your questions (good questions), not easy to say without a better feeling for the situation....pics would help.

 

[Builder]

'bout 3/5ths done. No backfill yet. Still have time for fabric, stone...

I have access to some old 3" driveway stone. Not perfectly clean, but good enough. Fabric will be ~$200, so I will be doing them, just wanted to run it by someone else who's "been there" LOL

 

[Toyboy]

Yep, use fabric. They did on mine to keep the dirt from channeling through.

 

[dave1949]

I have several stacked boulder walls. One is about 5' tall. They all have fabric but no stone behind them. We have fine, silty soil and have never had any wash out between the boulders. I wish I had flat rocks, but Maine is mostly blessed with rounded glacial rocks. My rocks are anywhere from 1' to 4' and don't fit tightly at all.
Dave.

 

[Builder]

I have several stacked boulder walls. One is about 5' tall. They all have fabric but no stone behind them. We have fine, silty soil and have never had any wash out between the boulders. I wish I had flat rocks, but Maine is mostly blessed with rounded glacial rocks. My rocks are anywhere from 1' to 4' and don't fit tightly at all.
Dave.

Crazy question, but got any pictures of them? That sounds like exactly what I'm building.

 

[dave1949]

Crazy question, but got any pictures of them? That sounds like exactly what I'm building.

Here are some pics. Not really liking this wall. Might build a terraced patio there someday. This is the top of the wall.
Dave.

These were all put up in 2006.

 

[dave1949]

Builder:

1st pic is front of wall in previous post.
2nd pic is a wall I hand stacked but quick and dirty.
3rd pic is another large rock wall with flatter rocks.

Dave.

 

[Builder]

Thanks for the pics! :thumbsup: The 1st & 3rd pics are very similar to what I'm building. I can't stop thinking the one I'm building's just going to fall apart in a couple years but they seem to hold.

So you put fabric behind your's?

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for the pics! :thumbsup: The 1st & 3rd pics are very similar to what I'm building. I can't stop thinking the one I'm building's just going to fall apart in a couple years but they seem to hold.

So you put fabric behind your's?

Yep, fabric up against the undisturbed soil face, then the rocks were stacked up. They have been very stable so far. The were built on undisturbed soil too. The one with round rocks has been buried with snow from clearing the drive with the FEL every winter. So much open space within the wall, moisture never collects anyways. They do have a slight backward slant.

I wish we had more large flat rocks to work with, the round ones will never look very finished IMO. All the rocks came from our clearing and house excavation into a sloped bank. Of course, I'll never move them with my TC40, so someday the excavator will be back if I decide to redo that wall in something more attractive.
Dave.