[BJR]

Here's a few pics of the type of stone walls I do.

There is one picture of the no fines concrete that we use behind our walls. Not just stone, but also block walls. We hardly ever use tensar grid any more.

[BJR]

Another

[BJR]

This is the no fines concrete mixed with unusable rock. Here we used ply to form up the back of the wall. If there is a cut to lay in front of we just face the cut as you would with any other wall. The no fines conctrete adds mass as well as doubling as the drainage layer. We lay the ag pipe along the back of the rocks / blocks, cover with about 4in aggregate then backfill with the no fines.

[BJR]

Another

[BJR]

last one.

On this job we have done almost 400sq metres (approx 4000sq ft I think).

[Stonehenge]

BJR - that stuff looks fantastic!

From one of the pics, it looks like the wall is a veneer over an existing masonry wall - is this the case?

Is it mortared together, or dry laid?

We just finished a 40+ ton limestone outcropping wall at my place and have about 7 ton left over, and I'm jonesing to build a wall like the one you've pictures here. Are there any simple tips you can give for building a wall of this type?

[Bill Schwab]

Thats awesome stuff!

[dan deutekom]

That is absolutely beautiful!

[BJR]

The rock is sandstone and is off cuts from the quarry where they saw cut the stone. It varies in size considerably. They are anywhere from 100mm to 400mm thick. We cut the stone, with a grinder with a diamond blade, to the shape we want. If the grinder doesn't cut all the way through we use a bolster and hammer to knock off the rest.

The stones have to have a thin layer of sand/cement wrapped around them so that it grabs the stone. Similar to if you make a fist with one hand and wrap your fingers around it with the other. The sand / cement will not stick securely to the stone directly. As we build the stone is then backed with the co fines concrete. The base of the walls are 2/3 the height and only 10in at the top.

I have 3 tradesman and one labourer doing the walls. They can do about 8 to 12sqm (80 - 100sq ft approx) in 8 hours. They have been on this job for 13 weeks now.

[VoodooChile]

Beautiful stone, and the craftsmanship is off the charts.

BJR, how do you get such tight tolerances between stones? I mean, in the one detail photo the gaps look smaller than an inch, and its not like laying a walk, where you can lay the stone on the ground to see what fits. Are the tiny pieces put in later?

Anyway, never seen a wall like this before!

[Precision L&L]

That looks awesome!

[BJR]

the gaps are on average 1/4 to 1/2 inch, no more. We shape the rock so that it slopes back ever so slightly. This gives a smaller joint at the face. We also stop the mortar in the joints about 1in from the face. The smaller rocks are placed in later by the labourer in between doing mixes.

[Stonehenge]

BJR, at 100mm, it would seem those stones would be too small to use in building a large wall. Do you pour that no-fines concrete after every course of stone to keep things sturdy?

I'd love to see more pics of this!

[BJR]

The no fines concrete is mixed in a mixer and placed as the wall is built so that it sticks to the mortar surrounding the stone.

The boys have almost finished the job and are building the double sided entrance walls to the complex. They have a small wall to finish after this, so if I get a chance I will take a photo of the construction technique.

If you want to face a masonry wall with a veneer I know of a bracket that can be used to help fix the stone to the wall. I haven't used them but I will post a diagram of what I think they look like. I have only been told of them.

[BJR]

Here's some more pics of works in progress.

Maybe you might get a better idea of hou it is constructed.