In order to make room for the new and unexpected driveway that went in this summer, the crews at Cement Brothers Concrete had to dig out a portion of our front yard.
Before they got started, Paul and I rented a jack-hammer and took out the old walkway, since we knew that the area between the new driveway and the front porch would become a garden bed at some point. We also knew that the grade change would be significant and would require the installation of a retaining wall down a large portion of the driveway.
Our first thought was to use a product from the big box stores but after significant research we opted to go with a different product available through a local stone yard called J & R Stone.
While I was traveling for work, Paul and his friend Adam kicked off the project by installing three natural stone steps into the hillside.
We finally decided on a self-locking retaining wall system in a slate grey color and had it delivered. With a crew of three, we got busy digging, laying leveling sand and working to install a perfectly level first row.
All in all, it took us most of the weekend but installation was easy--requiring some upper body strength and a good bit of patience.
We chose an offset masonry pattern--where the seams don't line up--and allowed the top caps to overhang about an inch for some extra drama.
Tools required for this job include:
- Limestone Based Sand
- Rubber mallet
- Speed Square
- Level
- Stone chisel
- Hammer
- Gator Dust
- 3 Tubes of retaining wall adhesive / Caulk Gun
- Wet Saw to cut 45 degree corner pieces (rented from Home Depot for $40)
This looks awesome. How will you ever leave that house one day?
ReplyDeleteHahaha. That is a good question. I have often said to Paul we're going to be those crazy people who cut their house in half, put it on a semi and haul it through town to their next location.
ReplyDelete