Ua ib lub pob zeb qhuav-Stacked Retaining Phab ntsa-vwm paving

Xav tsim koj tus kheej pob zeb tuav phab ntsa, tab sis tsis paub yuav pib li cas? Yog tias koj muaj qhov tsis sib xws vaj, pob zeb tuav phab ntsa tuaj yeem pab tiv thaiv kev yaig thiab muab qhov chaw zoo rau cog. Kawm yuav ua li cas muab koj tus kheej tso ua ke, txij thaum pib mus rau tag, nyeem rau.

 

To figure out how much stone you’ll need, multiply your wall’s height times the depth times the length. If your wall is 2 feet high, 1-1/2 feet wide, and 20 feet long, you’ll need roughly 60 cubic feet of stone. Most stoneyards will deliver the stones for a slight charge; have them placed as close to the site of your retaining wall as possible.

Raws li rau tools, you’ll need a shovel for digging your trench and backfilling, a mattock for attacking the grade, and a small sledgehammer for tamping soil. For marking your site and leveling rocks, you’ll need a line level, a few tall stakes, string, some flour, and a 4- or 8-foot level.

 

So you’re all set with your cov cuab yeej, qee qhov dej haus, thiab tej zaum qee qhov kev ua haujlwm los ntawm. Thawj qhov yuav tsum tau ua yog txiav txim siab lub ntsej muag ntawm phab ntsa. Yog hais tias nws yog ncaj, ib tug board los yog ib txoj hlua stretched ntawm cov ceg txheem ntseeg yuav siv tau los khij kab. Txwv tsis pub, siv lub vaj hose thiab kos lub ntug nrog hmoov.

 

Now you can start digging. The easiest approach is to cut and fill—that is, dig into the slope where the wall will go and spread the earth below you to create a level terrace. When you cut and fill, the wall is backed by undisturbed soil, which is more stable than fill. For design reasons, however, you might choose to build a freestanding wall and fill behind it with soil from another site. Or you might do a partial cut and fill, which is somewhere between the two.

Phab ntsa yog tsim nyob rau hauv cov chav kawm. The base course is structurally the most important, while the final course, the capstone, is the most challenging. For stability, walls should be at least 20 inches wide at the base. They can taper slightly toward the top, but you’ll want a wall that is at least two rocks wide in most places. This can be accomplished by mixing stones of different sizes or by backfilling with a combination of two-thirds rubble to one-third soil.

 

 Khawb ib lub trench rau lub hauv paus chav kawm

Start by digging a trench about 4 inches deep and at least 2 feet wide. A straightedged spade will give you a nice, even edge. The first course must be very solid and tightly fit because the weight of the wall will rest on it. Take the time to find rocks that lock into place, without leaving gaps. Randomly lay your largest rocks along the front edge of the trench. Set the first stone, shifting it around until it sits securely without being rocked easily, and then fill with the remaining stones. If you are using rectangular stones, you want the height of adjacent stones to be the same, or of a difference that can be made up with a smaller stone. If the rocks are irregular, then the stones will fit together leaving a triangular gap for the next course to fit into. I find irregular rocks easier to work with than flat ones; with flat rocks you have to be more precise. Find a stone that fits well and then continue for a few more feet. A rule of thumb, passed down from my wall-building teacher’s mentor, is to try a stone seven different ways. If it doesn’t fit by the seventh try, use another stone.

Tom ntej no, chais av tom qab lub pob zeb thiab tamp lub ntiaj teb rau hauv qhov chaw between, behind, and beneath the stones with top of the sledgehammer. This is an important step because the dirt becomes the mortar for the wall. I also recommend adding rubble (those stones you won’t use on the face of your wall) behind the face course to give greater strength to the wall. Pound the rubble and soil mix until you are satisfied that it is solid. Continue the first course until you reach the end of the wall. When you are done, test

 koj qhov kev kawm los ntawm kev taug kev maj mam rau ntawm nws. Lub pob zeb yuav tsum tsis txhob yob tawm hauv qab koj qhov hnyav.

 

Txhawm rau pib chav kawm thib ob, xaiv lub pob zeb uas yuav txuas rau thawj qhov sib koom ua ke ntawm cov chav kawm hauv qab. Avoid having joints run up the face of the wall, and angle (batter) the courses backward—approximately 1 inch per vertical foot. This creates a stable wall. For added strength, intermittently place single stones that run the full depth of the wall. This will only work with rectangular rocks. For irregular rocks, place a large rock behind a face rock every 3 feet or so. As you set a course, you will come to situations, probably quite a few of them, where the rock placement is perfect on all sides but one. These are the planting opportunities that give life to a stone wall.

Continue building in this manner until you are one course away from the finished height. Fitting stones will get easier as you go, and you’ll likely discover that there’s a certain magic moment when you’re building a wall: you hear a thump that signals you’ve placed a rock perfec

 

Ua kom koj phab ntsa zaum qhov siab

The ideal height for a dry-stacked retaining wall is 18 to 22 inches—so you can sit on it when your gardening chores are done. Even if

you don’t plan to sit on your wall, 3 feet is about as high as I would recommend building any dry-stacked wall; higher walls should be engineered for stability. Using your stakes, string, and line level, mark the height of the capstone. You’ll also want to check the level of individual stones as you go. It’s difficult to get the capstone perfectly level, but a 1-inch variance looks level overall.

 

Nqa kev ua siab ntev ntau rau cov txheej txheem ntawm kev tso lub capstone; nws yog ib qho tseem ceeb ntawm cov txuj ci uas koj tau tsim los rau qhov no. Nws yuav tsum yog li 15 mus rau 18 nti tob, ua los ntawm ib mus rau peb lub pob zeb. Siv cov av thiab qhov chaw zoo rau kev ruaj ntseg ntawm cov pob zeb, thiab ib yam li cov pob qij txha ntawm phab ntsa, zam cov pob qij txha ntev hauv cov pob zeb. Yog tias koj xav zaum ntawm phab ntsa, xaiv cov pob zeb du, tiaj tus. Los yog, sau qhov khoob nrog av thiab cog cov tshuaj tsw qab rau cushions. Ib tsob ntoo capstone yog qhov zoo siab ua tiav rau ntawm phab ntsa nyob.