DIY Rock Wall Saves Money

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Rock walls provide backdrops for dramatic plantings. Jerry Pavia

Carl Dill grew up in the lumber business but fell in love with stone. For more than two decades he’s been turning granite, schist and bluestone into dry-stack rock walls around New Milford, Connecticut.

Instead of mortar, dry-stack building uses friction and gravity to hold stone structures in place. “It’s a hobby, a wonderful hobby,” says Dill, who recently retired from the building supply business. And if it’s something you might enjoy, too, Dill advises, “Get started. It’s not rocket science; it just takes practice.”

Dill’s “practice” began when he bought a stone house in need of repair. After fixing his home, he headed outdoors, where his first efforts at wall building proved less than stellar. Seeing the results, he figured, “Maybe I ought to do this the right way.”

Trial and error turned him into an expert. To date, he’s built about 25 walls for himself, his friends and his church that he feels confident will stand the test of time. Stone feels right, he says. “It just seems so permanent and reassuring.”

In New England, Dill notes a growing interest in preserving and constructing stone walls. As developers began bulldozing these historic structures, citizens rallied for the structures’ protection. At the same time, people began wanting walls of their own. Doing the work yourself brings satisfaction, says Dill. Plus, “having people build it is not cheap, about $100 a face foot.”

Wall-building classes that Dill teaches at the local college fill fast. Most students are middle aged, and about a third are women who typically want a garden wall.

Large projects or small dry-stack walls serve all sorts of needs. Historically, they marked boundaries or provided an artistic way to use excess stone. Landscape designer Darren Owen uses stone in abundance. “It’s beautiful; it’s durable.” And, he says, “It’s a more natural way to deal with the landscape.” For his own home in Lawrence, Kansas, he constructed a series of stone retaining walls, topping them with trees and plants to cut noise. Steps and pathways add movement.

When it comes to walls, Owen and Dill lean in different directions. Single walls work best with land that has topography to it, or where you want to create a terrace, Owen says. They can prevent erosion, enclose gardens and add privacy. He specializes in retaining walls.

Dill, on the other hand, enjoys freestanding walls; basically, two walls back to back, slanting slightly toward each other. 

Two Walls, Back to Back