crumbling wall

[oemodm]

Morning!

Looking for practical tips on pointing + rebuilding a stone wall on a raised garden.

Here's a link to a bit of it:

https://ibb.co/QXX0BwD

Red area

1 - Pointing to stabilise the stone. What are the french names for the cement/limestone materials do I need to buy for this? Bricodepot links would be sweet.

2 - Is there a link which visualises step by step doing this?

Blue area

1 - I pulled out a massive tree root & accidentally collapsed the wall. Piled up the stones temporarily but time+rainfall & it's collapsed again. Rebuilding is a case of delicately 1 by 1 re-positioning stone right?

2 - Is it worth positioning some steel cage/mesh against the soil first, then positioning in the stones?

3 - The stones will be re-positioned with cement/limestone (same as the pointing), I guess the same as for pointing in the red area. Links would be great.

thank you !

[richard51]

I am no expert but we have a similar problem in the UK. I merely rebuilt the wall interlocking the stones with it sloping gently backwards. Mesh may well help.

I would not attempt to point it as would mean possible water build up behind the wall.

This may help a little.

https://dengarden.com/landscaping/How-to-make-a-natural-stone-retaining-wall

[mint]

That looks like it's going to take a LOT of work!

Have you considered using gabions?

[url]https://www.google.com/search?q=images+pour+mur+gabions&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmnNaU547iAhXwzoUKHQh_BPMQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1600&bih=774[/url]

Quick, sturdy, no build up of water?

[woolybanana]

Sounds like a Chippendale!?

[BritinBretagne]

I’ve recently done that to several sections of my garden wall. I was amazed how easy it turned out to be. I just removed all the rubble from the hole and built it up carefully one row at a time, as the others have said with the stones leaning back a bit. After each layer I filled the gaps between the stones I’d laid with small stones and earth. Not a drop of chaux in sight. If I could do photos I’d post a before and after photo. I’d been putting off doing it for years.

[oemodm]

Superb link and advice. Got it.

Pointing, yes, you are right. As per the link, geotextile behind. Gonna be alot of work to take down all the down and redo.

Any ideas for stopping the soil from collapsing as the stone is taken down, then relaid with a slight angle?

[oemodm]

the reply button from the gabion suggestion is masked out from the link.

It's a great idea. Do those gabions need planning permission? Just take down the wall, stack stone in a gabion and re-build. Love it. But would that need permission?

[Théière]

Only if you don't own the land.

[richard51]

Whichever way you go the same principles seem to apply.

https://www.tendance-gabion.fr/applications/murs-de-soutenement/

In terms of holding back the soil I used the crossed-finger method. From your photo it looks as if not too much

has fallen down!

[Patf]

Holding back the soil - the mind boggles, that's quite a problem. I would wait for a period of dry weather.

We lived in the Gers which is very hilly , many clay slopes which tend to slip down in wet weather.

The favourite method of support was to have a slope, rather than a sharp descent. Then either rocks, grading from large at the base to smaller above. Or very strong netting followed by planting of shrubs and small trees. Hopefully the roots stabilise the soil.

ps your soil looks very different from ours. Have you asked a neighbour for advice?

[mint]

If I needed a retaining wall, I would use gabions.  No worry about putting in weep holes, stones crumbling again, etc.  You could have your wall up and running, so to speak, in a fraction of the time!

You could prettify it with pots of trailing plans on top of the wall and you would be able to use some of your existing stones from the old wall.  Job done, as they say![:D]

Good luck!

[Patf]

I had to look up gabions, Mint - I've seen those too in the Gers.

A sort of combination of the suggestions I gave.

[oemodm]

Wonderful. Thank you.

I love the cleanliness of the gabions.

Will probably buy the mesh and form them up on site, if not, 15 metres at 80cm high would be around 2k eur for the gabions alone.

Any pointers on how to lean back the gabions 5 degrees or so? Or would that be factored into the formed cage

[richard51]

The reference I gave included this quote:

"For large heights, it is advisable to shift the cages 10 or 20 cm at each row to prevent the weight of the upper gabion come press the panels of the front panel that could deform under stress. To retain land in an embankment, a concrete foundation is not always necessary. It depends on the stability of your ground, the desired gabion height, the embankment to be withheld, any possible overloading at the rear. "

I fear it will expand into an expensive (in time and money) exercise, but the end product will be more "modern".

The retaining wall I "repaired" does remain in keeping with its surroundings as most neighbours do have old stone walls. Your decision and final result will be very interesting.

[mint]

Of course, gabions are not suitable for all soil types; for example, no good for sand or clay. Here, where I live, they are excellent as the soil is mostly calcaire.

[oemodm]

if the stone wall is already on clay-soil (for sake of being pedantic), why would gambion wall on the same footprint make any difference to whether it sinks a bit or not?

Also, how can i tell the type of soil in a glance?

[BritinBretagne]

[quote user="mint"]Of course, gabions are not suitable for all soil types; for example, no good for sand or clay. Here, where I live, they are excellent as the soil is mostly calcaire.[/quote]

Poor you. Where I live the underlying rock is calcareous but the soil itself is not. In fact it’s much, much finer than sand.

[Patf]

oemodm - as I said before, ask a local. If you don't speak french, get someone to help you who does.

[oemodm]

The neighbour will know. thanks !