Drystone Wall Restoration

We usually start with a wall that looks like this, far past its best and no longer fit for purpose. In this case the wall was severly lacking of ‘filling’ which will have been the cause of its failure. Drystone walls are held together by friction, the better packed and filled it is the more friction there is and in turn this adds to the longevity.

Next we strip it back to foundations, resetting and altering the foundation stones if needed. It’s vital we have a good base to start from to ensure the strength of the wall. In this case we reset most of the foundation stones due to poor previous placement or settlement.

When laying the foundations we also take into account the height of the wall. If the wall is high or is retaining land then the foundations need to be wider. The general rule of thumb we stick to is however high the wall is, the foundations need to be half that measurement.

We then build up, packing and filling tightly as we go. On this wall we had three ‘Through-stones’ to lay. These stones are the full depth of the wall and act as a tie, knitting the two skins of the wall together. Whilst these throughs are not featured in every wall we do like to come across them, they make the wall more secure and will add to its lifespan.

From our previous step it’s a simple matter of building the last few courses and laying the ‘Toppers’ on the final course. These are the icing on the cake and a key part of the wall. Your eyes are drawn to the line of the ‘toppers’ so it’s important they’re as level as possible. We like to spend time dressing them to ensure it looks as uniform as we can get it. We were really happy with this section of wall, we both liked the curve and the final product looks beautiful!

If you have a wall that looks similar to the first picture, drop us an email or give us a call. We would love to restore your wall to its former glory!