If stone walls could talk, they’d probably say, “Man, it’s great to be built to last and look good doing it.”
Landscape walls are more than just a way to give your backyard a sophisticated and high-end look; they can be quite useful. They might be retaining structures. They might cordon off a lovely patio seating area. Or they might contain a feature such as a fire pit, fireplace, or water fountain.
“Free-standing walls can be a purely aesthetic-defining element, provide the threshold to an entrance…or be used for seat walls,” said Megan Taylor, a landscape designer for TimberStone Landscape Design + Build. “Some people don’t have a usable backyard until we design and construct a retaining wall to create that usable space.”
According to TimberStone President Dave Hefren, stone walls are typically built using fieldstone, boulders, or granite, with fieldstone being the most popular in this area. Whatever the material, the appearance of the stone can vary from load to load—and even stone to stone—based on where it’s harvested or quarried.
How landscape walls are built is a more complex issue than what they’re made of. Retaining walls must be designed to hold earth in place, where free-standing walls must only withstand their own weight. Depending on its structural requirements, each wall may be built with mortar or dry-stacked with stones being hand-shaped, chiseled, and placed in an intentional way.
“Any stone wall should be built as though it were structural and self-supporting, not relying on the use of mortar for its integrity,” Hefren said. Mortared walls are built atop a reinforced concrete footing that must extend below the frost line, whereas “dry-laid walls can be built over a compacted gravel base, depending on the application,” Hefren said.
The size of the stone used can have an affect both on the way a wall is built and how it appears. Thin stone, typically between 1-2 inches thick, is the—surprise!—thinnest, with wall stone and building stone widening from there. Depending on the client’s preference, the different thicknesses can be laid to either show the face of the stone (typical with thin stone) or the edge of the stone. Large boulders can be used to get funky with your stone wall design or to “help anchor the wall to the site,” according to Hefren.
“Our typical clients confess that they simply love the look and feel of stone and they appreciate the time it takes to create something beautiful,” he said. “Building with stone is truly a creative process, and the possibilities are endless.”
Caroline Shaffrey, who contracted with TimberStone to build a stone fireplace, walls, and other elements over the course of about a month behind her historic home on Park Street, said she was looking to add a focal point to her backyard. Natural stone, she said, won out against contractors offering poured concrete faux stone walls.
“The end product was fantastic,” she said. “If they could build me a house out of stone, I would have them do it.”
Set your own price
Ask landscape designers how much a stone wall costs, and you’re likely to see smoke come out of their ears. There are so many variables in play, you might as well be asking them to solve Fermat’s Last Theorem.
“It’s kind of a loaded question,” said Megan Taylor of TimberStone Landscape Design + Build. “There are many variables that affect the overall cost, as with any type of construction.”
Some factors, of course, are more important than others. First, material. Fieldstone, the most popular wall stone in this area of the country, can range from $250 per ton to around $400 per ton. Granite, another durable stone used, is typically more expensive.
Application is also a serious consideration. Any value-added elements, such as a water feature, will add to the price. Free-standing walls are typically more expensive than retaining walls.
“Dry-laid walls can be built over a compacted gravel base, depending on the application,” Hefren said. “This can help save the cost of installing concrete footers, and they can be permanent, timeless structures if installed correctly.”
Other considerations, according to the TimberStone team, are site accessibility and custom design and implementation. When Caroline Shaffrey contracted with TimberStone for stone seat walls, a fireplace, and several other elements in her backyard off Park Street, the tight access and custom design and construction helped push the cost north of $50,000.