As poet Robert Frost noted in his poem “Mending Wall,” it’s called gravity. Oh, and rain and snow and ice and rain and snow and ice.
Since we moved in, our dry laid stone wall in front, along the driveway, has been trying to find a way to go lie down. Sagging at first, then bulging, and most recently toeing over and looking ominously close to avalanche.
Note that the stones near the downspout are bulging – a year ago they were not out beyond the spout. And now – about 8 inches. And the bottom stones are toeing over, and clearly headed to the asphalt.
We had resolved to leave this thing alone until it collapsed. But our intrepid stonemason, Pat de Keyserling (who worked his amazing magic last fall with our backyard garden wall) happened by a month or two ago, and we had a conversation. He suggested that it could be rebuilt much more quickly and easily than we thought – in a couple of days. So, with an abundance of caution, and delighted to have Pat back with us for a brief time, we said: “Let’s do it!”
So starting last Wednesday Pat, with help from his co-worker Craig Walker, began the task.
By Wednesday afternoon, the deconstruction process was in full swing. The outer stones, when they were first laid over 80 years ago, had been backed up by soil and rubble. As the soil washed away over time, the outer layer of stones had no tie to the rubble, and so could sag and head to the driveway. Pat would remedy this, as you will see.
Stones everywhere. Craig shovels the soil, Pat sorts the rocks – good ones for the rebuild, others for the backup.
Our landscape architect Dave Franke and Amy inspect the work.
Pat had made a deal with us – he got half the driveway, and we got half. The cones mark the DMZ.
Note the gravel near the stairs. As he rebuilds the wall, Pat will put gravel and a drain tile behind the outer layer, instead of just soil. This will allow for drainage without washing out the backing.
And as he lays up the wall, Pat will interlock the outer wythe of stone with the inner layer of rubble, thus tying the wall together like never before. Should last at least another 80 years.
End of day one.
Thurday morning and the wall reconstruction is underway.
Now you can see the gravel going in as drainage, That white thing to Pat’s right is the drain tile. More about this later.
Progress was slower than hoped for on Thursday. As if to reinforce why we decided to rebuild, the soil caved in four separate times Thursday, slowing Pat and Craig, and so they shoveled and shoveled. But by mid-morning on Friday, in the image above, the guys were rockin’, so to speak.
Before lunch on Friday, Pat had set a line, so that he could see where he was going as the wall neared completion.
Most of the gravel is gone, and the soil too. Only a few stones remain. The finish line looms.
By early afternoon, everything is clean and neat. Here Craig chinks the wall, taking small stones and driving them into joints to lock everything tightly together.
Done. Note that the soil above the wall is slightly mounded. We were expecting rain over the weekend, and Pat thought the soil, which is very sandy, would settle an inch or two.
Note the round clay drain tile peeking out of the stones at the lower left.
Well it did rain over the weekend. In fact, we had a typhoon. And, as the veteran ace Mr. de Keyserling had predicted, we got almost exactly two inches of settlement. The wall made it through the storms with flying colors.
Yesterday Pat and Craig returned briefly. Pat repointed some open joints in the stone wall at the front of the house, and Craig chinked a little while longer. After an hour or so, they disappeared.
Thanks, guys! Well done.
