Stone That Looks Like It Was Always There
On Brushy Mountain Rd, a short drive from the Rockmart Slate House and Rockmart Memorial Park, a bare slope sat right below this home's back deck. With the welded wire wall finished at the bottom of the property, the homeowners wanted something closer to the house that looked like it belonged in the woods. So for part two of the project, we built a natural retaining wall from Tennessee fieldstone boulders that holds the slope and fits the scenery.
- A Bare Slope Below the Deck: The ground between the house and the new perimeter wall needed something to hold it.
- Nothing Boring: The homeowners asked for stone with real shape and color, not uniform block.
- Stone That Fits the Setting: Tennessee fieldstone in natural tans and grays suits the wooded lot.
Boulder Wall Details
- Wall Length & Height: About 75 linear feet of boulder wall, roughly 6 feet tall at its highest point.
- Stone Mix: A blend of Tennessee Finger Boulder, Tennessee Fieldstone Wall Rock, and Tennessee Fieldstone Thick Long Stack.
- Backfill & Grade: Approximately 3 truckloads of fill dirt for backfill and finished grade.
Setting Boulders on a Rockmart, GA Retaining Wall Slope
Before any stone went in, the 188-foot welded wire perimeter wall farther down the lot was finished and backfilled. With that done, we cut into the slope below the deck for the boulder wall. The heaviest boulders went down first as the base course, set one at a time with a mini excavator.
As the courses went up, we placed filter fabric against the back of the stones so soil can't wash out through the gaps when water gets in, and we compacted the backfill behind it with a jumping jack compactor, one lift at a time. The upper courses mix in the Tennessee Fieldstone Wall Rock and Thick Long Stack, staggered so the joints break between rows, with thick, flat stones along the top. The wall curves around the slope and ends at the chain-link fence by the side path.
The last 3 loads of fill went in behind and below the wall to set the finished grade, and the whole slope was covered in wheat straw. Polk County gets heavy downpours, and the straw holds the surface in place while grass takes root. As Rockmart retaining wall builders, we don't build many boulder walls, but this lot called for one.
Project Gallery
The Finished Boulder Wall
These shots show the wall from below, from the side, and up close, where you can see the stone's natural color and texture. The flat ground on top is already in use, with chairs set out to look over the wooded lot.
Stacking Stone & Compacting Backfill
During the build, the base boulders went in first, with filter fabric placed against the back of the stone. Each layer of sandy backfill was compacted before the next course was set.
When a Wall Should Blend In, Not Stand Out
On a wooded lot, a retaining wall doesn't need to look man-made to do its job. A well-fitted boulder wall holds the ground just as well, and the natural stone suits the trees around it. If block feels wrong for your property, natural stone may be the right fit.
