There are many advantages to dry stone walls, they don’t just enhance a landscape but are a practical form of boundary, they will outlast most forms of other fencing, and they can be built in almost any kind of conditions from boggy ground to steep slopes and are also fireproof.
When it comes to dry stone, there are many possible applications including:
- Retaining walls
- Entrance gates
- Boundary walls
- Feature walls
- Seats
- Garden beds
- Steps
- Terraces
- Water features
Sometimes called dry stack, dry stone wallers use a building method where structures are built from stones without the use of mortar to bind them together. Dry stone walls and structures are stable because of the particular construction method, where a load-bearing façade is built using carefully selected interlocking stones.
Traditionally used for boundaries of fields and churchyards, dry stone is probably now best known for dry stone walls, but it can also be used in sculptures, bridges and buildings.
Skilled wallers are today few in number, as with many older crafts. With the rise in wooden, wire and colorbond fencing, fields businesses and homes can be fenced with less time and expense. However, this is offset by the drystone walls sturdiness, low maintenance and subsequently long lifespans. As a result of growing appreciation of the dry stone walls beauty and its visual impact on landscapes, wallers will remain in high demand, as well as dry stone walls themselves.
If you would like to discuss dry stone walls for your property, give us a call at Solé Structural Landscapes.
