On Sept 16 2005 the Dry Stone Walling Across Canada ran its first dry stone retaining wall workshop near Milton Ontario Canada.
Retaining walls are more challenging than free standing walls since they are subject not only to frost and gravity but also uneven forces of erosion and soil pressure . It was important for participants to consider building a wall that would be able to stand independently and be structurally secure in order to withstand the weight of the material it would have to be holding back.
John Shaw-Rimmington along with Matthew Ring of the DSWAC explained the basics of the dry stone wall method and then a dozen or so enrolees, from as far away as Quebec and London, practised their skills at building walls with a plentiful selection of rather bazaar shaped natural limestone found on the property. No landscape glue or concrete products were used.
The two terrace steps were installed shortly before the hands on seminar began . Students then worked to build two forty foot long , 30-inch-thick walls, either side of the steps , to accommodate the change in grade.
Here are some before and after pictures.
This final shot is of the finished terrace with the last two granite steps set in place and flat moss covered rocks (found on the property) installed as coping. All this was done shortly after the seminar was completed.
