NSWS® recently completed a curvilinear freestanding wall in front of a dining hall at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.

Working with a design created by Woodburn and Company Landscape Architecture, NSWS® custom built and installed a New England Round Fieldstone freestanding wall to frame a new brick patio installed by others. This curved stone wall will greet students every day as they exit the dining hall and serve as a bench or space to sit and study or socialize and enjoy meals or coffee.

NSWS® continues its production schedule as spring and summer are flying by.

A project in Lincoln, MA included a curvilinear New England Fieldstone retaining wall and an installation of a 4,500 gallon rainwater collection system. Addition of this retaining wall increases usable lawn area space and allows for irrigation of vegetable garden areas. The temporary fence will be replaced with a permanent decorative fence in the coming months and we will update pictures then.

A project in Stow, MA required a stacked stone retaining wall with granite steps. The wall was built custom to the client’s request to match an existing historic stacked stone wall elsewhere on the property. A mix of larger and small stacked fieldstone was used to create this stone wall. 

A project in Brookline, MA required removal and replacement of a failing fence with a beautiful granite retaining wall. Client requested a blue granite wall with exposed mortar, a look characteristic of Brookline’s old world charm. This wall design features a sloped granite and cobble stone curb and a privacy fence installed on top of the wall.

Upcoming projects in the next few weeks include a Pennsylvania Flat fieldstone retaining wall with granite steps and a New England fieldstone freestanding wall at the entrance of a new dining hall at the University of New Hampshire.

If you haven’t already seen it on youtube, vimeo or our website…check it out here on Boston Design Guide’s Blog:

Last year, almost 40% of our projects included replacing a failed retaining wall, some of those walls less than 10 years old. We don’t typically take photos during demolition to show the owners why the wall failed, but we constantly see the reasons and we take every precaution with NSWS® walls to make sure it doesn’t happen. And that’s why NSWS® walls come with a lifetime warranty.

This blog post is a warning to property owners everywhere that just like with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

We don’t make it a habit to criticize other contractors’ work, but we couldn’t help it in this case. This contractor can remain anonymous but it took everything I had not to knock on that poor homeowner’s door to warn them about their doomed new retaining wall that wasn’t even finished yet!

Basically, there are so many things wrong with this wall that it inspired a blog post. What most people will see as they drive past is the stone work, but what most people don’t know is the reason this stone wall is destined to fail is hidden behind it.

The effects are not immediate, this owner is probably going to be satisfied immediately after the job is finished and even pay this contractor. But the real problems will arise after just a few winter seasons.

The specific factors that set this wall up for failure in this particular case have to do with complete lack of drainage, geogrid reinforcement, footings and structural backfill, all very crucial components of a structurally sound retaining wall.

You can see from the pictures, that not a single drain pipe or weep hole was installed. No footing was installed prior to building this wall. Also, building the wall and backing it with mortar against the original clay soil will result in significant movement of this wall during the coming winter months. Furthermore, they are building this wall completely vertical with no batter to it.

Our only (very frustrating) assumption is that this contractor provided a low bid to get the job and cut costs where the customer could not see. Depending on the site, these “invisible costs” are usually about 25% of total wall cost. This company eliminated a significant amount of site work, footing, drainage and backfill requirements. Unfortunately, with none of those precautions taken, this wall will see significant differential settlement and there is no doubt in our minds that it is only a matter of time before its imminent failure.

So homeowners, please remember that just like a good book needs to have more than a pretty cover – a beautiful stone wall needs to be structurally sound to last you generations.

And for your future stone wall projects remember that even small retaining walls have to contain enormous loads and withstand our harsh New England winters.

A structurally sound retaining wall must meet the following two requirements:

1. The wall is structurally capable of withstanding the earth pressure applied to it – this means structural backfill and proper drainage and at least a 3-4° batter.
2. The foundation of the wall is capable of supporting both the weight of the wall and the force resulting from the earth’s pressure acting upon it – this means a proper footing (see our last post about footings).

And this is just another reminder that not all walls are created equal.

As spring rapidly approaches here in New England and the snow starts to melt away, we are getting many excited and anxious calls about outdoor and especially stone wall projects. One of the questions that we are often asked is “What kind of a footing is required for my wall?” So we decided to post about footings.

A footing distributes the weight of the wall over a wider area, reducing the downward pressure of the wall’s weight.  Basically, the footing transmits the load into the soil. Depending on various factors such as wall height, retaining requirements, architectural features, etc., either a concrete footing or a crushed gravel footing is usually used.

A solid concrete footing is mostly required for walls HIGHER than 4 feet. The concrete footing is typically reinforced with rebar, increasing the tensile strength of the concrete footing.

Reinforced Concrete Footing*

For walls LESS than 4 feet high, another much more economical type of footing – a gravel footing, can be used.

Crushed Gravel Footing*

For a typical 4 foot retaining wall at NSWS, we usually recommend a 30 inch by 30 inch base filled and properly compacted with approximately 24” of crushed ¾”stone or gravel. The bottom of a wall should be below grade approximately 6” or 1/10^th of the exposed wall height.

The general idea here is that any water that may penetrate the footing will travel through the crushed stone or gravel and allow the wall to remain stable.  As long as a footing remains relatively dry during the winter months, there will be no differential settling caused from the infamous New England freeze and thaw cycles.

* Source: “Stonework: Techniques and Projects” by Charles McRaven

HGTV recently featured an article that featured a handful of landscape designers sharing tips for design of outdoor spaces. We found this article full of good advice for anyone planning a hardscape.

The major points of the article as we see it are: planning, overall design and style, scale and structural integrity.

The resonating theme of the article and one that we see on a regular basis is planning. The biggest challenges in landscape and hardscape design usually arise from lack of planning. Careful research and planning of everything from overall design to building materials is crucial to achieve a desirable outcome.

Planning the whole space before the start of any project is again of the utmost importance. Even if the project is phased over a few years, it is very important to consider the whole landscape area no matter how small the current project being undertaken is. The article recommends planning a design for the whole area or consulting a professional to create a design for the entire space.

In all hardscape or landscape projects, consideration should be given to scale and natural curves and shapes of the space so that various elements fit in with the rest of the landscape.

Planning the whole design also enables the project owner to emerge with a specific style instead of mixing and matching something that could potentially clash.

The article offers and we wholeheartedly agree that no homeowner (who is not a structural engineer that is) should undertake a structural project or a significant size wall without consulting the proper engineering professional. Potential damage and even injury can be prevented with a simple engineer review and consult.

Following the relevant standards such as having the correct amount of base material that is properly compacted as well proper grades, levels and depths is of significant importance for a lasting hardscape project.

A recently completed successful NSWS® project: (Design by Weinmayr Associates and landscaping by Old Village Landscape)

Various stone wall features such as wall ends, tops and stairs incorporated into the walls can help ensure a successful stone wall design.

Ends:
At some point, no matter how beautiful, all walls must come to an end. There are several ways of terminating walls.

Retaining walls easily alter contours and allow for new usable space. At some point, the newly created area has to meet up with the surrounding grades, either at the property boundary or limit of work.  One common way is to curve or turn the retaining wall into the grade so that a smooth, gradual slope can be used to marry the upper and lower grades.

If a more prominent feature is desired, and the grading allows, an exposed corner can be used. Having an exposed corner can be quite an architectural feature in itself.

However, for a retaining wall to have an exposed corner, all three sides of the corner need to be faced, and the retaining requirements of the wall transition into more of a free standing component at the end.  This enables the design of a true “corner” or end and can be used to frame an area or be used as an architectural piece.

Stairs:

When considering steps or stairs, two major components should be considered: traffic flow and design intent.  Stairs should be no less than 4’ wide if they will be used on a daily basis.  Anything less than 4’ will not allow more than 2 people at a time, which can be less than desirable. Prior to design and construction of steps, always refer to your local building codes for railing requirements.

Durable products should be considered, especially in the New England area.  Snow removal, salting, and constant foot traffic are just three of the many factors to be considered in stair “life”.

When designing secondary steps, sky is the limit.  Secondary steps can take on fun curves and be constructed out of almost anything.  Without the requirements of traffic flow, the possibilities are endless.

Using the same stone materials as the wall in facing the stairs enables the steps to better blend in with the landscape. Using contrasting materials such as granite steps with fieldstone walls, will draw your eye to the stairs.

These rough guidelines can help decide the building materials at the outset. By simply widening a set of stairs or using contrasting materials, you can guide “traffic” to either your primary and secondary steps.

Tops:

Another major finish of any wall is its top.  Typically, the stone used in the wall carries through to the top creating a simple natural stone top with mortared joints.  Traditional fieldstone walls are constructed this way, and it works quite nicely.

To change things up, specific styles of cap stones can be used to drastically change the look of that same wall.  Thinner broken pieces of fieldstone can give a more rustic feel, while the addition of a cut granite or bluestone top can add more of a structured or architectural look.

According to a recent outdoor living trends survey done by American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA),  over 94% of residential landscape architects rate outdoor living spaces like kitchens or entertaining space as very popular for 2010. The survey identified the trend that the most popular outdoor entertainment features will avoid more expensive, elaborate items in favor of the essentials. For 2010, expectations are for the continued interest in seating/dining areas using installed seating like benches and seatwalls or weatherized outdoor furniture, along with the ever-popular fire pit/fireplace.

An outdoor patio is an extension of a living space and home owners are taking advantage of outdoor space more than ever. The options for patio design, furnishing and accessories can be over overwhelming but the common homeowner considerations for patio design are still comfort, relaxation, and usefullness. Many outdoor living spaces are frequently limited by various factors, such as space, budget or specific contours of a landscape, so finding ways of maximizing the space in outdoor rooms can allow for some rather creative designs.

NSWS®, in partnership with Old Village Landscape and Native Terra Design LLC (nativeterradesign@verizon.net), have recently created an outdoor room with a patio space optimizing feature – a hanging bluestone bench.

In this project, NSWS® retaining walls frame a brick style patio with gray accent pieces and a bluestone bench on hangers finishes off a creation of a tranquil place for the homeowner’s family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy the outdoors. The bench offers the practicality of a seating area, and at the same time allows for a larger area of the patio and patio design to be in view thus creating an effect or feeling of a larger or more open outdoor space.

In line with the free standing wall post earlier this week, NSWS® partnered with Perfection Fence to finalize a great free standing wall project. We look forward to working with these guys on future projects.

NSWS® installed this New England Round free standing wall last year.

This year, the bloom of some lush green trees and a fence installation complete the original design, creating privacy and serenity.