Ugly Rock Wall - Ideas?

[Citroënbender]

One for the Wiz or Ross.



One of my worksites. Client asked for the bracken/self-set trees/weeds to be cleared off and the rock exposed. As can be seen, it’s not pretty. Height is around 2100.

Responsibility is shared with the neighbour - the wall is technically on his side of the boundary but he’s OK with anything that doesn’t affect his tennis court (eg, shading or undermining). Obviously my client is looking for a solution that is affordable, durable, low maintenance, and doesn’t block his light as the house is only about 1000 of the nominal boundary.

Could a wall like this, be readily tidied and chinked (or whatever it’s called in natural stone masonry)? What kind of productivity numbers are likely - meterage per day, labour and materials cost rates?

[Ross 1]

Do you have an approximate budget for the project? That more or less dictates the options.

[roKWiz]

If that was mine I would move......... but seriously I would simply build a new stone wall in front of it and remove some of the original larger pieces tying forward into the new wall. Fill internal rubble fill between with a foot of soil on top for a garden bed. Not a good idea to disturb it now.

READ.......NO MACHINERY.

[Citroënbender]

Funny you should say to move, I told them not to buy it.

I’m not a machinery fan. For bulk excavation, trenching, piering yes - but in a job like this it’s just wrong. Mostly there is not even a radio on.

Don’t know what the budget would be, no idea at all. I can see the appeal of a new wall in front but reckon that would quote higher than client’s wife would allow. They’re still smarting from a “Coronavirus” sale price on the last place - up to 200K south of what was expected; this has smashed the reno budget. Wall length is about 30 metres.

[Ross 1]

Cheapest options to hide it from sight would not be structural but if the existing wall is stable that isn't a concern. The rock wall is on the neighbours property, so no boundary issues. Clean and level as straight a line as possible in front of the wall, fence posts with either standard palings, aluminium screens, timber slats, living wall of plants etc. That is your cheap starting point options.
After that you get into timber retaining wall styles and then rock wall options.

[roKWiz]

Wouldn't even need to be straight in line with the exiting mess. Could be a nice curved wall. 2100mm high X 30 mtrs long is quite a chunk. 63 sqm.

Grants rd quarry at Somersby is around $100 per ton ex quarry for ripped sandstone.

Just so you can compare http://stonemasoncarver.com/whatitcosts

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Wouldn't even need to be straight in line with the exiting mess. Could be a nice curved wall. 2100mm high X 30 mtrs long is quite a chunk. 63 sqm.

Grants rd quarry at Somersby is around $100 per ton ex quarry for ripped sandstone.

Just so you can compare http://stonemasoncarver.com/whatitcosts

Pretty reasonable prices you have there for some really nice results. Everyone over here seems to want the faux schist stone at the moment, waiting to hear back on a decent size river stone wall at the moment but I will bet money he wants it in schist

[Citroënbender]

So there’s a good $200/lm in stone ex-quarry, and a nominal rate north of $440/m with tax. Easy to put $25K into it per the linked price guide.

Paling fence might be where he goes... :-/

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

Pretty reasonable prices you have there for some really nice results. Everyone over here seems to want the faux schist stone at the moment, waiting to hear back on a decent size river stone wall at the moment but I will bet money he wants it in schist

.And I don't hide my prices.

CB,

Whoever you use, If they charge a day or hourly rate get a fully itemised written quote.

Faux stone cladding. I refer to as stick-on Stonemasonry

[Work Horse]

10 convolvulus mauritanicus planted at the top of the wall would cover most of it by next year!

In Melbourne it would, not sure about Sydney.

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

.

Faux stone cladding. I refer to as stick-on Stonemasonry

Wouldn't even go as far as including masonry in that sentence. They are basically thick tiles, which we are used to with the porcelain pavers etc but no masonry involved.

[hayseed]

Spray It with Shotcrete, would be My suggestion...

[CJR09]

What about a sprayed concrete/mortar?

Would hold it all together and tidy it some

Edit: hayseed beat me to it

[roKWiz]

Cheapest option would be to hang lots of washing on the line all the time.

[danzvtil]

Cover it with ivy.

[Burnout]

Tennis Court, what tennis court:

No more problem.

[Rallye Sport]

Endemic/ local native ground covers and small shrubs in tubestock. Plant them on the first rains and walk away. They'll help stabilize the bank and the birds, lizards and insects will thank you.

[Citroënbender]

RS, you may be on to something there if I can get dirt to hang on to much of the batter. There are legless lizards and fat-tailed geckos readily found on site. Probably marble scorpions if I look too.

Personally I’d plant cannabis on it. You’d never have to worry about pruning, someone else would get in first.

[11ford11]

Other than start again Infill with river pebbles of similar colours across bottom and thru out the wall

[roKWiz]

Now where did a leave that D8 ?

[94_ef]

I'm thinking perhaps spray it with crete too. But you could leave some exposed rock and also create a few little planters here and there. Thinking bucket sized troughs.

[.:4:.]

To be semi cost effective, i dunno your clients budget. I reckon a semi decorative retaining wall and back fill it. Those rocks look like aggregate for the slab up top so they were never meant to be asthetically pleasing. But especially at the moment, its more up to what the client is willing to spent which is the limitations of your options.

[DOC]

Whenever i go to open those pics I get security warning popping all over ? just a heads up.

[aussiblue]

I like that a likeness to Cav is sticky out on the second picture (centre left) :-) Perhaps that is what triggered the Norton's warning.

[Citroënbender]

It’d be something coming in with postimages.

[roKWiz]

All I can say is what Gucci once said and what I tell my clients.

Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.

[Citroënbender]

I say my best work goes unnoticed. That’s because it fits in so nicely with peoples’ lives, they don’t really recognise the changes unless they stop to think.

[roKWiz]

One struggling motel I did an entrance for, whinged initially about the cost. back and forth, will I, won't I.
They spend something around that price. One year later all their profits were up and business was well up. Their investment increased the property value a far bit as well..
All due to 2 freestanding stone walls, one either side of a driveway enticing them in. It was their point of different in a sea of other motels along to road.
What a lot of people do not figure into is, that significant increase to the property value.

Just saying.....

[Citroënbender]

I didn’t succeed in persuasion.

Neighbour intervened “It’s my property and I’m planting these on it”... Proceeded to instal 8” camellias at the wall’s base, right on the boundary.

I don’t have to live with it, in that sense no skin off my nose - but some first-time house owners have got a salutary lesson in neighbourhood dynamics. They had more control of their own environment in a unit, but felt they didn’t, so bought a house... Next, their open outlook over the yard next door is being rubber-stamped for a subdivision at present.