Construction of a fence made of stone, its advantages and disadvantages, types of stone materials for the fence, the preparatory stage and the procedure for its installation. A stone fence is a fence built from natural minerals. Subject to the technology of work on its construction, the service life of such a structure becomes practically unlimited. Today we will tell you how to make a stone fence on your site.
Pros and cons of stone fences
The use of natural stone in construction has positive and negative aspects. If, in particular, we consider the construction of a fence, then the following are considered the undoubted advantages of the material:
- The wear rate of this material is practically zero. This is confirmed by the amazing preservation to this day of stone buildings with a long history.
- Without losing its quality, the stone can withstand any climatic conditions, be it wind, frost, rain or summer heat.
- The natural essence of the material indicates its environmental safety for humans and other creatures.
- A stone fence is not afraid of fire, so the structure can prevent the spread of fire to the site.
- The stone fence has an impressive look and is in perfect harmony with the buildings and the surrounding landscape.
- The cost and shades of natural stone provide ample opportunities for its selection.
Along with the positive aspects, there are still disadvantages in the construction of stone fences. One of them is the massiveness of the structure, which necessitates a strong foundation for it. Other inconveniences include the labor intensity and cost of work compared to budget options for a fence made of wood or metal mesh.
What stone to use for mounting a fence
The stone used for fences is very different. It can be granite, cobblestone, shell rock, quarry, pebble or sandstone. A separate group is represented by an artificial stone made from natural minerals of a fine fraction. Each species has its own texture, hardness, shape and color.
The main types of stone for building a fence:
- Granite … This is an expensive stone, but its density is comparable only to the hardness of a diamond and is 2700 kg / m3… The mineral is of magmatic origin and contains 20-30% quartz, plagioclase and sodium spar. Its color palette is presented in black, red, yellow or blue shades. Granite can be sawn and sanded. In addition, the mineral can withstand 300 freeze and thaw cycles without disturbing its structure. For this reason, many monuments are made of this material.
- Cobblestone … It has a reddish brown color, high strength and sizes ranging from apple to soccer ball. Occasionally there are larger, irregular cobblestones. They are called boulders. Due to the absence of sharp protrusions, they in the wall of the fence provide it with a rough surface. To obtain a smooth wall, the stone is split with a sledgehammer and laid out in places of the break.
- Rubble stone … It consists of quartz particles compressed naturally over thousands of years. Booth is mined in quarries using an explosion. Therefore, a stone always looks like a large, irregularly shaped shard. Its dimensions vary between 150-450 mm. Booth is durable, water and frost resistant. If it is processed by firing, the color of the mineral will become crimson red, suitable for decorating a basement or facade.
- River stone … It is mined on the shores of natural reservoirs. The main differences are the roundness of the shape and the rich range of colors. Using this wisely when building a fence, you can create impressive elements of its masonry. The river stone is immediately ready for laying and does not require pre-treatment.
- Sandstone … This natural sedimentary rock contains sand, quartz and calcite. The high strength of sandstone allows it to be used even when constructing a foundation. It is due to the fine-grained structure of the mineral. Sandstone is a flat stone, it is distinguished by an irregular shape and thickness of samples from 15 to 80 mm. The natural color of the breed is usually gray, light brown or greenish, less often black. Patterns and smooth stains are clearly visible in the structure of the stone. Sandstone is not afraid of fire; changes in its structure can occur naturally 70-80 years after mining.
- Fake diamond … It has a low weight compared to the mass of natural minerals. From clay, dyes and mineral additives, ceramic granite is obtained by firing - a stone for facing. Agglomerates are made from sand, stone chips, polyester resin and synthetic dyes. For strength, quartzite is added to the composition. The natural look of the tiles is given by silicone templates, which are molds for molding products. No special equipment is required for the installation of the cladding. In appearance, the finished structure is difficult to distinguish from a stone fence built from natural materials.
- Shell rock … It is an exclusively organic mineral formed by fossilized layers of prehistoric marine organisms - shells and plankton. Shell rock has a porous structure of yellow or light brown color. When mined, the stone has a regular rectangular shape. This is due to the fact that it is easily cut out of the rock mass. The size of each block is 380x180x180 mm. Depending on the density, the shell rock has markings from M-15 to M-35. The densest stone contains a minimum of sand and is marked with the number 35. Due to the ancient marine origin, the shell rock is saturated with iodine and salt, they have a beneficial effect on the human body. Therefore, a site fenced with a wall made of such a stone becomes a comfortable area for life. It is the only stone that successfully resists radiation.
Stone fence installation technology
It includes the determination of the location of the fence, its dimensions, the selection and calculation of the required materials, as well as the construction of the fence itself, which begins with earthworks and foundation pouring and ends with stone laying.
Preparation for construction
The location of the fence is usually indicated in the BTI documents approving its construction. If they exist, it is possible in the future to avoid disputes with neighbors about the border of the territories. If the documents are missing, they need to be processed. After that, a drawing should be made or a diagram of the future fence should be drawn up indicating its length, the location of the gate, wicket and a preliminary calculation of the necessary materials.
The place for the fence must be cleaned of stumps, debris, and then leveled. In accordance with the previously prepared scheme, it is necessary to mark the foundation for construction on the ground. This will require pegs and a cord. With their help, it should be noted the location of each rack of the planned fence, including the entrance. The cord pulled over the pegs will allow you to do this neatly and evenly.
It is not difficult to calculate the area of the strip foundation for a stone fence for a house. First, you should determine its area between the posts, and then - the total area of the bases of all fence posts. It is important to take into account that the width of the tape must be taken more than the thickness of the fence by 16 cm, that is, 8 cm on each of its sides. For example, if a stone fence is 400 mm thick, the width of its foundation should be 560 mm.
When calculating, the width of the gate should be subtracted from the length of the fence: in this area, a strip foundation is not needed.
Selection and calculation of materials for the fence
As an example, we will choose a bottle as a material for a fence. It has all the necessary properties: it fits well into the landscape, has the necessary relief, emphasizing its natural origin.
The optimal dimensions of one section of a stone fence: height - 2 m, width - 2.5 m. Such parameters for it to be strong and at the same time high are quite enough. Knowing the dimensions of the fence section, it is easy to calculate its entire area.
Having decided on the number, location of fence posts and the area of its foundation, you can calculate the required amount of concrete to support the structure. In this case, one should take into account the additional amount of concrete mixture, which is necessary for pouring the base under the pillars. The result should be a strip-pile foundation with extensions for stone pillars.
To calculate the amount of the mixture, you need to know the height and width of the foundation tape, as well as the dimensions of its extensions. For convenience, the calculations are recommended to be carried out in the following order:
- Determine the volume of concrete mix for the foundation of one pillar, and then for all;
- Do the same with the spans located between the pillars;
- Determine the volume of the mixture for one, and then all piles;
- By adding the results of arithmetic calculations for all pillars, spans and piles, obtain the required concrete consumption.
In the selection of stone material for building a fence, there are several rules that it is recommended to adhere to:
- The most durable and durable stones of rocks.
- Heavy stones are inconvenient to stack, small stones in the fence will give many seams. Therefore, you need to choose something in between, paying attention to the weight and shape of the material.
- The frost resistance of the stone must withstand at least fifteen complete cycles.
- When purchasing, the material must be sorted by type, color and size. This is very convenient in further work, since during installation it will take less time to find the desired sample.
In addition to stone, to build a fence, you will need roll waterproofing (roofing material, etc.), a metal profile for reinforcing pillars, 10 mm reinforcement, boards and beams 20x40 mm for formwork, sand and gravel for filling the base.
Equipment and tools required for work: a concrete mixer, shovels, a sledgehammer and a hammer, a square and a level, trowels and a screwdriver, knitting wire, screws and nails.
Construction of the foundation for a stone fence
Using the cords stretched over the stakes as a guide, you can start building a stone fence with your own hands. The first step is to dig a long trench for the foundation of the structure. Its width should be 45-50 cm, and its depth - 70 cm. The first parameter is taken with a small margin relative to the width of the concrete tape for formwork installation.
The bottom of the finished trench should be leveled and vertical cavities should be dug in it for piles with a depth of 0.7 m and a width of 15 cm. The bottom of these holes should then be compacted and covered with a layer of sand 5 cm. A sand cushion of the same thickness should be made in the trench. For better compaction, it is recommended to moisten it abundantly with water.
On top of the sand cushion, it is necessary to pour a layer of crushed stone 10 cm thick, and in the pits install channels with a section of 60x60 mm, which will serve as load-bearing reinforcing rods of the stone fence posts.
After that, you need to make frames from 4 rods of reinforcement d. 10 mm frames around the bottom of the channels. The reinforcement rods should rise 20 cm above the pits. The walls of each hole under the pile must be covered with waterproofing. To do this, you can roll roofing material into a tube, bypassing the reinforcement and the channel in a circle. At the same time, such insulation will play the role of formwork. Instead of roofing material, you can use a suitable piece of asbestos-cement pipe.
After completing this procedure, concrete can be poured into the pile cavity. After it hardens, you should start making the concrete foundation tape.
The work must begin with the manufacture of formwork from board panels, plywood and spacers. The height of the structure should be greater than the upper level of the future foundation. Then, reinforcing cages must be placed in the formwork, each of which is a volumetric figure consisting of longitudinal and transverse rods. Longitudinal reinforcement is load-bearing, therefore it has a larger diameter. The frames should be installed with an overlap of the longitudinal rods and connected with a knitting wire. It is imperative to leave a gap of 5 cm between the bottom of the frame and the crushed stone cushion of the trench. Pieces of brick or small stones can be used as spacers for this.
The finished formwork with frames must be poured with concrete. It is advisable to do this in one go. Otherwise, the polymerization of the binder will be uneven, which may cause cracks in the concrete tape. After pouring, there should be no protruding reinforcement sections on the concrete surface.
The time to build up its strength is from three to seven weeks. It depends on the outside temperature. To protect the hardening concrete from the rapid evaporation of moisture from it, the poured formwork must be covered from above with plastic wrap or roofing felt for 3-4 days. The finished concrete strip can be freed from the formwork and moved on to the masonry of the fence.
Features of stone masonry
The work should start with the manufacture of posts using sliding formwork. It can be put together from boards in the form of a box without a bottom, with a side length corresponding to the dimensions of the cross-section of the future pillar. When installing the formwork, the fence post channel must pass through the center of the "box" - this is a prerequisite.
The first layer of rubble stones must be laid in a wooden box, pressing the front part of the piece materials as tightly as possible to its inner walls. The gaps between them should be minimal. After collecting all the stones of the first row, they should be fastened in the formwork with cement mortar. You should not make it liquid. The solution should have the consistency of a thick porridge. For its preparation, it is recommended to take 1/2 bucket of sand and fine gravel for a third of a bucket of cement.
The next layers of stones must be laid in the same way: select samples by size and fix them on a solution. After filling the formwork with masonry to the top, mount its second level and repeat the entire procedure again. Previously, both wooden boxes must be fastened together with screws so that the elements of the sliding formwork do not move relative to each other.
After filling both boxes with stones, it is necessary to interrupt the process of erecting the column for a day, giving time for the polymerization of the cement mortar in the masonry. Then the first formwork box should be removed, leaving the second in its place. You will need to mount the third level of formwork on it. By rearranging the boxes in this way, it is worth bringing the laying of the pillars to the design height.
After freeing the dried masonry from the formwork, the external gaps between the stones must be repaired. The ratio of sand and cement in the solution for this type of work should be 3: 1. The finished part of the column must be wiped with a sponge soaked in water to remove excess cement mixture.
The base of the fence or its entire span must be laid out with bandaging of the seams from the second row of the masonry of the pillar. After installing one or two of its rows, it is recommended to withstand the setting solution.
When the required height of the masonry fence is reached, its top must be leveled. To do this, you can use pieces of stone, split with a sledgehammer, or ordinary cement screed.
How to make a stone fence - watch the video:
Using natural or artificial stone, you can build a fence, as they say, "for centuries." And if you take into account the design methods of work, combining the types, using the color of the stones and their shape, you can build an original structure. And most importantly, all this is achievable on our own.
