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10 11Cambridge Wall Book

Frestanding & Landscape Walls

HOW TO BUILDGarden Walls


This layout depicts a common application of landscape and freestanding designs together in one wall with Columns an Kitchen built into the wall.

Landscape/Retaining Walls with Planter and Steps

Freestanding double sided wall that can be used as a sitting wall when entertaining

Freestanding double sided wall that can be used as a sitting wall when entertaining this is the domino style placement of Olde English

Landscape Retaining WallRaised Patio with steps

Each type of wall arrangement can be combined to make your area truly unique.

Garden walls


Sitting Walls and benches create conversation spaces. This bench is a project with plans available free .

The Cambridge Classic Garden Gate can create privacy and signal a special entrance to your outdoor home

Projects: We have various outdoor living projects and kits that will compliment your garden or living space.

Water and Fire are great features to relax the mood and create an oasis from the cares of the day. We offer waterfall & � re kits.

Kitchens, Fireplaces, Pizza Ovens, pergolas are just of a few of the kits available to match our walls and Pavers.

Garden Wall Acessories


This chapter will cover the building of three types of walls: The � rst Freestanding (double sided) Walls used for Privacy, Outdoor Living boundaries, places to sit and are complimented by our extensive collections of kits and outdoor Living accessories as well as Columns. Landscape walls which are normally below three feet and serving the purpose of Planting beds, leveling slopes and Creating raised patios and living spaces outdoors. These type of walls are also called Garden Walls and the stones available for this purpose Maytrx, Olde English, Ledgestone and Pyzique offer a large variety of textures, sizes and colors along with complimenting Cambridge Paving stones. We will also show a Combination Landscape and Freestanding Wall that is popular choice when building a raised Patio or outdoor living space.

Freestanding walls can get pressure to fail from wind, water, height, length, foundation, people sitting or leaning and the size of the Wall stones used. Features such as Corners, curves, Columns and Pilasters will strengthen a freestanding wall and will be illustrated in this chapter.

Landscape Walls are usually below the height that normally call for engineering but they should be built observing the techniques for building a Retaining wall in this book. We encourage as a � rst rule that a foundation, drainage, piping and stone behind the wall should be incorporated on most walls, if retaining any load consider geogrid as a low cost insurance. The Maytrx and Olde English Wall Grid tables will help for that Con� guration. We also recommend a free service for our customers to � ll out the SRW questioner and submit your plan to SRW for a free calculation of the recommended grid, number of stones, Caps and Glue as well as the amount of Geogrid and the strength recommended. Note: Sigma can also be used for Landscape walls and matches the texture of our Maytrx System

Combination: Retaining Wall with Freestanding wall above

This type of wall has a “Load” or surcharge that is equal to the weight of the wall, amount of people in the area retained and Outdoor living accessories such as Paving Stones and base, Kitchens, Grills, Pizza Ovens, � replaces etc. The weight of these products should be known. The soil you are using will make a difference. You must � nd a way to keep water from the raised patio and the house roof from building up behind the wall. The Freestanding wall above can also have “wind Load”, depending on design there might be a water load from rainwater and any load from people sitting or pushing against the wall. It is suggested the retaining section along with any details on the freestanding section, weight above the wall and drainage be sent to our SRW service for a free design and if need be required from the local municipality, an extra cost stamped engineering plan. See the reference for the SRW form.

Freestanding Walls add Character

and a sitting place in any

Outdoor Living space. Freestanding Wall

Landscape Wall


Landscape in� ll WallsLandscape, also called In� lled short walls (under 36”) are built using the following techniques. Walls over 36” or having loads (weight) on top or bad soils should refer to the Retaining Wall Chapter of this book. Maytrx, Pyzique, Olde English and Ledgestone landscape retaining walls (setback) have a 7 degree batter. When constructing a landscape retaining wall, excavate a trench approximately 16 inches wide, bury 1” for every ft. of wall height and place 6” of QP as a foundation below the stone. We recommend Fabric XXXX used under the foundation for stabilization. Recap: Depth is 6”+1” for every ft. of wall height. Dig to virgin soil or compact the soil below your footing to high density. Next, compact and level your footing material. If you are building on unlevelled areas you can prepare step ups or step downs in increments of the thickness of the stone. Also, it is critical that your wall project be designed to � ow surface water, rain or lawn watering, away from the retaining wall.

Place the � rst layer of stones on the prepared foundation. Use a carpenter’s level in all directions and use a string line to verify straightness. Serpentine walls may be built consider using the radius stones if available. Be certain the base course is level and stones lay � at. For micro leveling and to help the stones lay � at, keep a bag of sand handy and use small handfuls to level and stabilize the � rst layer. Setback walls are much stronger than vertical walls. Maintain setback or alignment visually or with a tool to insure all stones are setback the proper amount.

Tiered Walls: For tall slopes, a series of tiered walls is a good substitute for a single tall wall. Note: an upper tier can apply pressure to a lower tier unless it’s spaced the proper distance behind the failure point. The rule of thumb is to set back the upper wall twice the height of the lower wall we call this the X Factor (see Illustration above).

Hint: Curved walls are much stronger than straight walls. Contractors are now gluing this type of wall to insure Kids playing on the wall are in no danger. We normally recommend gluing the Cap row but glue seems to add strength.

X Factor: The height of the � rst wall x 2 = the distance apart needed to build the second wall without putting a load on the � rst wall

Trench & compactablerock foundation

Trench

Swale to direct water away from the wall

Undisturbed or compacted Retained Soil

Setback Wall: Pyzique, Maytrx & Olde English Radius have alignment

groves for setback, for Olde English and Ledgestone use

a piece of 3/8” rebar

3/4” Clean stoneor Granular Fill

Foundation Layer

Perforated drain Pipe

x


FREESTANDING WALL UNDER 36”

This Chapter starts at the foundation in this page we show the correct Freestanding wall base that can be used with Maytrx, Olde English, Pyzique and Ledgestone Radius double sided walls in this con� guration. The illustrations used shows Maytrx but can be applied to the other systems as well.

Base Preparation: To start your layout, place stakes to represent the location of the front of the wall. Using a string line orpaint, mark out the entire length. A garden hose is an excellent tool to use when laying out curved walls.

· Excavate the area by removing all surface vegetation and organic materials from the area.

· Starting at the lowest point, dig a base trench the length of the wall. Dig a base trench as wide as the stone and at least 12”wide and Deep of at least 6” plus at least 1” for every foot of � nished wall height the length of the wall. Note: if you over-excavate you must compact any disturbed soil that must be reinstalled.

Leveling pad: Level surface consisting of either well compacted Stone or unreinforced low strength concrete (� ow-able � ll) used to distribute the weight of the dry stacked column of Wall Stone units over a wider area and to provide a working surface during construction. (see illustration on right). Note: Flow able � ll is a � exible base material delivered in a concrete truck if you use conventional concrete you must start below the frost line. The leveling pad typically extends a minimum of 6 in. from the front and back of the lower-most Wall unit and is at least 6 in. thick, be sure to bury the � rst course (layer) a minimum of 1” for every foot of height of the � nished wall including the height of the caps, with 6” of (see illustration on right).


All Walls over 36” require the review of an Architect or Engineer by most towns. The height, width of stones, weight, soil, water and wind load can have an effect on the stability of Maytrx, Olde English, Pyzique and Ledgestone Radius double sided walls in this con� guration. The illustrations used show Maytrx but they can be applied to the other systems as well. Discussing these con� gurations with design professionals we have garnered some tips that can be used for preliminary costing of a job.

• Straight Walls are more prone to fall over, better to have corners, curves or integrated Columns and Pilasters if possible.

• Depending on the Height and the other variables a buried depth of the wall should be 2 to 4 inches per foot of exposed wall height.

• A minimum Base of 8” of compacted stone or Flow able Fill should be used depending on soil conditions. Place a soil stabilizing woven fabric below the foundation Base that should be 24”+ the with of the wall being used. Example: Maytrx is 10” so foundation width should be 34”.

• Soil in the front and back of the wall should be compacted as the wall is built using the same stone as used on the foundation for everything below � nished grade.

• The Wall should be glued for interlock and strength

• Once the wall is reviewed by a design professional these guidelines might change.

• Check with local code requirements before building or designing. Note you might be required to build from below the frost line.

FREESTANDING WALL OVER 36”

Maytrx 6&3 combination with Integrated Columns

Note:Consult the Chapters on Engineered walls, double-sided chapters related to the Cambridge wall you are building as well foundation basics all found in the Designscape guide attached to this book


Hybrid Wall: Retaining Wall with Sitting Wall above

This is a popular application for a raised patio. We recommend you use the instructions for building a retaining wall because this wall will have a load built into the top of the wall equal to the weight of the sitting wall could be 100 to 150 lbs. per sq. ft. plus the weight on the raised patio from Paving stones, people, wind, etc. We suggest you send a sketch and � ll out a questioner for a SRW/HTS takeoff that will give you grid placement for the lower wall, this is a free service there is a form in this book. You can then build the wall above as per your initial design. We suggest you look at the illustration above if you will be creating a raised patio. Water on the patio, from downspouts, rain or runoff should not be connected to the Retaining wall drainage system. We have noted some fabric that will help you build a wall system that will last for many decades,

When designing the freestanding wall above review the outline an pictures for that type of wall.

Illustration above outlines the speci� cs of Retaining walls. Consult that chapter for the base wall, we will need toad the “load” of the wall above to any calculations.

LANDSCAPE RETAINING with SITTING WALL

Wall Drain

Fabric

Drain Surface Water

Impermeable Fabric

Pervious Fabric

Drain

Paving Stone

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