Sunday 23 January 2011

Dry Stone Wall

With a pile of stone left over from the building work  and making space for the windows and doors we were left with the challenge of what to do with it all.  We used some to lay a  pathway to the back of the garden shed, but that only made a small dent in the pile.

I eventual decided to attempt to build a dry stone wall, but quickly realised that  I needed some help and lessons.  Having searched Utube I found one particular video that was really good and explained the process very well, and as a result I also found The Dry Stone Wall Association http://www.dswa.org.uk/ and enrolled on a training course in early November 2010.

The course was a 2 day session and was well worth the fee, teaching me a lot and how to approach the task properly.  Easier said than done!!  Over a long weekend visit at the end of November I managed to complete my first 1 metre long wall, but my stone proved not to be quite as well shaped as the stone on the training course, but nevertheless I was pleased with the outcome.

Without the course, I am not sure that I would have had the confident to attempt the build or to persevere when it got tough, so I would recommend taking proper advise and have a go.