Dry bricks - variants and prices
- Artificial or natural stone "> artificial stones
- natural stones
- gabions
- boulders
- Hammertough stones
Walls, especially if they are built outdoors, quickly have a repellent face. When you stand alone and do not belong to a building as retaining walls, they are barriers that are designed to keep your eyes and unwanted visitors out. Dry stone walls are an excellent way to achieve this goal with a friendly and aesthetic look. Learn in this text everything you need to know about dry stone walls.
Archaic and natural
The special feature of dry masonry is its archaic and natural appearance. Long before people invented the mortar, they were already stacking stones on each other to create fields and enclosures or to draw boundary walls. The drywall is also quickly conquered by nature and provides shelter for many animals. Insects of all kinds, lizards, stalking and much more can settle in the joints and holes of a drywall. When the moss and the ivy begin to grow, their natural effect is further enhanced. The drywall therefore has not only the very special, visual appeal. It is also a contribution to ecological diversity.
Artificial or natural stone ">
Limestone sandstone is also not well suited for dry masonry. The stones can indeed be stacked well on each other. The base material is also not frost resistant. They also soak up with water, which leads to the same problems. In addition, a vermooste KSV wall is not a very nice sight.
Even natural stones should be used only with the appropriate expertise as dry masonry. Although slate and sandstone walls create a very appealing, Mediterranean atmosphere. However, they are relatively vulnerable in the wet-cold latitudes of northern Europe and require regular repair work.
Artificial stones
... as dry bricks
An artificial stone is what does not occur in nature as a mineral. In normal masonry construction these are the sand-lime bricks, the fired brick and the various forms of concrete blocks. For dry masonry, old bricks from demolished buildings are often used as artificial stones. They are usually sufficiently weather-resistant and easy to work with. The big advantage of artificial stones as dry bricks is their dimensional stability. The dry stone walls are easy to plan and easy to build. On the other hand, you have to cut back on their impact. The described conquest of the drywall by flora and fauna is more difficult in precisely stacked stones.
The most common artificial stones for dry stone in the garden area are concrete hollow stones. These are almost frame stones that are open up and down. They are layered dry and filled with soil. For higher walls, concrete can be used instead of soil. This creates stable retaining walls that can reliably hold a slope in position.
The hollow or frame stones are commercially available in a wide variety of shape, size and color. They are very easy to work with. The combination of concrete, dye, structured formwork and frost protection makes them ideal for aesthetic-technical outdoor applications.
Therefore, we would like to inform you even more about hollow blocks: hollow blocks
In terms of price, these stones are relatively constant: For a square masonry can be expected to 30-50 euros. It is worth comparing exactly the offers. The prices can vary a bit. Choosing a different design can save a lot of money.
natural stones
... as dry bricks
The dry stones are mostly of natural origin. There are reclaimed residues from open-pit mining or they are mined in quarries. Natural dry stones are additionally distinguished into treated and untreated stones.
Untreated stones - The untreated, natural dry stones are very different in shape and size. This makes them very interesting for the construction of appealing walls. However, their processing is also correspondingly more difficult - with one exception: the gabions
gabions
Fast and cheap
The so-called stone basket walls are elements of relatively small, untreated stones and a basket of galvanized steel wire. The stones are larger than the mesh size, so they can not fall out of the baskets. These baskets are also called "gabions". These simple and quick-to-process natural stone variants have their origins in general road construction. They are used there in particularly large formats and are cheap to build hangabstützungen. They also generate extra cavities that can create interesting habitats for flora and fauna. From the extremely large and only with heavy equipment to be offset slope support elements, the gabions have now developed for private users. They can be configured individually and cost from 39 euros / square meter for the basket. In addition, the prices for the bricks are added.
These are very different. Typical examples are:
- Jutlandkiesel, polished: approx. 220 Euro / ton
- Quarrystone granite: about 120 Euro / ton
- Marble gravel: about 70 euros / ton
boulders
Foundlings are stones cut by glaciers in different sizes. The dry stone masonry built from them is also called "Cyclops masonry". It has a very special aesthetic due to its archaic appearance. Besides, it produces the largest joints of all types of dry masonry. An influx of lizards, wanderers and birds can be reasonably safe in a cyclops masonry. The roundish stone shape makes layering a bit difficult. They always have to be designed quite wide, but are very durable and stable. Since the boulders have been thousands of years under the open sky, you need not worry about the weather protection of these stones.
Foundlings cost about 170 euros per ton, which corresponds to about ½ cubic meter. However, this price is only for pickup. For the purchase price, the corresponding transport costs must be added. However boulders are particularly sensitive during loading and unloading. Even if it is awkward and does a lot of work, the stones should be unloaded individually. When dumping many boulders inevitably be damaged or completely destroyed.
Hammertough stones
The largest proportion of dry stone are the so-called "Hammerechten stones". These are natural stones machined to give a rectangular profile. The big advantage of these dry bricks is that they can be stacked almost seamlessly on each other. They create a stable bond and can still be designed quite slim. The Hammerechten stones are differentiated into:
- Broached hull: Very rough joints, no flat surfaces, only approximate rectangular shape
- Machine splits: equal sized stones with relatively coarse joints
- Serrated: Millimeter-sawn stones with exactly the same edge length and absolutely flat impact and position surfaces
Sawn stones are very noble in appearance: The millimeter-accurate outer edge faces the rough, natural visual break edge. This gives a drywall of these stones a very exclusive touch.
The type of processing is included in the prices. However, above all, the starting material is responsible for the level of prices.
Variants of dry stone bricks
Natural stone drywall bricks have in common that they are rightly expensive.
Untreated Burgundy sandstone, split, sorted:
Dry masonry with large joints, little support but very Mediterranean aesthetics can be produced with the so-called Burgundy sandstones. They are calculated per square meter and cost from about 140 euros.
Luserna gneiss Rossiccio, split, sorted: plate- shaped stones in different sizes, very pressure-resistant and weather-resistant. Price per ton: about 400 euros. This is enough for about 2.5 m², depending on the thickness of the wall, corresponding to 160 euros per square meter
Granite, machines split on the other side: Length x height approx. 0.4 mx 0.1 m = 0.04 m² for approx. 5 Euro / piece, this results in approx. 25 stones per square meter = 125 Euro
Sandstone, split-sided: length x height approx. 0.4 mx 0.2 m = 0.08 m² for approx. 8.50 Euro / piece, this results in approx. 13 stones per square meter = 106 Euro
Silesian sandstone, sawn: length x height approx. 0.4m x 0.2m = 0.08m² for approx. 10 Euro / piece, that results in approx. 13 stones per square meter = 130 Euro
Granite bricks "Castle Rock": Dark granite, sawn on four sides. 12 euros each. 19 pieces per square meter required = 228 euros / sqm.
System-Steine Drywall: These innovative stones combine the natural-restless look of carved stones with the millimeter accuracy of sawn stones. The stones are prepared ex works and can then be simply stacked on top of each other. Per square meter, a drywall of system stones costs about 250 euros.
Cost of dry masonry
A dry masonry does not necessarily need a foundation, depending on the substrate. The stones are quite wide at 17, 5 - 35 cm and weigh between 26 and 47 kilograms the piece. Therefore, they are only to be provided with technical aids. Here is a mini excavator with rubber tongs to bring the stones precisely and without damage in position. A mini excavator costs from about 150 euros in the weekend rate.
However, with damp or cohesive soil and a higher planned wall, a foundation is still recommended. Then the manhole and concreting work must be added to the cost of the drywall.
Saving tips for the brave and creative
It sounds a bit macabre at first, but there's nothing wrong with building a wall of old tombstones. These stones are absolutely level, highly polished stones, which offer maximum weather protection. With a powerful stone saw, this material can be sawed properly. Old tombstones can be obtained free of charge from a cemetery administration or you can find them in the classifieds. Even the manufacturers of tombstones are happy about it, if you take the blends. From this it is also possible to produce interesting dry stone walls.
Also cheap to free are old bricks. For self-degradation, they are usually free. Ready cleaned and palletized can be expected with about 150 euros per pallet with about 200 stones. For the construction of a brick drywall but a foundation for the flatness and pressure recording should be established. In dry construction, this wall should be at least 24 cm, but better 36.5 cm wide. A sturdy wallstone prevents the wall from becoming loose due to wind and weather. However, it should not be loaded laterally. Single-row brick dry walls are particularly suitable for raised beds.
Simulate dry stone wall
... through bricks
Dry bricks are indeed very heavy, so that they can do without a solid mortar compound as far as possible. However, they are also quite expensive. An alternative is the use of natural stone veneers. These are glued to a masonry and plastered wall, creating the impression of a stone wall built with dry stone. Particularly attractive are the one-side split and five-sided sawed bricks: With the front side of the fracture, these bricks create the perfect effect, which otherwise only dry brick stones achieve. Polished, sawn-on facing bricks in turn create a tiled impression. Although these are also very noble in appearance, but can not achieve the effect of dry stone bricks. Although these bricks are very cheap at around 25 euros per square meter, the foundation brickwork must also be added to the wall. Nevertheless, it can be used to achieve price advantages.
Tips for quick readers
- Use as big stones as possible
- Dump dry bricks individually, do not spill
- Rent a mini excavator for moving
- Compare prices and pay attention to special offers
