This grotto is my first dry stone build. I'm wondering how long you all think it will last.
I'm concerned frost heaves will take it out. I have some thorough stones in the sides and I wish I'd taken more time to use a better batter and use masonry lines. I have some thorough stones on the sides, and I wish I'd taken more time to use a better batter and use masonry lines.
Hello all, my first-ever hobby project was a pretty epic fail (hastily done with minimal shaping, hard-to-work fieldstone-- super hard to shape, and no lines), and it made me even more addicted to the craft.
Reflections and why I think it collapsed:
- My arch was not tight enough. I laid the stones more lengthwise than vertically, so they did not have enough tension to support them; the keystones were not large enough or properly tapered in a super-tight wedge shape, and the spacing was just filled in with hearting (pictured).
- The walls supporting the arches were not thick enough to handle the load; the cavity should have been smaller. The arch exerted an outward force that shifted the leftmost wall, which already had a slight bulge from not using lines or properly shaping my rocks.
- The form was fitted too tightly; I used a saw that basically vibrated the whole thing, causing the face to start falling out and shifting before it was fully removed. I'll design one easier to cut next time.
- Minimal use of through stones
If you all have any suggestions or resources for learning how to make a better arch, do let me know. It was a sight to see when the thing (6' tall) came tumbling down... almost like I was in some medieval siege, surprisingly loud, too. Time to rebuild...
Hello all, my first-ever hobby project was a pretty epic fail (hastily done with minimal shaping, hard-to-work fieldstone-- super hard to shape, and no lines), and it made me even more addicted to the craft.
Reflections and why I think it collapsed:
- My arch was not tight enough. I laid the stones more lengthwise than vertically, so they did not have enough tension to support them; the keystones were not large enough or properly tapered in a super-tight wedge shape, and the spacing was just filled in with hearting (pictured).
- The walls supporting the arches were not thick enough to handle the load; the cavity should have been smaller. The arch exerted an outward force that shifted the leftmost wall, which already had a slight bulge from not using lines or properly shaping my rocks.
- The form was fitted too tightly; I used a saw that basically vibrated the whole thing, causing the face to start falling out and shifting before it was fully removed. I'll design one easier to cut next time.
- Minimal use of through stones
If you all have any suggestions or resources for learning how to make a better arch, do let me know. It was a sight to see when the thing (6' tall) came tumbling down... almost like I was in some medieval siege, surprisingly loud, too. Time to rebuild!
Does anyone have experience with TokiMonki? https://tokimonki.com/ is it worth a shot? HSK5 asking