Capping the Wall with Slate

There were two knee high walls built last year and we had an assignment to top them off with slate.  We had to gather the slate and then lay it along the wall to get the right amount of slate for the length. After that, we used a scribe to mark on each slab of slate to the desired length. Once all of the slate slabs were marked, we used slate cutters to cut them. Then we put them all in place to make sure they fit. We had to design the end caps to match what was already part of the wall. We put up our strings to make sure we stayed in line with the wall. From there we were able to lay the slate in place with mortar.

Here, I am lining up the top slate with the bottom slate to match its length. 

Here, we are trying to match the pattern of the brick to the slate. 

Here is the slate when it is all cut and laid out just before we began putting it together with mortar. 

Here is the final product. After the mortar dried we cleaned the joints.