Jul. 09, 2022
If you enjoy gardening or landscaping, chances are you've seen gabion walls, gabions baskets, or gabions fences. Or, you may have heard of them before when researching your options. But you may not be completely familiar with what they actually mean.
Gabion walls have been with us for a long time and have been used since ancient times to build strong, sealed structures, most famously along the Nile. But today they are used in thousands of gardens for aesthetic and structural reasons.
Here we will look at how to use gabions, gabions walls, and gabions fences in the garden.
Gabion structures, whether walls or fences, do not require a concrete foundation. They do, however, require some work under the surface. Otherwise, they are heavy and can easily topple over.
How you create the foundation depends on many factors, such as the material used for the wall, whether you are using it for retention or fencing, the condition of the subsoil on the site, etc. If there is any and some subsoil, you must remove the soft peat topsoil and replace it with a harder base.
If you are building a gabion wall on bedrock, then you only need about 25 mm of the substrate. Unlike many other walls, Gabion does not require a concrete base. For heavier materials, a double-wide foundation gabion can be used under the main structure to improve the stability of the wall.
In some cases, this is used where the subsoil is soft so that the weight of the wall is more evenly distributed over it.
Smaller, lighter gabion walls do not require thorough soil testing, but if you are building a larger, heavier wall or fence, you should be sure to have an expert check the foundation tests to determine the bearing strength of the subsoil.
The cost of installing a gabion wall can vary greatly. Much will depend on the materials you use to construct it. Even without considering stone fill, you can see a price range of £15 to £125 per meter of gabion basket.
The reason this varies so much is that there are many different kinds of baskets. Wire diameter, weight, and material all affect the overall pricing. 50 mm thick standard galvanized steel mesh costs around £30-35 per meter.
Welded Gabions
Then you have to consider the cost of stone, brick, cobble, or whatever you want to add to them. Gabion structures may be relatively expensive compared to other retaining wall options, but their unique appearance and relative ease of use make them a popular choice for gardeners and landscapers.
Before you start building your own gabion wall or fence, it's important that you do your research. Whether you use it as a fence, retaining wall, or something more decorative, you can change what kind of basket you need and whether you need a thicker base or a replacement subsoil.
More importantly, you must also consider what materials you want to use to fill the basket. No matter what you use it for, you must choose the type of basket and construction process that will ensure maximum safety for your walls.
First, you must prepare the floor itself. For lighter gabion walls, this may simply mean removing the topsoil to provide enough room for the bottom of the wall to be inserted into the ground.
Installation of Gabion Wall
If you have softer subsoil, you may need to remove some of it and replace it with a harder subgrade.
If you are building a fence, you may need a concrete foundation or create a wider gabion wall at the bottom to better absorb and distribute the load of the wall itself.
However, once the foundation is laid, gabion baskets are easy to erect. As mentioned earlier, they are often flat-packed and can be effortlessly unfolded and erected. If it is a taller wall or fence, you may need to consult a professional to see if any lateral bracing is also needed to prevent it from collapsing to the other side.
Once the fence is up, it's as simple as filling it with stone, broken bricks, or any other material you might choose for the wall. With larger materials, such as stone or brick, this can take quite a bit of time. If you are building a thicker wall, you may also choose to use stone and brick on the outer layer, but fill the interior with smaller stones to save some time.
Once the wall is fully erected, give it quick plumbing. This is just to make sure to remove all dust and debris from the moving material and leave you with smooth, clean walls.
For more information about the gabion wall, please contact export@xhwire-mesh.com.
