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Gabion walls built with recycled steel mesh and filled with a mix of mortar and concrete.
The project
As the front yard has a reasonable slope on it from the back gate and front step area, I needed to either backfill a large area and then install a retaining wall, or support the path. I decided to make a lower flat area and support the path instead. The intention was to put a timber top to the gabion walls so they can be used as seating and potentially later have a fire pit in the middle.
I had loads of broken concrete and mortar/concrete mix that I wanted to use and the back of the gabion cage would be covered by dirt and pavers. I had managed to score a sheet of mesh from a friend at work 2.4 x 2.4m and that would be perfect for a long, low cage that was needed.
It always helps me visualise the job if I sketch it out.
Steps
Step 1
I was lucky enough to reclaim a sheet of mesh from work, and we used the guillotine to cut it instead of cutting disks for a grinder. Making sure I had it located right before filling was a fiddly thing, as the pathway and compacted clay was higher then the footing level of the basket.
I had some small leftover pieces of mesh so I decided on two baskets.
I have shown how the spirals are made in other projects, see Gabion Wall to stop water ingress to garage.
The cage went together pretty easily. Note - make the spirals around 40-50cm long to make it easier to install them. You can see the shorter spirals I use. It makes it easy to wind small sections on.
The white temporary blocks will be removed and the clay at the base is to be levelled.
Sorting out what type of angle I wanted.
I dry fitted the cages to the places where I wanted them to go.
This is showing the height difference in the ground. Yes, that's a paver standing on its end to support the cage. More clay to compact. Fun.
Step 2
Time to level the ground and compact it before I could fill the cages. I had to tamp the clay to create a firm base for the cage to settle into when full.
You can see the height of the path versus the baseline of the wall. I wasn't worried about it collapsing as it was all clay that had been packed solid.
Always make sure the cage is level in both perspectives.
Cages in place. Time to fill.
Taking out the steps and path. What did I find under the 10mm of concrete? More pavers.
Step 3
I made sure I faced the viewable wall with nice-looking concrete (to go with the same style of the large cage next to the garage). I used all the grey and broken bricks on the inside where you cannot see them.
I didn't have any stay wire when I was filling them, so I used some off-cuts of mesh instead. I did put stay wires in afterwards, though. These are used to stop the cage's stomach from spreading. You can see an off-cut being used in the middle to stop the walls bowing.
I used ratchet straps to bring the lid and wall together so I could then spiral them together. The straps worked a treat.
The cage is full and spiralled together. I used the long-nose pliers to grab and rotate the spiral so it twists on. Gloves are essential, otherwise your hands will get ripped to shreds from the stones and wire.
The cage comes together so nicely.
You may think "What has he done? That's a huge gap to fix up". The ratchet straps were placed every 45cm (I only had two) then synced up. Then I used a mallet to tap the stones through the cage. Don't hit hard, otherwise you can bend the mesh. It's a gradual process but easy to do. Once the cage is spiralled, move down the length and repeat.
I generally put the long hook of the ratchet over the top of the cage onto the back wall, making sure the strap doesn't go through anything sharp and the short hook half way down the front. Then slowly ratchet it up. This seems to work the best.
Spiralled. Eventually I will install timber over the top to create a bench style seating.
Later, I will backfill and widen the pathway.
Step 4
Now that the cages are in place, it's time to fill behind them. I used upholstery cloth to stop fines from entering the basket. This material has come in so handy for stopping fines moving through into the cage. You could use Geotech fabric instead if you wanted.
All ready to go.
Floor edging that is being repurposed. I am using it to be the final edge against the rear of the gabion basket to stop gravel from pushing into the Geotech material and then into the basket.
Edging in place.
Cleaning up. The daisy bush is to be moved, though I'm not sure it will survive the move.
Plant moved and the area raked.
The top down look.
Step 5
The last step was sowing some grass seed. I am still unsure of it being grassed or bark chipped or something else but not pebbles. I figure we live in a drought-prone country, so I should be hedging my bets. Plus I dislike mowing.
I used some of my pile of topsoil for the last couple of inches of the area.
I bought some golf grass seed. I love the feel underfoot but it's going to be pretty much a temporary thing, I figure.
Nice growth within 10 days.
I put down a second box of grass seeds on day 10.
Seriously nice, lush, green grass after about 20 days.
I'm very happy with how this stage worked out. The water doesn't pool and nothing gets muddy to the point of sinking. The only issue is what do I use here to cover the area, especially if I put in a fire pit?
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
- Steel mesh reclaimed
- Reused broken rocks
- Clay
- Steel 3mm fencing wire
- Grass seed
- Recycled plastic edging
- Thin grinder cutting wheels.
Tools used in the project:
- Shovel
- Pound hammer (small sledge hammer)
- Tamp bar
- Ratchet straps
- Level
- Pliers
- Multigrips
- Grinder
- Cold chisel.
More inspiration for your gabion project
Workshop community member shevysingh completed a courtyard transformation with gabion benches.
Community member tony1982 built a gabion bench seat with firewood storage with a Pine frame clad with decking boards.
Find more inspiration in our Outdoor bench seat ideas and the Top 10 most popular outdoor bench projects.
