How to fill gap between retaining wall and Colorbond?

[jeeves]

The previous owner of the house I bought has stuffed dirt into the cavity between the retaining wall (yellow arrows) and the colour bond fence (purple arrows). It’s all around the property (the last photo doesn’t have any arrows, but that’s the longest the dirt fill was done). The gap is  200mm all around. If left like this, the panels will rust faster, not to mention the dirt seeping through the gaps onto the neighbours’ properties. I’m getting a landscaper to remove the dirt. Any ideas on the best (practical and aesthetic) way to fill the gap? What’s the best way to get rid of the dirt?

 

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @jeeves. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about filling a gap.

To address this, the first step would be to prevent soil from traveling beneath the Colourbond fence. Since it seems the neighbour's side may be lower than your side of the fence, you'll need to install a treated pine plinth along the bottom rail of the fence. This plinth should run the entire length of the fence to act as a physical barrier that isolates the soil from coming under the fence.

Make sure that the treated pine is isolated from the Colourbond fence to prevent any potential damage or corrosion. You can do this by painting the backside of the plinth with bitumen paint, which will provide extra protection against moisture and contact with the fence.

Once the plinth is in place, you can backfill the gap between the retaining wall and the Colourbond fence with soil. This will help fill the 200mm gap and keep the soil in place. For aesthetics and to further prevent the soil from eroding, you might consider adding decorative stones or plants along the borders of the plinth. This will not only help secure the soil but also give the area a more polished look.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[jeeves]

Thank you for your reply, Mitch. That colour bond fence is built on plinth wood on the neighbours side. My land is elevated compared to the neighbour's land, hence the gap between the retaining wall and the fence. I did think about your idea of stacking some plinth wood against the colour bond and putting dirt against it, but that will still be putting pressure against the panels, and the panels won't have enough room. So I will be left with a gap/cavity between my retaining wall and the colour bond. Any ideas for filling that gap (apart from a capping piece of plinth wood screwed horizontally to the retaining wall)? And any recommendations on getting rid of the dirt?

Cheers,

Jeeves

[JacobZ]

Hi @jeeves,

There's no real trick to removing the dirt. You'll have to get a shovel and a wheelbarrow and dig it out and take it away.

Once the dirt has been removed, I'd suggest using liquid nails to stick some corflute to the fence at the height of the retaining wall. This will stop direct contact between any material and the fence, which can accelerate rust and the degradation of the fence. 

Once the corflute is in place, you can fill the cavity with light volcanic stones such as scoria. These stones are very light when compared with an alternatives. They will fill the cavity and allow drainage without applying excessive pressure to the fence.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[jeeves]

Hey @MitchellMc. Is there any way you can upload a few pictures of what you recommend looks like? It will be easier for me to visualise it then. Thank you!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @jeeves,

I've created a rendering below to illustrate. A timber plinth gets attached to the fence posts. It should start just above the bottom rail of the fence and travel down below it to cover any gaps the soil is migrated next door trough.

You can then added a run of sleepers out from the fence if you wish to create a garden bed.

Mitchell

 

[jeeves]

Thanks @MitchellMc. Unfortunately my land is elevated than the neighbour’s land. To make it make sense, the top plinth on your illustration? My land surface is 30cm above it. That’s been filled with dirt which is touching the color bond panels (for a depth of 30cm)

[MitchellMc]

Then you might have to double up plinths to be above that @jeeves. It's really not good that soil has been piled up that high against a Colorbond fence. In this instance, a retaining wall should have been constructed to hold back your soil and the fence constructed on top of it.

It's a difficult situation to retro-fix.

Mitchell