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Hi there,
I recently had some concreting work done and my backyard in the process of being levelled. My block had quite a slope towards the back fence, so a retaining wall was installed and filled in.
For both the concrete and the retaining wall, there is a small gap with has been left to keep both off the already installed fence which I am looking for advice on filling in. For the gap between the concrete and fence, I have been told large river rock is a good option as it allows water to drain to keep the fence from rotting. Is this true?
I am mainly unsure about what I can do with the gap between the retaining wall and fence. At its deepest, its about 1m roughly from the top of the wall to the ground. I have small children, so wondering what is the best way I can block/fill this gap, whilst not exposing the fence to increased deterioration?
Any help would be much appreciated. I have added pictures of the areas for reference
Hello @CookedBread
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about filling the gap along your fence.
In regards to your first photo, I suggest using a cut-down 200 x 50mm 1.8m Treated Pine Sleeper H4 to fill the gap. But before putting the timber in I recommend levelling the rocks so that the sleeper sits level with the soil. I then recommend fixing it in place to the post with Zenith 10G x 75mm Galvanised Countersunk Head Timber Screws - 10 Pack. Please remember to put Bondall 1L Inground Timber Protector on the exposed cut portion of the sleeper.
As for the other side with the retaining wall, I suggest using the same type of sleeper and using it as a cap to cover the gap. In this manner, no extra weight will be put on your fence and both timber products are compatible with the treatment of your fence. I've placed some sketches below to give you an idea of what it will look like once installed.
Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W and @diy_hausdesigns for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hello @CookedBread
I suggest putting in some weedmat in conjunction with Whites Weed Mat Pins - 20 Pack to hold it in place. My best advice is to put in a folded weedmat rather than cutting it to fit into the space available.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Good evening!
My name is Alex and I loved what you show in this images. Yuo have an increible amount of options that you can explore to use this glorious space. I am updating a photo for further references and obviously, as always, you have the last decision around what to do. So, here I go:
1. As Eric mentioned in the next posts, using a folded weedmat is a great idea to stop the weed growing. Also, I would recomment adding some crushed dust all the way alomg the gap and compacted as most as you can, and keep having 100-150mm deep for the next point.
2. Once the crushed dust is compacted, and before the weedmat installed i would potentially install vertical mesh for future growing.Install additional aluminum or A4 posts in concrete. Additionally, do this in line with the post of your fence (just to make it look nice). Next install balustrades wires or slab mesh (the cheapest one or second hand) to the posts. This system will help you to grow from pots and hold them in vertical growing.
3. Add the weed mat and folded as Eric recommended.
The outcome will be a long section of vertical gardens to grow your own food, otherwise a very artistic way to cover the fence. In summer, if you grow plants or veggies, this system helps to cover the temperature that the fence radiate and also, because of the concrete, is a great spot to keep fruits/veggies in great temperate conditions.
Feel free to text me for more ideas
Alexander Stuardo
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Hello @GoGeo (Alex)
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us.
Let me tag @CookedBread to make sure they see your recommendation. Using crusher dust is an excellent way to fill the gap and using a wire mesh on the fence as a climbing frame is a great way to add greenery to it.
If you have a project that you're working on, please make sure to post an update. I'm sure our members would be keen to see what you're creating.
Thank you for sharing your idea.
Eric
Hi Eric
I’ve got a similar issue to @CookedBread in that I have small kids and a large gap between a retaining wall which is also corrugated, and a newly installed colourbond fence my neighbour has installed. I cannot afford the $50k plus to replace the entire retaining wall as it’s about 12m long and retaining over 1.5m.
the gap concerns me and I’m wondering what I can do to cover the unsightly corrugations and gap so my kids don’t fall through and get hurt? Any suggestions would be welcome.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ela123. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about extending a retaining wall.
Before considering any work around the corrugated cement sheeting, verifying that it is not asbestos would be best. Some similar profiles are just plain cement, but if this is older sheeting, it could contain asbestos. Once verified that it is not asbestos, I'd recommend removing the section between the retaining wall and the new fence and either using blocks or a timber panel to fill the space. I've created the below renders for you to illustrate. The blocks must be laid on a bed of concrete and mortar used for their joints. Given it's a one-width course, installing reo bar through the cores would be important to prevent the structure from being tipped over. It would also be a good idea to anchor the blocks to the rendered wall with Dynabolts.
The timber panel could be connected to the block wall and Colorbond fence with angle brackets.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
