What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of Custom Gabion

26 Aug.,2024

 

Everything You Need to Know About Gabion Walls

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Gabion walls were used to protect the banks of the Nile in ancient Egypt over 7,000 years ago, and they&#;re still used today by civil engineers all around the world as an incredibly effective and efficient retaining wall. Good news for you: they&#;ll also work just as well in your backyard to protect your landscaping from soil erosion. But what exactly is a gabion wall?

The word &#;gabion&#; is taken from the Italian &#;gabbione,&#; meaning &#;big cage&#;&#;and that&#;s exactly what a gabion wall is! It&#;s an enclosure that holds inorganic materials including stone, brick, concrete pieces, and more in the shape of a sturdy wall. Historically, gabions were made out of wicker cages, but today they&#;re made of sturdy galvanized steel wire mesh. You can easily purchase premade gabion cages and pack them with whatever fill material you have on hand, and then boom&#;you&#;ve got a gabion wall.

Gabion Retaining Walls in Backyard Landscape Design

The Pros of Gabion Walls

  • Erosion control: Gabion retaining walls reduce wind and water flow to protect any vulnerable areas of your landscape from damage.

  • Easy installation: Building gabions is simple and can be learned quickly. They generally don&#;t have to be dug into the ground as their own weight holds them down, and they don&#;t typically require expert design or installation unless your wall height is over 3 feet.

  • Affordability: The price for the steel mesh is relatively low and is offset by skipping the cost of the expert mason you would need to lay a comparable traditional stone wall. The real draw here is that you can choose your own fill material, so you get to set your own price and can use low cost or even free materials.

  • Eco-friendliness: Choosing your own fill also means you have the option to use recycled materials or use local materials to reduce shipping costs! You can use stone already on your land, leftover backfill materials, repurposed chunks of broken concrete, and more.

  • Permeability: Gabion walls are excellent for reducing wind and water flow without stopping it entirely and rerouting that deluge elsewhere. Instead, water is allowed through as a gentle trickle and strong wind can still pass through the fill as a cooling breeze.

  • Longevity: Gabions are incredibly long-lasting and only get stronger as they age. As the fill material settles and the gaps are filled with silt, plants, and detritus, the wall simply becomes sturdier. They can rise and fall entirely undamaged as the earth shifts in freeze cycles. The biggest threat to a gabion wall is rust to their steel frame, which is typically only an issue in coastal areas with heavy salt spray.

  • Aesthetics: The sleek metal cage of a gabion wall provides very clean, modern lines. You can accentuate that with your fill material or contrast it with rustic stone for an appealing marriage of rustic and modern design styles. Even better, using a local stone offers a way to show off beautiful regional materials.

Photo Credit: Stone Decorative

Gabion Raised Garden Bed @ Wayfair

Gabion Wall Retaining Wall

The Cons of Gabion Walls

  • Aesthetics: While many people find the clean lines and industrial edge of gabion walls appealing and invigorating, others find that modern style to be too jarring for their garden. Their unique style has to be matched with the right landscape and the right landscaper.

  • Not suitable for small projects: Gabions are bulky, and their rigid frames mean that they&#;re not easy to bend and shape. They&#;re wonderful for creating large, bold, straight lines, but not well suited for small spaces or curved walls.

  • Possible animal habitats: The nooks and crannies in gabion walls make them an appealing nesting site for all sorts of burrowing critters. That can be a positive if you enjoy sharing your space with local wildlife, but not everyone is looking to invite a new neighbor into their yard.

Gabion wall steps

How to Use Gabion Walls in Landscape Design

Despite their frequent industrial usage, it doesn&#;t have to be difficult to elegantly incorporate gabion walls into your yard. They&#;re a natural fit for any modern design style, making them look at home alongside clean lines, sleek concrete, and shiny metal. However, they can also pair nicely with more traditional landscaping styles when filled with natural stone.

They are most typically used for retaining walls, but that&#;s just the start of their potential. Clever retaining wall design can allow them to perform double duty as erosion control and outdoor benches with the simple addition of poured concrete slabs on top. They can be used to divide a space, surround an outdoor fire or planters, add privacy, or add visual interest with interesting fill materials.

Because gabion wall building materials are so varied, you have many options for the final look of your finished wall. The most stable fill materials are chunky and angular, allowing them to lock together and prevent shifting. With that rule in mind, almost any sturdy material is fair game!

Stone is the most common option, which offers a wide selection of colors, textures, and regional specialties. Recycled construction materials are another favorite&#;chunks of concrete pulled up from patios, industrial sites, and even roads make for an ideal eco-friendly fill. If you&#;re less worried about stability and more worried about style, your options open up even further. Designers have filled gabion baskets with rustic wood logs and even colorful glass pieces for a sparkling effect in the sunlight.

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Colorado Tilly plan with gabion wall seating

Cost of a Gabion Wall

The first price tag to consider is for the metal gabion cages. They can be custom made for specific projects, but the industry standard for selling pre-fabricated gabion cages is in 3 foot sections. As a rule of thumb, you can estimate a cost of approximately $35 per cubic yard for a typical galvanized stainless steel wire mesh gabion cage.

With that out of the way, it&#;s time to consider your fill material. The costs here range wildly and are entirely up to you. You may choose to opt for a luxurious imported stone or snag a free truckload of broken concrete that was headed for the dump. Whether you&#;re a bargain hunter or willing to splurge, you can still end up with a gorgeous new garden wall.

Other costs to consider include possible gravel fill if you need to create a level surface for your cages and consults with a landscape architect or engineer if you&#;re building a wall that&#;s load bearing, over 3 feet tall, or structurally significant.

Front Yard Gabion Walls for Decor

Gabion Retaining Walls in an Arizona Landscape Design

Retaining Walls in a Playful New York Backyard

Gabion Wall Seating in a California Backyard Design


Are you ready to dive into building a gabion wall? Their versatility and convenience makes them an ideal choice for a wide variety of landscaping needs and styles. If you&#;d appreciate some expert advice in planning out your newest landscape addition before you start purchasing wire mesh in bulk, we can help! Our landscape architects are experts in creating functional and beautiful gabion walls that will help bring your landscape to life.

Gabion Fence and Stone Privacy Wall

Gabion Fences

A gabion fence or wall can be a great option for both residential and commercial landscapes. The term "gabion" comes from the Italian word "gabbione," which means "big cage." Effectively, a big cage does, in fact, form the framework of gabion walls and fences. The cages are fashioned from wire or galvanized steel and then filled with rocks, gravel, cement, natural materials, or even leftover construction materials. Gabion fences and walls make sturdy outdoor structures that provide a number of benefits.

Reasons to Install a Gabion Fence

If you&#;re looking for an alternative fence concept to traditional fencing, a gabion fence may make sense for your landscape. This type of fence relies on mesh grids filled with gravel that act as pillars or posts between sections of fencing. The fence material could be anything from reclaimed wood to metal. Alternatively, some people opt for gabion walls that provide a more solid barrier.

Some benefits of gabion fences include:

Sustainability: use reclaimed materials or natural materials to fill a gabion structure

Fast construction: quick and relatively easy to install, depending on the fill material

Design versatility: many options for fencing styles that will blend into nearly any landscape design

Durability: construction with galvanized steel provides a durable frame, and filling the cages with a layer of gravel and other rock materials makes for strong garden fences

Permanent or temporary: may be designed to last or suitable as a temporary gabion structure that can easily be moved

Like other fence options, a gabion fence can delineate property borders, keep pets in the yard, or even provide a structure for climbing plants.

Reasons to Install a Gabion Wall

A gabion wall is similar to a fence; the only difference is that the structure resembles a wall and tends to be thicker than a fence. These walls rely on the use of gabion cages &#; usually multiple cage sections and fill material. The cages resemble heavy-duty wire baskets. Once set in place, they can be filled with a wide array of materials to form a relatively solid but still permeable wall. Usually, property owners fill the gabion structure with rock material such as gravel and large river stones. Some people might fill the mesh grid with pieces of wood or even broken pieces of cement for a decorative effect.

Some advantages of gabion walls include:

Permeability: provide privacy but are also permeable, so they allow for good air circulation and water drainage

Erosion control: ideal for use on terraces or slopes, and are an affordable means of erosion control

Eco-friendly: can be fashioned using reclaimed or sustainable materials

Privacy: provide excellent barriers between properties or to enclose gardens or patios to create a private ambience

Strong: no cement foundation required as the strength comes from a level base and filling of gravel and heavy-duty rock material

Gabion walls can be constructed in many different styles using a variety of fill material. Build small walls or a larger structure, depending on your landscape requirements.

Why Choose a Free-Standing Rock-Filled Wire Mesh Wall / Fence?

Gabion structures offer tremendous versatility. Many property owners love the idea of installing impermanent gabion fencing. As their fence or garden wall needs change, they can uninstall and reinstall the structure. While offering durability, the walls can be dismantled and even transported with ease.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Gabion Walls and Fences?

We've discussed a number of advantages, but one distinctive advantage of both of these structures is that they are incredibly customizable. Property owners can create aesthetically pleasing structures that complement their home or commercial property. Disadvantages of these structures might include:
Challenging to build alone: Many people opt to hire a contractor for help constructing their larger gabion structures, such as tall walls. The mesh cages can be labor-intensive to fill, especially if using heavy rock material. Some people might opt to rent equipment to help with the lifting.

Not universally loved: Not everyone finds gabion walls and fences attractive, but this can depend on their fill material. If you&#;re thinking about selling your property, you might want to consider options for fencing carefully before you install any type of fence or wall on your property.

Are Gabion Walls / Fences Cost Effective?

Yes, they are cost-effective structures to build. In fact, by using reclaimed materials, you can save considerably in comparison with traditional fencing and wall construction materials. One of the many reasons people install gabion structures is their affordability.

Choose Gabion Supply for your gabion wall and fence needs. We offer a wide selection of construction materials to choose from. Browse our selection of gabion walls and fences today.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Custom Gabion. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.