If you're struggling to find a retaining wall style that suits you, then take a look at gabion walls. These walls provide stable and strong support like any retaining wall; however, they look different from the norm.
What is a gabion wall? What are its advantages?
What Is a Gabion Retaining Wall?
Gabion retaining walls use wire cages or baskets as a support structure. When you build a wall, you place these cages on the ground and then wire them together to create the height and length of the wall you need. These connecting wires also ensure that the cages or baskets sit snugly together and create a flush line.
Once your cages or boxes are in place and stabilised, you fill them up with large rocks or stones. Once the cages or baskets are full, they turn into an effective retaining barrier. The weight of the rocks or stones holds back the earth or ground behind the wall, and the cages or baskets hold everything together.
What Are the Advantages of Gabion Retaining Walls?
Some people install gabion retaining walls because they like the way these walls look. They look more natural and individualistic than standard concrete or brick walls. Plus, you can also pick and choose the rocks and stones you use as a retaining material. So, you can use specific colours or create patterned effects.
An experienced contractor can also install a gabion wall quickly. Concrete block and brick walls take time to build. Your contractor has to place and cement in the blocks or bricks along the length of the wall. You then have to wait for the cement to dry before the job is finished.
Gabion walls don't take as much work. You might need to prepare the ground if it isn't flat; however, you then build the wall more quickly. Once your cages are in place and filled, the wall is finished.
Like most retaining walls, gabion builds are good at preventing or reducing soil erosion on the land they hold in place. However, gabion walls also have better drainage qualities.
For example, brick or concrete walls don't always manage water well. If water builds up behind the wall, then it could damage the wall's materials. The ground behind the wall could also get waterlogged.
The open nature of cages or baskets and the gaps between a gabion wall's rocks and stones prevent these water problems. The water can pass through the wall and drain away naturally.
To find out more about gabion retaining walls and their benefits, contact your landscape or building contractor.
