Retaining walls are generally used to hold back the dirt behind them. The walls are set up where erosion has happened or is likely to happen to prevent erosion from getting a foothold on that hill. Retaining walls come in various styles, including those made from gabion baskets.
What are Gabion Baskets?
Gabion baskets aren’t baskets that you would find in a local home goods store. They are cages made out of wire, similar to chicken wire. You can buy premade baskets or make your own, depending on the size and location of your planned wall. When you are building your wall, getting premade may be easier for you.
Create a Base
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a good base. In most cases, you just need to compact the earth where the wall is going and arrange for some gravel to be set in the bottom for drainage. In general, you want the base to be at least 2/3 the height of the wall. A wide base is more stable and can hold back a larger amount of dirt.
Decide on Design
Depending on how high and long you need your retaining wall to be, you can create one that is straight up and down. Consider making a stepped or terraced wall if you need a high or long wall. These walls look just like stairsteps and can be a better choice for height and length.
Create Your Wall
Once you have prepared your base and designed how the wall will look, it’s time to start creating. You will need to source some fill for the baskets. That is usually some kind of rock or rubble. You may be able to get some fill from demolition sites; just talk to the contractors doing the job. You will probably have to transport the fill yourself in that case. You need enough fill so that each basket is full but not bulging. You may want to wait for a couple of days before you finish everything off so that the fill can settle and you can see where more fill may need to be added.
Helpful Tips
The wall fill is going to get heavy. The higher and longer the wall is, the heavier each load of fill is going to feel as you load it into the baskets. You may want to use some heavy machinery to get the fill into higher baskets. A gabion basket retaining wall can look stark. You can get around that by using pretty stones on the facing side. You can also plant things like ivy in and around the wall. That will soften the look and can help with added erosion control.
Retaining walls are necessary to help control erosion on hillsides on your property. Gabion basket retaining walls can be a good choice. They go up relatively quickly, and they are something that you can make on your own. When creating a retaining wall, research using gabion baskets in your project and why they’re beneficial.
Published by: Khy Talara
