Hi.

 

I am thinking of using gabion baskets for all the retaining walls, but would like to know how they compare to a wall built from concrete blocks. I would have to pay a bricklayer to build the walls from block, but I could excavate and pour the foundations myself.

If I used gabions I could do the lot from start to finish, so would save on labour. However, it seems like a lot of material is used in each basket. I would partition the basket, so the front 1/4 had cosmetic stone. It looks very time consuming using baskets, so I would like to know whether there is much of a difference in cost.

 

Thanks.

Ours aren’t retainers 

But I do like the look of the Gabion baskets 

Pick one method that suits your day to day life.

If you have the time to do it then go for the gabions and do it yourself.

If you have no time but the money to cover it then get someone in to either do the gabions or build your block wall.

It looks like I’ll be doing gabions. I did a quick calculation and I’ll be saving around 4K on the labour.

Thanks

How will movement effect you, gabion baskets have the ability to move a bit unnoticed, however a block wall will show up a crack immediately there is a problem. 

 

I say say this with lots of experience on a  £50,000 landscaping job I was involved in,

the ground was so volatile that we suggested gabion baskets so any minor movement was unnoticed, the other contractor recommended reinforced block wall, we walked away, some time later I did a job for the neighbour and they told me the first time the river burst it’s banks it sucked all the soil out from under the walls footing and it dropped a few mm resulting in a series of cracks I believe it all ended up in court with nobody coming off well. 

 

If in doubt let it flex. 

40 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

If in doubt let it flex. 

Being a stonemason who specifically worked in the natural  / wild environment that is subject to movement I would 100% agree with this. 

The ground is very wet at the moment from water that is coming from the land behind. I need to put in drains at the back of the ground and have them running into the centre of the plot, where it will run into the watercourse.

Hopefully this will solve the soggy ground issue, but it looks like it’s the way to go with the gabions.

Thanks very much.