Content
The modern view of landscape construction has changed a lot. New elements are constantly being introduced design, which allow the area near the house to look much better. For example, gabions have become very popular. In this article you can learn more about all the details and subtleties of how to make gabions with your own hands. We would like to assure you that you can do all the work involved in their production yourself. To do this, you need to delve into the important details of the technological process. But first, we invite you to familiarize yourself in more detail with gabions in landscape design. In addition, many useful and interesting photos will be presented showing manufacturing details.
Gabions - what are they?
Gabions mean a special container made of metal mesh. That is, for gabions it is necessary to make a frame from a mesh, and then fill them with one or another material. A variety of materials can serve as filler, including:
- crushed stone of large/fine fraction;
- wood;
- cobblestones;
- river stone;
- brick, etc.
So, the structure itself is made of mesh, which is twisted with high-quality wire. Containers are made in small sections to make it convenient when filling with filler. Sectional compartments are also needed, which will additionally serve as stiffeners. If they are not there, then the gabions may fall apart under the gravity of the stones.
The manufactured mesh frame is necessarily equipped with a lid made of the same mesh. Their special appearance will allow you to decorate absolutely any landscape project. They can serve as fences, retaining walls and the like. The uniqueness of this building is that it is relatively durable. This means that you will be able to enjoy the beautiful landscape in your suburban area with manufactured gabions for a long time.
Positive sides
There are several main positive aspects of the decision in favor of gabion construction. We will highlight the main details:
- High strength and reliability. Thanks to a well-prepared base, the entire structure will be stable and reliable.
- Long service life. For the frame, a mesh made of stainless galvanized material is used. If you follow the manufacturing technology, the finished gabion can last up to a hundred years. At the same time, throughout the entire operational life, gabions will not lose their visual appeal. Unless over time you will have to replace the filler, for example, dilapidated wood can be replaced with stones.
- Water permeability. Although gabions serve as a barrier structure, they allow moisture to pass through. For this reason, it is good to use them as a retaining wall. As a result, there will be no stagnation of water on the site.
- Ability to create gabions of any shape and size. There are no standards regarding the shapes and sizes of future gabions. Everything is determined individually for this or that area.
- Easy installation. Making a gabion fence with your own hands is a completely understandable task. Even one person can do the job, although it will take a lot of work.
- No special care required and maintenance throughout the entire service life.
Due to the fact that gabions can be filled with a variety of materials, new opportunities open up for designers when decorating landscape designs. You can easily highlight the beauty and natural shape of a stone or other material.
Where are gabions used?
Let us briefly mention the areas of use of gabions. Today they are mainly used in landscaping.
So, they can be installed in the following places:
- They can form a recreation area and even furniture, for example, tables, chairs, benches.
- Fencing for flower beds or other vegetation.
- For strengthening hangars as a retaining wall.
- When creating stone gardens in the style of Japanese landscape design or Art Nouveau.
- For creating partitions, arches, vertical flower beds and the like.
- To strengthen the soil near reservoirs, rivers, lakes, etc.
- As decorative elements in a landscape area.
- For the construction of steps and so on.
Types of frames
As already mentioned, the gabion frame is based on a mesh.The wire thickness should be up to 6 mm and at least 2 mm. This is an important requirement, because the buried stones will put strong pressure on the structure. As for the wire, it must be galvanized and PVC coated. In this case, the formation of corrosion is eliminated. The class of wire and mesh for gabions should be high, only for the reason that such a building is being built not for one year, but possibly for several generations.
Depending on the given purpose, the shape of the future structure can be very different. It is worth noting that there are no strict rules here. We will offer you several original solutions:
- Box. Based on the name, it becomes clear that this is a rectangular frame made of mesh, filled with stones or other material.
- Flat/mattress frame. Everything is clear here too. This form refers to a small gabion, which is most often built to strengthen the coastline.
- Cylindrical frame. An excellent solution if you need to make a support post for furniture or a future fence. Also, a cylinder-shaped gabion will be an excellent decoration element for any landscape design.
In general, you can give absolutely any shape to this structure. You should use your imagination and bring all your ideas to life. Mesh is an affordable material and easy to use, so you should not have any difficulties making the frame. Additionally, you can look at the photo in this article, perhaps you will find an original idea.
Instructions for making gabions
Making gabions with your own hands requires a precise plan of action. First of all, you need to prepare materials and tools, so among the materials you may need:
- Hoe.
- Building level.
- Shovel.
- Pliers.
- Metal scissors.
- Wire cutters.
From the materials you need to prepare the following:
- Galvanized steel mesh to create the frame.
- Steel wire for tying frame walls.
- Aggregate.
- Black film for bedding under the gabion frame.
So, now let’s get acquainted step by step with the technological process for manufacturing gabions.
Preparation is the key to success
First of all, it is necessary to prepare the place where the gabions will be installed. To do this, it is necessary to completely remove a layer of fertile soil, up to 150–200 mm deep. Use a shovel and hoe to remove the top layer of soil. Next, you need to pour gravel to the bottom to organize a gravel cushion. The entire embankment should be carefully leveled. To do this, you can use a level and a long rod.
Having leveled the gravel bed, everything is covered with black film. It will also dampen growth weed through the gabion frame.
Assembly and installation of the frame
Metal sheet mesh is used to produce the frame. You should decide what cells it will have. To do this, first decide on the aggregate, in our case it will be stone. Based on its size, the size of the cells in the grid is determined accordingly.
The mesh should be cut to the specified dimensions. So, lay the proposed bottom of the structure on the ground and also attach the future walls of the frame on all four sides. Afterwards, all edges should be tied with wire.To prevent the knitting wire from unraveling, the ends should be carefully secured. Otherwise, the edges of the structure may become separated.
Next, the side walls rise to a vertical position. All joints should also be tied with wire. It is mandatory to install crossbars that will prevent the gabion frame from expanding on the sides under the mass of stones.
Filling
The final stage of work is filling the frame, in our case with stone. Here you can use your imagination. For example, you can choose a stone by color and create a whole composition in the fence. One of the important requirements is that there be as few voids as possible. Also make sure that all corners are filled with stones. As a result, you will be able to achieve a beautiful fence.
At the same time, make sure that large and small stones are in perfect harmony with each other. Otherwise, everything may resemble an ordinary pile of stones. Moreover, it is important to ensure that stone fragments do not stick out from the mesh cells. They can damage those that will pass near the structure. It is also worth making sure that the stone fraction is no less than the frame mesh, otherwise the filler will simply spill out.
Second row
If desired, you can build a second row. To do this, install a second frame made from the same mesh on top of the first row. In this case, it should be tied with wire to the frame of the bottom row.If the total mass of the gabions is large and the soil in your area is unstable, then you may need to make a strip foundation. It will serve as a good support for the entire gabion. Plus, such a base will facilitate long-term use.
Conclusion
So, in this article we learned about all the features of making an original fence or decorative element in landscape design from such simple materials as metal mesh and stone. This article provides detailed step-by-step instructions for making gabions with your own hands. It will help you cope with all the work yourself and without the involvement of specialists. In addition, we invite you to watch an introductory video that will clearly help you consolidate the entire theory provided. Be sure that your country house will look beautiful with such design elements, and, in particular, gabions.
