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Gabion Walls For Form and Function - Backwoods Home Magazine

Gabion walls provide an attractive alternative to traditional stone masonry, allowing homeowners to enjoy the look of stone walls without the intensive labor. Gabion walls are constructed using wire cages filled with rocks. They have been used for centuries in military fortifications and more recently in civil engineering projects. For homeowners, gabion walls can serve landscaping, erosion control, and security functions. They are relatively inexpensive to build, requiring only wire mesh, rocks, and basic tools. Homeowners insert rocks into prefabricated wire panels, connecting them to form cages that are then stacked like blocks.

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147 views

Gabion Walls For Form and Function - Backwoods Home Magazine

Gabion walls provide an attractive alternative to traditional stone masonry, allowing homeowners to enjoy the look of stone walls without the intensive labor. Gabion walls are constructed using wire cages filled with rocks. They have been used for centuries in military fortifications and more recently in civil engineering projects. For homeowners, gabion walls can serve landscaping, erosion control, and security functions. They are relatively inexpensive to build, requiring only wire mesh, rocks, and basic tools. Homeowners insert rocks into prefabricated wire panels, connecting them to form cages that are then stacked like blocks.

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suasponte2
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Gabion walls for form and function

By Joe Mooney

Issue #153 • May/June, 2015

I think there has to be something ingrained in the human brain that


loves things built of stone. Maybe it’s our desire for strength and
safety or the timeless beauty of stacked stone masonry. We have a
connection with stone construction reinforced by historic buildings,
engineering marvels, and even the fable of the three little pigs.

But why isn’t it as common anymore? In general, faster and more


efficient methods of construction have taken hold in the modern day.
And quite frankly, most people don’t have the patience for this type
of construction on a large scale anymore. So if you still want stone
but aren’t a patient or skilled mason … build a gabion wall!

For the homestead, the gabion offers a great solution for those
desiring the look and utility of stone but without having the tedious
masonry involved. This is not to say that it’ll be easy … you’ll still be
moving large amounts of rock, but at a much faster pace and
without having to select and shape each stone for that perfect fit.
Some fitting will be required, but nowhere near the same level of
masonry as with a traditional stone structure.
A gabion wall can serve a variety of purposes on the homestead and
can be relatively cheap to construct. No fancy tools are required in
the construction of the wire basket and any type of stone, rock, or
concrete chunks will suffice.

History
The history of the gabion wall goes back further than many might
think. Originally used in the medieval times, they were a mobile
fortification in which lightweight wicker baskets were filled earth,
rocks, and other debris. The combination of the basket and the
debris fill made stout walls able to withstand most types of
weaponry and protect soldiers while they set up their mobile artillery
in preparation for a siege. Similarly, gabions have been used with
success in Iraq and Afganistan to protect military camps from small
arms fire, rockets, and vehicle assaults.

More commonly, gabions are used in civil engineering projects such


as erosion control, flood management, and retaining walls. Road
projects and erosion control are the most visible examples seen on a
large scale. However, smaller projects include municipal landscaping,
small stream check dams, and water weirs.

These are some of the gabion walls I’ve built around my


homestead.

Uses for the homestead


For most Backwoods Home readers, the gabion wall will have three
potential functions the most common being for landscaping or
gardening purposes. Retaining walls and decorative dividing walls
can create dimension and boundaries to a yard or garden, not to
mention adding wind protection and aiding in the creation of
microclimates on the western face of such walls. Microclimates can
enable the planting of warmth-loving plants in cooler climates due to
the heat sink that the western wall face can create.

The second function is for erosion control and water management.


Gabions can be used to fortify eroding banks, driveway edges, and
hillsides by holding the earth back but still allowing the water to
pass through the structure. For those with livestock ponds, gabions
can serve as a water diffuser in the spillway or at the base of the
dam to keep churning water from eroding the base of the berm or
dam wall.

Additionally, they can also be effective for those in dry climates by


slowing seasonal flood waters within dry creeks. The eventual build
up of silt behind the gabion will not only harvest moisture for
surrounding vegetation but also aid in creating good game habitat
as well as additional forage for homestead livestock.

The third function that these walls can provide is that of security.
Those of us who have ever lived near a moderate-sized road know
the danger of an out-of-control vehicle. We’ve all seen the “car into
a house” story on the news, and it never ends up well for the wood-
framed house or the occupants. Appropriately sized, a gabion wall
could provide a very rapid deceleration of a runaway vehicle through
its sheer mass and flexible wire basket nature.

Whatever it is, there’s a use for a gabion on your homestead. I’ve


enjoyed mine for the last five years and have more in the works as I
write this. Gabion walls will add beauty and function to your
homestead for years to come.
How to build a gabion wall

1. Assemble the gabion panels and cut to size.


2. Tie wire the staggered pieces together for extra support.
3. Put together the gabion basket, using the wired panels.
4. Wrap galvanized wire around the seams of the basket.
5. As you fill the basket with stones, use interior support wires
to keep sides from bulging. Place the flat-sided stones face out.
6. Dress the top of the wall, placing flat-sided stones face up.

Materials:

5×5-inch concrete remesh (galvanized wire is recommended for wet


or salty climates)
bolt cutters
galvanized wire
tie-wire (thin gauge)
rock (4-5 inches in size or larger)

Wire basket construction:


Start by cutting your remesh bottoms and sides into the lengths and
widths for the wall desired. You’ll have five sections total. Next, cut
four more pieces for the sides and ends but at one square less in
length and width. This is to enable you to stagger the pieces so that
you’ll have smaller squares in which to hold the stone better. Once
the pieces are laid together in staggered fashion, tie-wire them
together so they are secure and won’t slide. After all the staggered
pieces are attached to the main sides, tilt them upright and connect
them to form a rectangle “basket.” Use galvanized wire to weave the
corners together. Once finished, you will have the completed basket
ready to be filled with stone.

Filling the basket:

As you fill the basket, you can place the stones in any fashion you
like so long as the outer stones have the flat sides facing outwards.
This gives a nicer look and keeps the basket from deforming. As you
fill the basket with stones you’ll need to add galvanized wire cross-
braces every two feet of the length of the basket and at every foot
in height of the basket. This is necessary to keep the sides from
bulging outwards. For example, if the basket is 10 feet long and
three feet in height, you’ll need five cross-braces for the first foot in
elevation, then another five for the second foot in elevation, and so
on.

Finishing the top:

For this style of basket, you won’t have any wire on the top so it’ll
be up to you how much time you want to spend arranging the
stones. But for a nicer look you can organize them so that they lay
evenly with the flat sides facing up. Once this is complete, the wall
is done and ready to enjoy.

Joe Mooney is a passionate advocate for self-reliant living and can


usually be found working on a new DIY project or reading the latest
issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. More can be found at his blog
www.homesteadonomics.com and on his YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/user/homesteadonomics.

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