If someone suggested creating a wall or fence from a wire cage filled with crushed rock, you might assume it would be ugly and is only used to save money.
While it can be inexpensive, the point of this article is to show you that gabion walls, fences, benches and other structures can look really fantastic. There are so many designs you can incorporate … it’s a very flexible type of structure material and concept to use.
Learn all about gabion here.
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About Gabion
What is gabion?
Gabion is wire cage or mesh filled with rocks and/or gravel to create a wall of some sort which can in turn be used to create a fence, retaining wall, bench and other structures.
Benefits of gabion
- Looks cool: As you’ll see in our collection below, you can do some really great looking gabion designs such as different rock color layers or mix the gabion with other fence or wall materials such as wood or metal.
- Is unique: Not a lot of landscaping use gabion so if done well, can be striking.
- Strong and durable: It’s solid rock encased in strong wire so it’s heavy and very durable. Over time, silt and vegetation fills into the gaps which further strengthens the structure [source: Founterior.com].
- Inexpensive: If you have low-cost access to rocks or gravel, the resulting cost can be low relative to wood, vinyl or other materials.
- Permeable: Because it’s loose packed rock, water can run through it which helps prevent any displacement in the event of a flood. That said, if forceful enough, water can ruin a gabion structure as well.
- Modular: You can add to a gabion structure very easy by adding more gabion sections in the future.
- Can do it yourself: Below we have a DIY gabion wall video which shows that it’s not difficult to build quality gabion walls yourself (save more money).
- Accommodating: You can place gabion pretty much on any landscape – slope, gravel, etc. In other words, you don’t necessarily have to move a lot of earth to prepare for gabion.
How much does gabion cost?
This is impossible to assess because it depends on the quality of wire, cage or mesh you use and the type of rock/gravel you use.
Types of rock used in gabion baskets
You can fill the gabion cage or mesh with any kind of rock. Here are a few ideas:
- Crushed concrete (less expensive)
- Slate (expensive)
- Pebbles
- Gravel
- Large rocks
- White rocks (very nice effect – see examples below)
- Crushed Granite
- Colorful rocks
- Limestone
- Bricks
- Etc.
The sky is the limit.
IMPORTANT: You need to make sure that if you plan on using a small rock that your cage should be tighter (less space between wire).
How to build a DIY gabion wall
Gabion Wall and Fence Ideas (Photos)
Gabion is mostly used to create walls and fences of all types – privacy fences, regular fences, garden fences and used in retaining walls. Here’s a huge collection of gabion wall and fence examples.
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Gabion Bench Ideas
You can also use the gabion concept for creating the foundation of outdoor benches. Check these out.
Other Gabion Structures
Gabion can also be used as a foundation and/or filler for various structures. Check this out.
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