Gabion fences have a pretty attractive appearance. They act as an excellent alternative to stone and brick fences. This type of hedge will look harmonious with a summer cottage, which is located next to the forest.
Such a fence meets all modern requirements: it is attractive, durable and reliable. A rather important role is also played by the fact that such a design is environmentally friendly, because it is made from natural materials. For a long time after the construction, it does not need care, and the price can compete with the cost of other types of fences.
Why choose gabions
Gabion fences are common today in the CIS countries. They are a solid fence that provides excellent protection of the site from the eyes of passers-by and wind. It’s quite difficult to penetrate the territory through such a fence, because the design is durable. A linear foundation is not required.
It will be enough only to firmly concrete the pillars. The grid is flexible, so it can be used for structures that are not afraid of soil shrinkage. Installation of the system is quite simple, and you can perform the whole range of work yourself.
What is gabion
Before you start installing the fence from the gabion, you need to ask what this concept is. Translated from French, “gabion” means stones in nets. The latter are made of massive wire, which is filled not only with stones, but also with pebbles, as well as crushed stone. The name reflects the design features in full.
If the fence is built according to technology, then over time it will gain only greater strength. It should not be assumed that such designs do not provide for the possibility of realizing design ideas. On the contrary, they can be supplemented with green spaces and wooden elements. In addition, stones can be of various shapes and colors. They can be arranged in size and shade, creating whole patterns on the surface of the fence.
Such a fence can not only protect property from strangers, but also provide noise isolation. Therefore, gabions today are widely used in urban landscape architecture. They are used not only as elements of fences and fences, but also for equipping stone facades of structures and buildings.
Preparation of tools and materials
Before you begin the installation of gabions, you need to take care of the availability of tools and materials, among them:
- staples made of wire;
- desired filler;
- steel pins;
- metal gratings;
- geotextile;
- metal spirals;
- bars;
- wire ropes.
Preparation before installing the fence
Gabion fences can begin to be installed after completion of preparation. The support pillars in the base, which are mounted first, will have to withstand a significant load. To begin with, the territory is prepared, its marking is carried out. It is important to determine the right amount of materials.
It is necessary to identify the location of the supports using construction tape. Professionals recommend adhering to a step of 2.5 m. When building a fence of gabions, making this distance is no longer recommended, because such structures are quite massive, and the supports have to withstand impressive stress.
Installation of supports
To install the pillars, you need to dig holes for marking. The column should go one third of its length. In this case, the standard width is 20 cm. For a normal height fence, it will be enough to go deep by 70 cm. If the fence will have a height of 2 m, then the depth must be increased to 115 cm.
At the next stage, a pole is installed in the prepared hole. The supports should be rectangular or square, in this case, fixing the grid will be easier. However, a circular cross section can also be used. The support should be placed vertically, you can check the correct installation using the building level.
If you decide to build a fence of gabions with your own hands, the step-by-step instructions presented in the article will help you. It is important to expose the post, fixing it with wooden supports. Then the solution is poured into the space and rammed. Similar actions should be carried out with other posts.
Installation of a mesh cloth
In order to proceed with the installation of the mesh, concrete must be left for three days until it hardens. The next step will be the installation of a wire frame in which stones will be laid. Fixing the grid can be carried out in one of several ways, for this they are usually used:
- washers;
- bolts
- galvanized clamps;
- nuts.
The gabion net is fastened with tie brackets that will fix the opposite webs. When mounting the mesh, its ends should first be treated with zinc paste or any other anti-corrosion agent.
Stone laying
At the final stage of installation, it will be necessary to lay out the stones. It is important to ensure a uniform continuous filling. Even after you fill the grid for gabions, you can change and adjust the position of the stones. This is ensured by the flexibility of the canvas.
The appearance of the fence will depend on the color, size and texture of the filling, as well as the area of the cells and their shape. Too small stones will not look very attractive, and small cells, like too large, will not allow you to lay out an even canvas.
Additional guidelines for installing fencing
In general, the equipment of the gabion fence involves 4 stages. The first is the preparatory part. It involves not only marking the territory and determining the points of the pillars, but also calculating the amount of material. The second stage is the equipment of poles. Next, a mesh canvas is stretched.
After this, special attention must be paid to the places of the cut wire. At the last stage, filling is carried out. Stones can be laid out manually. If they are selected correctly, then difficulties should not arise. The size of the stones should not exceed 40 cm in diameter. The material must be uniform and dense.
The width of the mesh holes should be less than the size of the stones, otherwise they cannot be avoided. It is advisable to take the stones oval, quadrangular or round. It is important to pay attention also to the frost resistance of the material. He must perfectly cope with the negative weather conditions in which the fence will be operated. When selecting granite, it is important to consider its radioactivity.
More on mesh mounting
When making a fence of gabion and wood, the last of which will be the basis of the supports, you must correctly install the grid. As it is a canvas with hexagonal cells. The material may have a polymer or galvanized coating. Among other things, galvanized welded cards should be purchased. The grid can be welded independently and coated with weatherproof paint.
Using welded cards, you should prefer galvanized products with a square cell with a side of 5 to 10 cm. The final value will depend on the fraction of the stone. For convenience, the production produces gabions of the following formats: height ranging from 0.5 to 1 m; width is equal to the limit from 0.3 to 1 m; as for the length, it can vary from 2 to 6 m.
About cost
If you decide to build a fence from a gabion, how much such a structure costs, is a question that should certainly interest you. Thus, the work will cost the consumer 2200 rubles. per linear meter, when it comes to gabion, the dimensions of which are 30x50 cm. The price includes preparation of the base and concrete pillars.
As for materials, the galvanized wire mesh can be purchased for 1300 rubles. Its dimensions will be 200x250 cm, while the cell will have the following parameters: 100x50 mm. A boulder stone will cost the consumer 8,000 rubles. per cubic meter. If you want to use pebbles, then you can purchase it for 10,000 rubles. per cubic meter. Granite has an average cost of 5,000 rubles. per cubic meter.
Additional recommendations
After you have installed columns of gabions for the fence according to the above scheme, you can proceed to the choice of stone. Hard rocks are most commonly used, among which are:
- basalt;
- quartzite;
- granite;
- diorite.
Sandstone and other stones with high frost resistance, as well as an impressive degree of strength, are quite common. If you decide to install surface gabions, then you should use a stone whose dimensions are 30% larger than the mesh cells. Underwater structures are complemented by stones whose parameters exceed the size of the cells by 50%.
Conclusion
The fences described above are sometimes supplemented with a foundation with a pillow based on sand and gravel, which is well compacted. If you have a question about choosing a mesh, then you should prefer galvanized stainless material or one that has a PVC coating. Before starting work, it is important to correctly determine the load that will be exerted on the structure. Otherwise, it may simply collapse or not retain its linear dimensions.