Not so long ago, what a gabion was was known only to a fairly narrow circle of specialists. But today, gabion structures are increasingly used for the design, arrangement and strengthening of houses, and many want to know about their calculation and application.

1 What are gabions and how are they made

Gabion structures have been used to strengthen and protect road embankments, unpaved slopes, engineering structures, river banks, water bodies and seas for over 100 years. Today, when they began to be used in private housing construction and landscape design, the question of what is a gabion is asked not only by specialists in the above areas, but also by ordinary people. It is a frame made of metal mesh and filled entirely with stone or other filler. Wireframes the right size fastened together with a wire using a stapler or other tool and result in a structure of the required height, length and shape.

According to GOST, for the manufacture of gabions, a twisted wire mesh with regular hexagonal cells of certain sizes, made of low-carbon steel wire, should be used general purpose... But the production of gabions now also involves the use of a mesh with a different shape and size of cells, when they are guided by the calculation of the strength of the entire structure and the impossibility of pouring stone out of it. The wire can be single or double, uncoated, galvanized, with PVC sheath or with a polymer color coating. The assembly of boxes from the mesh is carried out using galvanized or staples (galvanized rings). In the latter case, use pneumatic or manual stapler(gun).

Welded gabions are also made, which is a structure assembled from steel rods. different diameters(pergons) or (geogrids). The stone for gabions or other filler must be sufficiently strong, water-resistant and frost-resistant, crushed of natural or artificial origin. Another important requirement is that the stone for gabions should be a ready-to-use material and not need additional processing, as this will lead to an increase in the cost of the gabion structure. You can purchase ready-made mesh baskets or order for specific purposes. Before their manufacture, the calculation of the entire structure is made.

The device of large gabions requires a more complex calculation and may differ slightly from the device of ordinary small ones. Their design is complemented with diaphragms - dividing partitions. By geometric shape gabion baskets are divided into three main types:

• box-shaped - most often with dimensions of 1.5x1x1 m, 2x1x1 m and the so-called Jumbo with dimensions 3x2x0.5 m, 2x1x0.5 m;
• cylindrical;
• flat (mattress-mattress) - the most common are mattresses Renault(rectangular flat, 3x2 m in size, 0.30, 0.23, 0.17 m thick).

2 The main types of gabion baskets and structures

Currently, there are many various types gabion baskets, differing in size, shape and price. However, the highest demand today, especially with the construction of various fencing tall structures enjoy gabions Mccaferry produced by Oficine Maccaferri (Italy). Features of their designs:

• the presence of reinforcing membranes in the boxes;
• variety of shapes and sizes;
• delivered to the object disassembled, in the form of packages and already directly on the spot are assembled into volumetric structures using special ribs and tied with a wire or fastened with a stapler.

Maccaferry Gabions are made from a hexagonal mesh woven from double twisted wire. The most popular among box gabions - they are in the highest demand.

Mesh baskets are no less famous Geofast, produced by the Russian company "GEOFAST". These three-dimensional mesh structures are also produced in various shapes and sizes from a hexagonal mesh mesh woven from double twisted wire. The mesh can only have a zinc coating or be additionally protected with a PVC layer. The innovative Galfan coating is also used, which provides the greatest protection of Geofast baskets from corrosion. The scope of Geofast designs is wide enough:

• water economy - strengthening the banks with gabions;
• road construction - strengthening the slopes and slopes of roads;
• instead of concrete structures- capital reinforcement of slopes with gabions, protection from avalanches, rockfalls, mudflows and more;
• as weights when protecting pipelines laid under water;
• other.

Special attention should be paid to the universal enclosing systems of Pergona - welded gabions. They are made in the form of lattice steel boxes with various fillers (processed glass, pebbles, stone, crushed stone, concrete plates, wood and much more). These systems are installed directly on the ground or on the foundation.

A fence made of Pergons gabions as in the photo consists of:

• The supporting structure is, as a rule, posts-posts, equipped in the lower part with flanges, which are attached to the base with anchors or dowels. Optimal material racks - a rod with a thickness of 8-10 mm or according to calculations.
• Power grid - can be, for example, made of a galvanized rod with a thickness of 5-6 mm (or according to calculations).

From pergon structures, you can create not only a fence made of gabions, but also:

• flower beds and beds;
• interior decoration and facade of the house;
• decorative and garden elements as in the photo: gazebos, labyrinths, obelisks, artificial reservoirs, arches and other design elements.

3 Mounting and installation of gabion structures

The technology for laying gabions is not very complicated, but it requires adherence to a number of instructions. Laying, installation of gabions is carried out on a prepared base - it is enough just to level the surface. The stone for gabions and the net for them are supplied separately. The mesh baskets are assembled according to the attached instructions:

• the material is unpacked, laid out on a hard, flat surface, and then straightened;
• a box is constructed from the material - the side panels are bent vertically, the corners of which are connected to each other with a wire or a stapler.

After that, gabions (empty without filler) are installed on a pre-planned surface of the earth. Then the installation of gabions is continued in the following sequence:

• installed baskets are fastened together into a one-piece structure, pre-designed in accordance with the calculation of strength and reliability;
• a stone for gabions is laid in the resulting structure - the largest fractions are at the edges and down, and the smallest in the middle;
• filled baskets are closed with a lid, which is secured with a wire or a stapler.

Walking through someone's dacha, you can hear an admiring exclamation: “Look how cute and beautiful gabion»! What is hidden under this concept?

Gabions are light and transparent mesh boxes made of rigid wire, which are filled to the top with filler, usually natural or artificial stone... These are practical and elegant containers made of metal and stone have a number of advantages:

• easy to install,
• durable and resistant,
• compact,
• are not afraid of soil shrinkage and repeat all the outlines of the soil,
• environmentally friendly,
• with good sound insulation,
• waterproof,
• go well with any country landscape,
• by itself - very beautiful.

Thanks to such properties, for the device of fences, parapets, retaining walls, for the design of reservoirs, the installation of garden furniture, and also as a variety of picturesque decorative elements on.

Types of gabions

Most often, the gabion is in the form of a spacious box. in the form of a regular rectangle 1.0-6.0 m long, 0.5-2.2 m in height and 0.1-1.0 m wide. For example, gabions 1x0.5x0.5 m are sold; 4x1x1 m; 1.5x1x1; 3x2x0.3m; 6x2x0.5 m; 1.5x1x0.5 m, etc. Such containers are perfect for fencing a flower bed, lawn or recreation area, as a "leg" of garden furniture, for delimiting an area or building a fireplace, mini-waterfall, retaining wall, fence, etc.

There are also so-called flat ("mattress") gabions, which are commonly used to reinforce the bottom of a pond, a strip of a shoreline or a slope. Their traditional filler is river pebbles of all shapes and types. Due to their low height - up to 30 cm - such structures easily follow the curves of the ground surface.

Finally, there are cylindrical baskets, which are suitable for strengthening various retaining walls, for laying out the bottom foundation, as well as for decorative purposes ("columns", "legs", "posts", etc.).

General construction of gabions

For mesh boxes, a special galvanized or galfan wire is used with a coating strength 4-5 times higher than that of a regular mesh - a chain-link (the latter is not suitable for gabions!). Also, sometimes the wire under the gabions is covered with a layer of PVC, especially for underwater structures, in order to protect them from corrosion. The thickness of the wire, taking into account the coating, is usually 2-6 mm.

Container cells are rectangular or hexagonal. In addition, the strength of the basket is achieved by double twisting technology or by welding. In the first version, a double-twisted steel wire is attached to a rigid frame, and in the second, the rods are welded at their intersection at an angle of 90 degrees.

Opposite sides of one gabion are fastened with special strong braces. If there are several containers, they are linked into one monolithic structure using staples or a spiral. Large containers can be equipped with intermediate compartments, diaphragms, which reduce the risk of swelling.

Filler selection

Often as a filler for a gabion in the country different rocks are selected, both natural and artificial formations. Suitable:

• granite,
• basalt,
• limestone,
• marble,
• diorite,
• pebbles,
• travertine, etc.

The main colors of this filler are gray, black and white, but you can also get red boulders or colored glass stones to achieve a beautiful decorative effect.

Optimal stone size- within 7-20 cm. The main thing is that the stones do not fall out of the net. For "overland" containers, it is recommended to choose stones, the size of which is about 30% larger than the size of the gabion cell, and for underwater structures - by 50%.

It is also very important that the filler is strong (stone grade - not less than 400M, optimally 1000M), frost-resistant (from 200-300F) and does not erode (not less than 0.6% of the weight), has a specific gravity of 17.5 kN / cu. .m.

As an alternative for purely decorative purposes for filling gabions, you can use bricks, paving stones, wood, glass, broken tiles, concrete, etc. For example, the installation of gabions with imitation of logs under the laying is very popular.

Let's take a closer look now let's get acquainted with installing gabions at home.

Installation of gabions

Tools and materials:

• shovel;
• level;
• nippers and pliers;
• bucket;
• a flat board and pole or crowbar for leveling stones;
• gabions;
• supports, sand, cement (for tall gabions);
• long flat rail;
• fittings for corners and braces;
• metal spiral or wire crimp staples;
• geotextile;
• filler for gabion;
• fine gravel for filling the base.

Step 1. Preparation of the base on the site

Clean up well in the place of the future gabion. The site should be planned, without strong irregularities. Remove the sod about a spade bayonet or slightly less, making a small, even trench across the width of the container, trim and compact it.

Step 2. Folding the box

Unpack the bag, lay the gabion horizontally on a flat area and make sure it is free from defects. Then fold all the sides and collect the gabion in a container.

First, wire the corners of the box, making sure that all the tops of the sides of the box are in line. Then "tie" the ribs with wire. In the corners, you need to drive, weld or push the fittings.

You can buy more durable structures already ready-made in the form of welded sections.

Step 3. Installing an empty box

Install the gabions evenly, without distortions, controlling everything in level. It is allowed to slightly deepen the box by 5-10 cm into the prepared groove - the container will then sag under the weight of the stones and "fix".

And here for high fences or retaining walls, as a rule, support posts are set in advance and concreted (for example, 60 * 40 mm). Then the gabion mesh is “put on” on top of them, which is fixed to the supports using assembly pins with bolts or by welding. Supports are recommended to be concreted to a depth of about 50-70 cm with an interval of 1-1.5 m based on the length of the basket. To lower the gabion, the mesh must be cut from below in advance. After filling the stone, the support pipes will not be visible.

For standard gabions longer reinforcement pins can be welded in the corners, which are then dug in or even concreted - this way the box will stand more securely. The empty box is temporarily supported by wooden struts while the concrete hardens.

Step 4. Installation of subsequent units (if necessary)

To connect individual blocks, use a metal spiral or crimping brackets, thanks to which all baskets will become one solid structure for you. After connecting, be sure to check the straightness of adjacent edges and faces.

Temporarily attach to the outside of several empty containers wooden lath to ensure the evenness of the facade of all gabions during the laying of the stone. At the end of the work, the slats are removed.

Step 5. Filling the filler and installing the braces

First, line the box with stones up to half its height. To do this, lower stone by stone one at a time, or even better - using a small board, trimming them with a pole. For smaller fractions, you can also pour the filler out of the bucket, leveling it right in the basket with a crowbar and hands. Select the stones in shape so that when they are laid, they fill all the voids to the maximum and lay down as tightly as possible.

After filling the lower half of the box, pull the opposite walls of the gabion with special brace ropes in the form of stiffeners in order to prevent further swelling of the walls of the container under the weight of stones. Place horizontal braces evenly across 4-5 cells across the entire width of the basket in increments of about 25-40 cm.

Then proceed to further filling the filler of the remaining half of the net to the very top of the container.

It is recommended to fill taller gabions by one third first. That is, in this case, for high structures, everything is done in three approaches: backfilling stones by a third, then braces are placed, filler again goes up to 2/3 of the container, again cables, and, finally, stones to the top.

The invisible places of the gabion, its middle, but not more than 15-20% of the total volume, can be neatly laid out with smaller stones or even construction waste, having previously covered the slag or battle with geotextile. This property of the container does not deteriorate, but you can save money and time.

Finally, close the lid of the drawer by pulling it tight and securing it with wire. First, pre-tie the corners of the cover, checking the evenness of the sides everywhere, and then fasten the ribs.

After installation, hose down the cobblestones to remove dust.

Step 6. Finishing the top of the gabion

Most often, the top of the container is left “breathable”. If desired, the upper part of the structure can be finished with wood or various decorative plates. For example, on the reverse side decorative panel metal brackets are installed in advance, and after filling the stone, they are attached to the top of the container with a wire.

To refresh the gabion and give it a natural look, you can plant green in the space between the stones climbing plants- it will turn out very picturesque.

This completes the work. As a result, gabions will long years serve practical and very beautiful decoration the landscape of your dacha, bringing in it a bit of aristocracy and elegance!

Installation of a multi-level gabion in photos

Gabions are multifunctional and versatile designs. They are containers made of strong wire or strong metal mesh, filled with stone, rubble or other materials. The word "gabion" itself has a foreign origin. Translated from the Italian language "gabbione" means "big cage".

Initially, the frames of the gabions were wicker and looked like baskets without a bottom. They were used, starting from the 16th century, in military affairs for the construction of fortifications. From the end of the 19th century, these pre-fabricated structures began to be used in construction. The construction of dams, bridges and retaining walls could not do without them, the strengthening of slopes, slopes and bank protection with gabions were widely used.

Varieties of gabions and their scope

Later, wicker baskets were replaced by metal frames, and the structures themselves received new functions. Today gabions are used not only in construction, but also in. Thanks to the use of various fillers, they can fulfill both their direct purpose, for example, strengthening the coast with gabions, and a decorative function, or combine both of these tasks.

For the frame of gabions, strong galvanized wire with a diameter of 2-6 mm is usually used. Individual items are fastened together into a single structure. At the same time, in order to ensure the stability of the structure, to prevent its deformation and premature destruction, the same strong wire is used for the installation of gabions. According to the shape of the frame, these products are divided into:

• flat;
• cylindrical;
• box gabions.

In large structures, dividing partitions (diaphragms) must be provided. At the same time, box structures can be both mesh and welded gabions, depending on the method of their production.

Flat gabions, the thickness of which does not exceed 30 cm, are excellent option for strengthening the banks of streams and rivers, the slopes of ravines, laying on the bottom of shallow water bodies.

Being flexible, these products of small thickness follow all the curves of the surface and any unevenness of the relief.
Such gabions, as in the photo, can also be laid as a foundation for box structures.

Gabions - the choice of specialists

It is not by chance that these structures attract the attention of builders, owners of personal plots and landscape designers. They have whole line advantages worth dwelling on in more detail:

These designs are safe and blend in perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

How to make gabions on your own plot on your own

At summer cottages and suburban areas gabions can be used for:

To build gabions on the site, you can invite qualified construction specialists. However, such a structure is quite capable of assembling on its own, you just need to use quality materials... Here is a step-by-step instruction on how to make gabions with your own hands. There are two options:

For the construction of gabions, you will need a strong metal mesh, special metal spirals, steel pins, staples made of strong wire, braces, geotextile (for bulk materials), filler.
To connect the parts of the box, brackets and metal spirals are used, and with the help of pins, the structure is firmly attached to the ground. The middle of the container can be filled with fine filler (geotextile is used for this), and the front walls with larger stones.

The filler fractions should be larger in size than the cells of the gabion container. The larger the cells, the larger the filler chunks are required.

When arranging surface structures, the size of the filler fractions should be one third larger than the size of the cells of the box or mesh. If the product is intended for operation under water, such a structure should be filled with an even larger stone, it should be one and a half times the size of the cells of the metal container.

Installation of gabions

Filler for gabions: which one to choose?

If on your site these structures perform the function of retaining walls, reinforcing slopes, or you decide to build a fence from gabions, for these purposes it is necessary to use a strong filler. Hard rocks are great natural stones: basalt, quartzite, granite.

You can also use other varieties that are frost-resistant, durable, waterproof, resistant to temperature extremes. Stone for gabions can be different forms and sizes, depending on the size of the cells of the metal frame.
It can be rounded boulders, "wild stone", large pebbles or chipped rubble - any of these materials will not only be durable, but also make the whole structure attractive, make it pleasing to the eye.

To fill gabions that perform a decorative function, use materials with an interesting texture or their various combinations.

As a decorative filler for the device of gabions, you can use all kinds of materials, selecting them in accordance with the style of the site design and color palette.
These can be pieces of glass, cuttings of pipes and metal structures, broken tiles, paving stones, fractions of bricks, tree cuts, thick pieces of bark and other natural or man-made materials.

Video instruction for assembling a gabion structure

Decorative gabions in landscape design

Today, gabions are increasingly seen in landscape design as decorative elements. There is no doubt that the decorative use of these designs inspired them new life... This area allows the use of products that previously carried exclusively functional loads as one of the main decorations of the site. And for the embodiment of the designer's fantasies, this area really provides unlimited scope.

The decorative role of these structures can be successfully combined with their functional purpose... Today, hand-made gabion walls can be seen not only in household plots as fences, retaining walls, partitions for zoning and in the exterior of buildings, but also in the interior.

The illumination of decorative gabions on the site in the evening looks beautiful. Therefore, when erecting these structures, it is worth taking care of their illumination.

Gabions will be the best solution for arranging a zone and gazebos, facing the banks of small decorative reservoirs and construction of fountains, fences flower beds, production of bases for garden furniture and stands for garden sculptures.
The fillers of these structures are harmoniously combined with forged parts, natural wood, metal and other materials.

Gabions look great on a high-tech or minimalist plot. The asceticism of these structures is perfectly set off by the green lawn, flowering plants and ornamental shrubs... In areas with relief differences, an interesting solution would be to create terraces from gabion structures. The seating area can be separated with a gabion screen, equipping a cozy corner with an original design.

When installing an "outdoor" fireplace or barbecue area from a gabion, it is necessary Special attention give it to the filler. Better if it is a refractory material: stone or brick. A tree is not suitable for these purposes.

Gabions in landscape design, the photos of which are given below, surprise with the variety of materials used, shapes, colors.
Thanks to these structures, any site can acquire a unique look and turn into a comfortable place for recreation, where it is pleasant to gather with the whole family and receive guests.

Decorate your site in an original way or make reliable fence, the support for the building can be done with stones that are filled into metal grids. Such structures are called gabions; the simplicity of the technology allows you to make them yourself - you will find the corresponding step-by-step instructions in this article.

What is a gabion and what is it for

The word "gabion" is of French origin and literally translates as "large cage". This is the name of the metal mesh, which are made of twisted wire. Usually, the shape of the gabion really resembles a cage, although you can make more curly options with which you can decorate the design of your site in an original way. Fall asleep in the nets various stones, which create an attractive, neat look to the fence.

In domestic terminology, in accordance with GOST R 51285-99, gabions are also called gabion mesh products (GSI). Requirements normative documents involve the use of metal cells that represent the correct hexagon. However, in landscape design, you can use completely different variants, since GOST contains prescriptions for the use of products in the economic sphere.

Gabions are used in different areas:

Thus, if initially gabions were used for purely practical, protective purposes, now they are becoming one of the modern design tools.

What are the advantages of gabions

The reason for the popularity of gabions lies in the advantages that they give in comparison with other stone products:

1. Gabions are much cheaper than monolithic stone slabs and ship to the right place much easier.
2. It is easier to work with gabions than with a stove.
3. Gabions allow you to show much more creative imagination, since the stone slab has a pre-prepared shape, and the mesh can be built of any size and type, adapting specifically to your site.
4. Due to the fact that the metal mesh bends very well, the gabion will naturally take the shape of the surface on which it is placed. As a result, even during the high water period, the rainy season, the structure will stand quite stable without additional supports.
5. The gabion itself is very durable: from moisture and temperature extremes, stones and metal practically do not deteriorate. Moreover, a special drainage system there is no need to drain water - as a result, time and money are saved during installation.
6. In terms of care, such structures are also undemanding - you just need to monitor the external cleanliness.
7. Gabions, used as fencing, are good at absorbing noise and keeping dust from the road, which settles on the uneven, embossed surface of the stones.
8. Gabions can well strengthen the soil on the site if structures are laid out along its perimeter - stones are more reliable than textile fiber, sand and other drainage protect against erosion.
9. Finally, a fence, a support or a gabion figure is a really safe product from the point of view of environmental friendliness: stone and metal do not pose any threat to health and do not pollute the site.

Thus, gabions are metal nets that are filled with stones (sometimes other materials at hand). You can assemble gabions with your own hands - the step-by-step instructions are quite simple.

The only drawback of these products is their rather large weight. If small gabions can be removed manually, then for more capital options you need to carefully think over the location - it is almost impossible to move them without damaging the mesh.

IT'S INTERESTING Over time, gabion cells will begin to fill up with earth, sand with plant seeds that will begin to sprout right between the stones. Oddly enough, this gives the structure additional strength due to the fact that the space between the cobblestones is filled, and the entire gabion acquires a monolithic structure.

Gabion device

A typical gabion consists of twisted metal wire filled with stones or (less often) other types of scrap materials. Certain requirements are imposed on the wire and filler.

Wire for gabions

Double twisting technology is usually used for reinforcement. The requirements for the metal base are obvious for this case:

• strength;
• elasticity;
• corrosion resistance (especially for underwater gabions).

To make a gabion with your own hands according to step-by-step instructions, you should use a galvanized steel mesh, since it is most resistant to moisture, precipitation, air humidity and temperature extremes.

The following types of wires are used:

• with zinc coating (layer density from 250 g / m2);
• with anti-corrosion alloy coating (zinc 90% and aluminum 5%);
• with PVC coated- a fairly new variety: the coating consists of artificial organic polymers, which, due to chemical inertness, do not interact with moisture, air and other components environment; in addition, polymers are resistant to low, high temperatures and temperature extremes.

Along with twisted wire, specially designed for weaving a mesh, knitting is often used in gabion structures, which fixes the main one to the frame. Since in this case the knitting wire serves as fastening materials, special requirements are imposed on it:

1. Wire breaks are not permitted.
2. All ends must be twisted or extended.
3. In this case, the length of the twist should be from 2 cm or more.
4. The main requirement is the exact adherence to the ratio of the dimensions (diameter and length) of the wire, the edge and the bundle of elements. A certain relationship between these parameters has been empirically derived - the corresponding data are presented in the table.

Technology of forming a gabion from a mesh

The technology for creating a single structure from a sheet of metal mesh is of 2 types:

• Frame: gabions are made of a mesh with regular cells in the form of regular hexagons. The mesh is fixed to the frame, which is also made of metal.
• Welded: Wire or steel rods are intertwined and welded together into a box or cylinder (depending on the project).

It is the welded structures that have the greatest strength: welding allows you to solder the rods as much as possible and keep them in this state, despite the strong tension from the protruding stones. In addition, welded gabions look more attractive, and unlike frame ones, they can be wrapped, turning them into original figures or flower beds, so they are most often used in landscape design.

Stones and other fillers for gabions

You can make a gabion with your own hands - this will require simple equipment and materials at hand (detailed step-by-step instructions are in the corresponding section). In this case, it is important to pay special attention to the filler, because the aesthetic appeal of the structure depends on it.

Usually these are stones, however, waste and used materials are often used:

• logs, logs;
• tile;
• bricks;
• cutting pipes, etc.

Despite the fact that they are used literally waste, in landscape design such products will find their use due to their unusual style and warm orange-brown tones.

Specific technical requirements to the stones are as follows:

• weight - with a specific gravity of stones from 18 kN / m3;
• mechanical strength from 400;
• water absorption no more than 0.6%
• resistance to low temperatures over МР350;
• softening factor (from water absorption) from 0.9.

Similar requirements in to a greater extent intended for construction complex structures designed for heavy loads (bridge supports, foundations, protection of banks from water erosion, etc.). In everyday life, there are essentially two basic requirements for stones:

• They should be significantly larger than the parameters of the cells.
• For colors, it is better to choose light gray or warm shades that contrast well against the background of the lawn or soil. However, in each specific case, you should focus on your taste and on the characteristics of your site.

Empirically, the ratio between the mesh cell diameter and the size of the stones has been established: the stones should be 1.2-1.5 times larger in diameter compared to the mesh holes. It is this parameter that ensures the most uniform arrangement of the pile throughout the entire volume.

According to various step-by-step instructions for making gabions with your own hands, the following types of stones are used:

• simple cobblestones;
• pebbles of different sizes;
• crushed stone;
• granite and basalt;
• quarry stone (most affordable);
• about;
• diorite;
• quartzite.

In different design options, they are used as torn stones(with sharp, uneven stones) and rounded (river pebbles). As a rule, in structures with large meshes, it is appropriate to use exactly last option- Large, uneven boulders are less attractive.

Although in cases with fences, massive fences, it is the large stones that stylize the wall like a stone one, giving it an old, rich look.

In more detail, you can see the different variants of the texture of the structures here.

Varieties of gabion structures

If exclusively rectangular gabions are used to protect the river bed and coast from erosion, then in the decor of the site you can use different types, which can be basically reduced to 3 groups:

Separately, welded and mesh structures are distinguished, which differ in production technology: mesh ones are made by winding and fixing on the frame, and welded ones - by welding different parts metal mesh.

Finally, a separate category is distinguished - the so-called Jumbo gabions (from the English jumbo - huge). These are rectangular, boxy products that are particularly large in size:

• length from 3 to 6 meters;
• width 2 meters (standard);
• height 0.5 meters.

The use of large structures allows, on the one hand, to significantly reduce the cost of production technology, and on the other hand, to use them for construction purposes:

• strengthening of supports;
• additional support for foundations under buildings;
• obstacles for avalanches, landslides.

Used by Jumbo to create underwater supports. In this case, the service life becomes practically unlimited due to the fact that silt constantly gets into the space between the stones, which is compressed over time, due to which the whole structure acquires additional strength. Even if the metal mesh completely disintegrates due to corrosion, the gabion itself continues to stand as a whole.

DIY gabions: step by step instructions and video

The materials that are needed to create a gabion are as follows:

• metal mesh;
• staples for fastening;
• steel pins for the frame;
• metal spirals;
• pliers;
• hammer;
• wire stapler;
• earth digging tools;
• geotextile - drainage (needed to additionally preserve stones from destruction by water);
• actual stones or other filler.

Installation of boxes

Here is a step-by-step instruction for installing a gabion with your own hands using the example of the most common box-shaped structure:

NOTE. If gabions are installed in 2 or more rows, but they are placed close to the front or "backs". The face-back arrangement reduces the strength of the entire structure.

The whole process can be seen more clearly here.

Installation of cylindrical structures

Cylindrical gabions have their own specifics - in this case step-by-step instruction to assemble the structure with your own hands will be different:

Installation of mattress gabions

In this case, the installation technology is as follows:

Gabions in landscape design: photo gallery with a description

Along with the fact that gabions can be created with your own hands according to the given step-by-step instructions, they can be used not only as fences, but also as full-fledged decorations on the site. The undoubted advantage of such structures is a combination of practicality (fencing, soil protection from erosion), durability and aesthetic appeal.

The use of these products in garden design is limited only by the user's imagination, since there are options a large number of- from traditional to unusual. Here are some ideas and photos for inspiration.

Gabion fences

A fence from such structures is a classic structure that reliably protects the house and the area from dust and noise. Such fences are created both from the gabions themselves and in combination with wood materials.

Gabion fences

From such structures, you can make small fences that organize the space inside the site. They will give the whole territory a neater, more attractive look.

To begin with, gabions are great for decorating an entrance area or a terrace. If the house is on a sufficiently high hill, then the entire area next to the stairs can also be arranged in the form of steps.

Thus, gabions can be used not only as a fence, but also as a basis for wooden fence... Moreover, if the height is quite high (from half a meter), then it is better to additionally reinforce the structures with concreted posts, and trim them from above with wood or slabs.

Classic options are the creation of internal borders along the path. If you put basalt tiles or plywood on top, you get a full-fledged bench.

Gabion benches

Finally, full-fledged seats can be made from such structures, as shown in the photo.

If you stylize the entire recreation area as a walking area, carry out lighting, an interesting rather interesting option turns out.

Lanterns and wiring are laid directly into the stones during construction.

Benches are also created using wooden slabs.

It is interesting that such products even penetrate into the design of premises - if you want to diversify the furniture and interior of the apartment, you can try to start the experiment with gabions.

Flowerbeds of gabions

Gabions, unlike tires, other materials will serve as an excellent option for floral and decorative flower beds, since the soil lying among the stones is not subject to any erosion (destruction) - neither from the side of moisture, nor by the wind. For flower beds, it is best to use stones of lighter shades, against which the greenery and the flowers themselves will contrast especially well and decorate the garden plot.

The labyrinth construction deserves special attention. This is a really beautiful flower bed that can liven up a space. As a rule, they are placed in the center or in the corners of the garden, observing symmetry.

An interesting option is portable structures that will serve as full-fledged flowerpots. Due to their originality, they will serve as a kind of visiting card. garden plot- right above the stones, you can place a layer of soil in which you can plant flowers or ornamental plants.

To make these types of gabions with your own hands, you can use the technology given above in the step-by-step instructions, and take, for example, this drawing as a basis.

By modifying the shape, you can achieve designs of a wide variety of types.

PAY ATTENTION Gabion beds are especially good for flowers that do not like excess moisture - the liquid will drain over the stones, as a result of which the soil will not receive excessive moisture.

Gabion structures are a new trend in landscape design. They combine practicality, reliability and visual appeal. In addition, such products are cheaper than conventional fences due to the fact that all the components (stones and mesh) are inexpensive. That is why gabions are becoming more and more popular among owners of country houses.

And finally - video selection of additional options for using gabions on the site.

In the past few years, many have made gabions with their own hands, using step-by-step instructions from specialists, since these structures are becoming increasingly popular as elements of landscape design. Meanwhile, gabions, which are volumetric structures made of metal mesh, the inner part of which is filled with stone, crushed stone or pebbles, have been used for a long time. Initially, with their help, river beds, slopes of hills and ravines were strengthened, and military structures were created. Along with high strength and stability, such structures, consisting of stones placed in a metal mesh, are distinguished by exceptional decorativeness. Landscape designers drew attention to this and began to create various elements from gabions for decorating personal plots.

What are gabions and what are they made of

As mentioned above, gabions are volumetric structures made of a mesh made of metal wire, the inner part of which is filled various materials... As such materials can be used:

• artificial and natural stone of various fractions;
• crushed stone;
• pebbles;
• trimming wood.

The supporting structure of the gabion is made in the form of a mesh, for the manufacture of which steel wire with a diameter of 2 to 8 mm is used. Since such structures are operated in the open air, in rather unfavorable conditions, double-twisted wire is used for their manufacture, the surface of which is covered with a protective layer of zinc or PVC.

For gabions, meshes are most often used, the cells of which are hexagonal, but products with rectangular and square cells are also found. To give such structures more rigidity, a frame is used, which is made of metal fittings... The walls of large gabions, so that they do not deform under the influence of the filler material, are reinforced with additional sectional compartments made of thicker wire or reinforcement.

If the manufacture of gabions is carried out using natural stone, then such material can be:

• granite;
• basalt;
• slate;
• cobblestone;
• sandstone;
• quartzite;
• about;
• crushed stone;
• pebbles, etc.

When choosing the color and configuration of such stones, you can only focus on your own taste preferences, but their size must meet certain requirements. So, if fences and other structures made of gabions are used under normal conditions, and not under water, then the size of the stones should exceed the size of the mesh cells by 25–40%. If gabions are constantly exposed to moving masses of water during operation, stones should be used whose size is twice the size of the mesh cells.

Since gabions have an impressive weight, they are exceptionally high stability, they are not afraid of even serious ground movements. Fences made of gabions or similar structures for any other purpose settle over time, compact, fill with soil particles and overgrow with grass, which not only adds to their reliability, strength and stability, but also makes them even more attractive in decorative terms (this can be estimated even from the photo ).

The most common applications for gabions

If earlier gabions served as fortification and protective structures, now they are not only used for making fences, but also used for a wide variety of purposes. So, the most common areas of application of gabions today are:

1. making load-bearing elements furniture installed on personal plot(tables, benches, armchairs, chairs, etc.);
2. production of decorative fences for framing lawns and flower beds;
3. creation of retaining walls to strengthen hangars and other building structures;
4. creating such decorative elements landscaping like stone gardens;
5. erection of arches, partitions and solid flower beds, including those with vertical placement;
6. creation of reinforcing structures for the coastline of rivers, lakes and ponds located in the immediate vicinity of building structures;
7. decorating the backyard area;
8. erection of staircase structures.

Recently, gabions have been actively used to separate adjoining territory into zones performing various functions. So, by ordering the manufacture of such structures from specialized companies or by making gabions with your own hands, you can use them to separate the recreation area from the common territory of the personal plot, beautifully frame the flower bed or lawn, zone the area on which the stove, barbecue or outdoor shower will be installed.

Benefits of using gabion structures

Often, those who are going to order or make gabions with their own hands wonder what advantages such designs have. The most significant of these benefits usually include the following.

• For the construction of gabions, you do not need a special construction machinery, which allows you to keep the surrounding landscape in its original form.
• Due to the peculiarities of their internal structure, gabions perfectly pass air and water flows through themselves, without exerting negative impact on green spaces that grow inside such a fence.
• On gabions, in which soil accumulates over time, grass grows, which makes appearance such designs are even more attractive.
• Since the stones used for the internal filling of gabions are not fastened to each other and remain mobile, such structures do not create significant hydrostatic pressure.
• Even with significant displacements of the soil associated with seasonality, gabions do not lose their integrity, but can only slightly deform.
• The strength and reliability of gabions only increases over the years: between the stones in the grid, braiding them with their roots, various plants gradually grow.

Types of gabions and features of their design

Before deciding how to make gabions yourself, you should figure out their design features, which depend on the type of structure. According to the generally accepted classification, gabion structures are divided into the following types:

• box-type gabions;
• flat gabions;
• cylindrical type constructions.

The box-type gabion is often also called Jumbo. This design, in addition to the box-like shape, is distinguished by the fact that the cells of its grid are hex or quadrangular. Box gabions are the largest of such structures; they can be two meters wide, six meters long and one meter high. Overall box-shaped gabions, as a rule, are equipped with additional partitions, which serve to strengthen their walls, and the frame of such structures can be made not only of twisted, but also of welded mesh.

The main areas of application for box-type gabions are:

• production of structures that protect soil from erosion;
• manufacture of retaining walls;
• strengthening of slopes, erection of gabion fences, etc.

Cylindrical gabions are often called sacks. Such structures, characterized by increased flexibility, are used mainly to strengthen foundations located under water.

The main areas of application of flat gabions (Reno mattresses), the height of which can be in the range of 17-30 cm, are:

1. creating the basis for the construction of retaining walls;
2. carrying out works on landscape design;
3. securing the fixation of the bridge cones;
4. strengthening of river beds and coastal zones;
5. erection protective structures for pipelines.

How to make a gabion yourself

On modern market there are many companies for which the production of gabion structures is one of the main areas of activity. From such companies, you can order a turnkey gabion fence or a structure made of mesh and stones for any other purpose. To save on such services, you can make gabions with your own hands, precisely following the recommendations of specialists.

So, in order to make your own gabion on your own, you need to develop a project for a future design, taking as a basis, for example, a photo from the Internet. To develop a project, you must perform the following steps:

• make measurements of the site where the installation of the future structure is planned;
• mark the installation site of the gabion;
• draw up a drawing of the future structure indicating all its dimensions;
• choose gabion filling material;
• calculate the amount of materials from which the structure will be made.

It should be borne in mind: in order for you to definitely have enough materials, their quantity, which will be obtained as a result of the calculations made, must be multiplied by 10-15% (and purchased with such a margin). When choosing a mesh for the future gabion, pay attention to products with double twisting. Such a mesh is more flexible, while it is characterized by higher strength and reliability.

What is required

In order to make gabions with your own hands, you will need the following consumables:

• brackets, with the help of which the connection of two adjacent walls of the structure will be performed (instead of such brackets, if they could not be purchased, you can use a spiral twist wire);
• geotextile;
• steel pins, which are necessary in order to fix the created structure in place of its installation;
• steel braces used as elements to tie two opposite gabion walls.

In addition, to make a gabion with your own hands, you must prepare certain tools:

• pliers;
• mount;
• plumb line;
• shovel;
• hammer.

Since in the manufacture of gabions you will have to work with steel wire, it is better to carry out all work with gloves made of thick fabric.

Stability, reliability and strength characteristics, which distinguish such metal mesh structures filled with stones, make it possible to form hills and depressions with their help on your personal plot, to create artificial reservoirs and other structures for decorative and practical purposes.

Choice of metal mesh

How to make a gabion so that it will serve for a long time and please with its decorative characteristics? The first thing to do is to choose the right mesh. Ready-made mesh structures are required for the manufacture of flat-type gabions. Gabions of this type used for framing flower beds, lawns, fountains and artificial reservoirs... Considering the fact that such structures will be operated in conditions open air and in rather unfavorable conditions, the mesh for their manufacture should be chosen only with protective coating, which can be zinc or a PVC layer. It should be borne in mind that no wire is used for gabions with a diameter of less than 2.7 mm.

Create gabions from welded mesh

Gabions, the structural elements of which are connected by welding, are made of thicker wire, the thickness of which, however, should not exceed 0.8 cm.The wire sections from which such structures are created are laid perpendicular to each other, and are connected at the intersections by welding. Using a similar technology, you can make a fence from gabions with your own hands, filling the inside of the welded mesh construction stones of a large fraction.

Mesh made from pieces of wire large diameter, connected by welding, is used to create:

• foundations of the structure;
• retaining elements;
• supporting elements of the structure.

When using welded mesh for the manufacture of gabions, it is better to connect all the elements of the structure being created by welding: this will give it a higher reliability.

The choice of material for filling gabion structures

One of the most difficult issues that have to be solved when making gabions with your own hands is the choice of material with which such a structure will be filled. The criteria in this case are:

• taste preferences;
• financial opportunities;
• conditions in which the created object will be operated.

In addition to natural stones, which were already mentioned above, you can use as materials for filling gabions:

1. whole or broken brick;
2. broken tiles;
3. segments plastic pipes;
4. wood cuts;
5. cut into pieces car tires;
6. aluminum cans;
7. large bumps;
8. pieces of bark, etc.

Brief instructions for making a fence from gabions

To make the gabion fence, which you are going to make with your own hands, please you with its reliability and decorative characteristics, you can use the following step-by-step instructions.

• The site on which the gabion will be installed is cleared of plants, stones and leveled.
• Pits with a depth of 0.4–0.5 m are dug for the placement of the support pillars of the structure being created.
• The supporting pillars of the structure are installed and poured with concrete.
• After the concrete hardens (after three to four days), the frame of the structure is mounted around the support pillars. The latter connects with support pillars with help bolted connections or clamps.
• The cut end parts of the wire are treated with a protective compound.
• The inner part of the mesh frame is filled with the material selected for this purpose.
• A cover is installed and fixed on the upper part of the structure.

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