Ellen' retaining wall and driveway using gabion baskets
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We bought the banking at the side of our house in February 2013 and as you can see it was overgrown and we wanted to create an additional parking space (the bricked area). We thought about building a dry stone wall but decided against it due to cost and the fact that others would have the benefit of seeing the wall and we wouldn't. We looked in to gabion baskets having seen them used around our area for various projects including a retention wall by the local water authority. We thought they were a very good alternative and would also provide a habitat for wildlife, something we were keen to do.
We did a search on Google and found your website and found it very helpful and informative. We measured the area we had to cover and were able to use your website to gauge the best way (and cost effective way) of creating the wall that we wanted. We live near a local Cemex Quarry and arranged to order sugar stone from them to fill the baskets. We arranged for Dean to come along, dig out a base for the baskets (and that was also an advantage that we did not have to put a concrete base in), the baskets stood on solid ground. We used the digger and many helping hands to fill the baskets and wire them up and we used the coils to join them together. They created a very solid base for us to work with. When I say we, I mean John my husband and his father David. The next thing was to level the earth on top of the baskets and then decide how we were going to create the parking area. We decided on block paving, so hardcore was laid with a sand base and then the bricks were laid. John also installed some steps down on to the parking area. He then grassed the rest of the area (around the elderberry tree and we sat back and waited for the grass to grow, it took some time due to the late Spring/Summer but has now flourished. John then decided to top off some of the baskets with Indian flags and then erect fence panels to create a private area. We now have tubs of trees and plants on top of the flags and it has made a fantastic area for us to use. I have to confess that we don't use it to park our car on but use it as a patio area. It has been fantastic in the recent sunny weather and has been much admired by neighbours, family, friend and passersby. I am now the proud owner of a sun bed, my first in 30 years as I now have somewhere to sit out and soak up the sun.
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