Gabion wall

Gabion wall is a wall made of welded or woven wire cages, called gabions, that are stacked and filled with rock such as crushed stone, river cobble, or recycled concrete. The weight of the stacked stone is what holds the soil or stays in place, so the cage gives shape while the fill does the work. It can run as a low garden border, a tall slope retainer, or a freestanding screen.

It differs from a poured concrete or block retaining wall in how it handles pressure and water. A solid wall must be sealed and drained behind, since trapped water builds force against it. A gabion is porous, so water passes straight through the gaps between stones, which lowers the load on the structure and removes the need for separate weep holes. The tradeoff is a heavier, thicker footprint and a coarse, open look rather than a smooth face.

In a real yard, gabions show up where a slope needs holding or where a homeowner wants a textured, modern edge. People use them to terrace a hillside into usable levels, to wrap raised planting areas, to frame a patio, or as a sound and sight barrier along a property line. Lights or planting pockets are sometimes tucked into the cages.

For a homeowner or contractor, the appeal is durability and low upkeep. Gabions tolerate ground movement without cracking, drain on their own, and can be filled with local or salvaged stone to cut cost. The main considerations are the wire eventually rusting, the wide base they take up, and the labor of placing the stone by hand.

Gabions pair naturally with other site work, sitting near a retaining wall on a graded lot, supporting terracing across a slope, anchoring hardscaping, and helping route runoff alongside a dry creek bed.