We were approached by the owner of the house at number Bedford Rd Cowies Hill to inspect a Gabion Wall which was installed last year September by a different contractor and was already failing, upon initial inspection it was noted that the materials used were substandard and also the design was a revetment wall and not a mass gravity wall.

We initially recommended replacing the entire wall with a mass gravity wall instead of the revetment wall that was installed by the contractor. Our concern was that the gabion’s base might slide, which was causing issues at the top of the embankment as well.

Due to budgetary constraints the client could not replace the whole structure, we then put heads together to see how we could assist and decided to secure the toe of the gabion by digging down 1m Infront of it, placing Y20 rebar through the first gabion going 1m into the ground in 1m intervals and then packing the baskets which were 2 layers of 4 x 0.5 x 0.5 Class A galvanised baskets and then repairing the top section.

Rather than a conventional solution, our approach has become a blueprint for tackling similar issues in the future. Following heavy rainfall we were able to verify that our proposed design is fulfilling its intended purpose. The photo below clearly demonstrates that the structure is robust and resilient.

We started on this site March 06 2023 and completed 31st March 2023, we have since been back to site three times after heavy rains experienced to make sure the wall is still intact.

The above scenario indicates the importance of a proper design, a professional solution using correctly manufactured materials and a professional installation team.