What a gabion retaining wall is
Gabions are wire baskets filled with rock, stacked into a wall. People search gabion wall because the look is everywhere online, and because water can move through the fill. That last part matters on a wet Langley bank. A tight masonry face needs a drain behind it. A packed gabion is the drain.
They're not a pile of rocks in a weak cage. Sized right, set on a base, filled tight, they hold grade. Sized wrong, they belly, rust, and look like a leftover construction bin.
When gabions are the right call
Steep, wet slopes. Creek-side or ditch-side banks. Modern yards that want the mesh-and-stone face. Sites where you want the wall to pass water instead of fight it. Forge Langley Retaining Wall Contractors builds those.
A formal Fort Langley front yard that wants brick is not a gabion job. A 7-foot driveway retain might want poured concrete and an engineer, with gabions as a lower terrace if you like the look. We'll say which.
How we set the cages
Level pad. Coated baskets so the wire lasts in the rain. Rock selected for size so the face looks tight, not gappy. Baskets wired together and packed so they don't slump. Tall walls get a batter or steps, same idea as any retain.
Cheap gabion kits from a catalogue skip the packing and the base. That's how you get a cage that sags in year two.
Gabion vs block vs concrete
Block is cleaner and easier to cap with a patio. Concrete takes load. Gabion drains and has a look you either want or you don't. None of them skip a proper base. If you like the rock-in-mesh face, this is the page. If you want a smooth wall under a driveway, go poured.
What's included
- Site and grade assessment
- Engineered design when height or load requires it
- Levelled, compacted base
- Galvanized or PVC-coated gabion baskets
- Selected rock fill, packed so cages don't belly
- Stepped or battered face as the site needs
- Tie-ins to grade, steps, or other walls
- Cleanup
When you need gabion walls
A wet, steep bank
Gabions let water through. On clay lots that stay soaked, that can be the point.
A modern industrial look
The mesh-and-rock face suits contemporary homes that don't want block or brick.
You searched gabion wall
That's this page. We'll tell you if baskets are the right system or if poured concrete is smarter.
Our process
- 1
Size the cages
Height, batter, and rock type get set before we order baskets.
- 2
Prep the base
A level, compacted pad keeps the bottom course from kicking out.
- 3
Set and fill
Baskets go in, get wired, and get packed with rock so the face stays tight.
- 4
Step and finish
We terrace if the grade is tall, then restore the soil around the wall.
Why choose Forge Langley Retaining Wall Contractors for this
- Packed faces, not loose rock rattling in a skinny cage
- Coated baskets that hold up in a wet climate
- Honest call on gabion vs concrete vs block
- Built by a crew that also does the masonry if you change your mind