Projects
Gabion stone Retaining wall, Irthlingborough, Case Study
Longstanding customer of ours, Whitworths, asked us to construct a gabion stone retaining wall to enable extension of existing parking area at their site in Irthlingborough.
Objective
We were tasked with creating a gabion stone retaining wall 1.8m high and 200m long, to enable our customer to extend their existing hardstanding area, in preparation for future expansion.
About the project
A gabion stone wall had been started many years ago adjacent to the boundary with surrounding fields. This had been done with granite stone. Our customer asked us to extend this to bring it up to a height in order that the existing hardstanding area could be extended closer to the site boundary.
The design included a foundation for the baskets, made with 6F2 recycled concrete. This was already on site and had been processed on site recently, as part of a demolition project. We compacted the 6F2 in layers to bring it up to the required level. The gabion stone baskets were installed with a slight fall to the site, to help with the pressure of the ground that would be put up against the wall later. We used good quality gabion baskets for this, there are varying qualities of gabion baskets on the market, but from previous experience some of the cheaper options available tend to ‘bulge’ in time with the weight. We’ve also learnt to install the internal straps that are available and that go inside the baskets prior to filling them with stone, this also helps to reduce bulging.
The original gabion stone wall that had been done many years ago had been done with granite stone, however we used ironstone on this occasion, this with cost in mind and also local availability. With the baskets in place, we started to fill them with stone. The stone can, generally, be put into the baskets with a machine. But there is some sorting required, which had to be done by hand, particularly with the face of the wall and on top, where the stone will be seen.
The wall was 1.8m high in places and stepped back from the watercourse at 45 degrees. With all of the gabion wall constructed, we put some of the excess 6F2 that was on site, up against the wall. The work to bring the site up to the required level is a long term project, but is ready to be completed at a later date.
It was a pleasure to carry out this work for a longstanding customer of ours, and on our doorstep too, in Irthlingborough. A lot of our employees actually live in the town. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with Whitworths in the future.
Do you have a similar project you would like a price for? Please visit our website and fill out our contact form. We undertake all types of groundwork projects, both commercial and domestic, see here for our full list of services www.jwc.co.uk
