Building gabion walls
This week at Casa Grande we have been building gabion walls to create a retaining boundary for a patio and planting area. This patio is to the rear of the bread oven.
We want to use and save water effectively and efficiently at Casa Grande. As well as beautiful mountain water, the municipal supply here in the Mortagua area is excellent. That said, we still want to be mindful and not wasteful – as everyone should.
Gabion walls are highly permeable, eliminating the need to install drainage systems. We intend to run grey water from the bread oven to small veg’ beds that will edge the new patio area. It’s important that we don’t flood the area and compromise the patio foundation in any way. We need good drainage. Unlike a traditional concrete wall, building gabion walls will give us the flexibility and allow excess water to drain to the grass field area beyond the proposed patio if required.
Another appealing aspect of building gabion walls for me it the possibility of the stones cracks and crevises attracting wildlife. We have small grass snakes and salamaders here, as well as ladybirds, bees and beatles. I have noticed that our bird population here in the mountains is also very healthy. There are some really beautiful avian friends stopping by on our land. With all the earth turning and wall crevis cleaning going on at the moment, it’s a great spot for some light, afternoon bug picking. The circle of life 🙂
🌧 When I was taking these first pictures of our gabion wall building, rain in the mountains stopped play unfortunately. Not to worry, there’s plenty of rock to sort in the adega. It all needs working through. The baskets will soon be ready for their stones.
Watch this space as we’ll post updates here on this project, and be sure to follow us over on Facebook and Instagram for updates too.
Update Mar 27, 2022
We’ve focused on the gabion walls again this week while we create our bread oven patio and planting area. Just about have everything level now but I have to admit, I was struggling with sight lines and levels. It’s my OCD 😊 It’s difficult getting things level when it doesn’t look right!
Julie is now a fully qualified (through hard work) trench digger, weed killer and earth mover 💯 and we are just about ready to start filling the gabion baskets.
Update Mar 28, 2022
The great gabion filling summer of 2022 continues! Julie is busy (really busy) supplying me with rock, slate and stone from various piles around the site. She’s also wheeling stones around from the adega. CrossFit Games next year! As quick as she brings it, I’m filling the baskets. It’s actually amazing just how much rock and stone fills these things. These particular baskets are 1000mm x 850mm x 600mm so not the smallest at half a cubic meter each!
Update Apr 3, 2022
Sometimes the only way to get things done is just to push on through. And that’s what we’ve been doing this week with the gabion wall build. It’s been a slog and we’re both a little broken, but the work is all worth it. This area is taking shape nicely now and we’ll be digging in a french drain trench and drainage for grey water. Then we’ll be ready for preparing and laying the floor area. For now though, it’s the weekend and time to enjoy the sun. Bom fim de semana 😊
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I was told these gabion walls need a licence. Dud you check that?
Ola! Yes, always check with your Câmara municipal. There can be different rules and interpretations for different areas. We have about 20 individual projects registered and approved with our Câmara for this renovation, but the gabions did not require any specific project approval in this case.