earth holding bags

[Tonz]

want to do some budget garden wall raising, as in l have a sloping un usable garden area, and thought if I layer it into 3 different levels all over about 1.5m height.

After watching SES people with sand bags I wondered if you could use them long term as low walls then fill in any gaps behind and eventually cover with ground cover shrubs rtc.

[whitelion65]

Don't do it!
Short term gain, long term pain!
Get cheap retaining wall blocks, cut in a footing first.
Better still, get "good" retaining blocks.

Alternately, go for treated pine.
With all options, put in some slotted pipe covered by geo-textile.

[Ross 1]

As Whitelion says, don't. Not worth the time and effort for something that won't last. If you are not too confident with building a timber or block wall Bunnings have products to keep it simple, https://www.bunnings.com.au/50-x-50-...right_p1080307 . You can use the companies concrete retaining boards or with these you can use treated pine, If you are only going up a total of 1.5m with 3 walls it will be simple to achieve and pretty cost effective. There is a link on the Bunnings page and it even explains everything you need to do. The link block walls where you don't need mortar are also quick and relatively cheap to do but you will need to be able to get the base course really level. If you don't want a professional in, base your choice on your skill level and confidence.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

want to do some budget garden wall raising, as in l have a sloping un usable garden area, and thought if I layer it into 3 different levels all over about 1.5m height.

After watching SES people with sand bags I wondered if you could use them long term as low walls then fill in any gaps behind and eventually cover with ground cover shrubs rtc.

Fill them full of concrete but that might blow the budget.
There's always rammed earth tyre terracing walls.

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Fill them full of concrete but that might blow the budget.
There's always rammed earth tyre terracing walls.

yeah thanks rokWiz I did that for a friend (?) 30 years ago, my back still remembers the slog, but with a good group could be successful.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

want to do some budget garden wall raising, as in l have a sloping un usable garden area, and thought if I layer it into 3 different levels all over about 1.5m height.

WTF?
4.5m total?
That's not a slope, that's a damn cliff.

[Tonz]

err no mate 1.5m total

[hayseed]

Something Like This... Maybe..!!

https://paylateralligator.com.au/unc...iABEgICF_D_BwE

[prktkljokr]

Concrete bag wall?, I like how easy it is and just drive some reo bar through and wet them for a more sturdy wall

https://www.jimenezphoto.com/concret...etaining-wall/

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by hayseed

Something Like This... Maybe..!!

https://paylateralligator.com.au/unc...iABEgICF_D_BwE

neighbours have just done this, I love it. The idea has been used in NZ for years and ....well I remember them as a kid. Used on the banks of most rivers coming from mountains.
But fair go out of our price range.

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

Concrete bag wall?, I like how easy it is and just drive some reo bar through and wet them for a more sturdy wall

https://www.jimenezphoto.com/concret...etaining-wall/

now that is worth more investigation.. thank you

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

Concrete bag wall?, I like how easy it is and just drive some reo bar through and wet them for a more sturdy wall

https://www.jimenezphoto.com/concret...etaining-wall/

Most off the accommodation and other buildings at a Pearl Farm i lived and worked on were built using a similar process, we called them 'Stack Sacks' and i used them on a couple of occasions myself, when the wall was built we would give it a cement 'render' by hand.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

now that is worth more investigation.. thank you

Working on conservative dimensions that a 20kg bag of concrete might be 450mm long X 100m high (max more like 80mm high)
1500mm high for the wall. You would be looking at approx 30 bags per face meter length at that height
(not including setting the occassional one crossways for stability)

30 bags per approx $8 a bag would start adding up.

If you are anywhere near the sea, do not use steel gabbion cages as they rust quickly. There are stainless one, car ching.

[Tonz]

Thanks RoKWiz I started doing my sums and suddenly felt very light headed,
A mate is building a house with main road separating house & sea, with those gabbion cages, luckily stainless. I asked about the price, he gave wry smile, choked and changed the subject.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

Thanks RoKWiz I started doing my sums and suddenly felt very light headed,
A mate is building a house with main road separating house & sea, with those gabbion cages, luckily stainless. I asked about the price, he gave wry smile, choked and changed the subject.

Yes, the reason why I mentioned it.
On the gabbions, I did a job in Newcastle along the sea front for a client years ago. Their neighbour wanted a quote for a similar (granite) stone wall where they decided paying a Stonemason was to expensive and they would use gabbions.
Two years later the cheap steel baskets are breaking open spilling the loose cheaper (sandstone) stones onto their driveway. I was told the only way they can fix it is to replace the backets with SS ones and replace the cracking sandstone with new.
So here we are, a few years on with the job needing to be done twice using inferior materials.
My client tells me theirs still looks perfect and have admirers asking about it.
Just saying. (No I'm not looking for work.)

[Citroënbender]

Outside of a stonemason’s efforts, filled blocks engaged into a correctly sized footing are probably the most durable way. I’ve seen amateur results using the H-section posts and over about 450 high they show up quite clearly as amateur efforts. Below that, not too bad.

Tonz, cuz, you might need to recalibrate your wallet.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Tonz

err no mate 1.5m total

Ok, that's a bit more reasonable.

To answer your OP, yes you can use sandbags.

However the fundamental issue with retaining walls is this: It is back-breaking work. It involves either a phenomenal amount of really hard labour, and/or a significant amount of machinery.
So the question you have to ask is whether you want to go through all that for something that will look crap, and fall over in a few years.

Obviously the go-too gold standard, is large limestone blocks. Timeless, and if done properly, everlasting.

Then you have a variety of pre-cast concrete products, which range from the reasonable stylish, to the downright ugly industrial.

Treated Pine is probably the lightest and easiest to work with (if you don't mind the garden looking like a 1970's Public Park.

Hardwood "sleepers" are another option. And keep in mind that if you hunt around, you can pick up some cheap salvage options.

Another option to consider, especially if you want to plant vegetation, is to use gabions. You even save money by filling them yourself, and filling them in-situ saves on the lifting. Either scavenge the rock, or get a truckload delivered.
The look is an acquired taste, but you can fill the tops with soil and plants, creepers will grow through them, and if you pick the right rocks then lichens and mosses will also grow.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

On the gabbions, I did a job in Newcastle along the sea front for a client years ago. Their neighbour wanted a quote for a similar (granite) stone wall where they decided paying a Stonemason was to expensive and they would use gabbions.
Two years later the cheap steel baskets are breaking open spilling the loose cheaper (sandstone) stones onto their driveway.

Are they people that talk too much?
Gabions, and associated products, have been used in a huge variety of projects for aeons. They are pretty much the de-facto standard for retaining on large-scale projects.
The first advantage is that they are porous, allowing water and silt to pass through, and slowly trapping soil that will support vegetation.
The rusting metal is part of the design. Especially when it comes to "mattresses", etc. The idea being that over time, as the soil compacts and stabilises, you end up with a very natural wall.
(This is of added benefit in situations where subsequent rehab would require the removal of more permanent solutions.)

However it has become fashionable to use "gabion-type" structures for things such as signs, free-standing walls, and some concept of "nouveau industrial chic" retaining walls. Typically the rocks in these are smaller, more evenly sized, more densely packed, and of a type selected for aesthetics rather than their ability to form a natural wall. Obviously for those, once the wire rusts through, they tend to collapse under their own weight, hence the emergence of stainless models.
Which of course is typical of fashionistas. Something that was in use because it's functional and cheaper than better-looking alternatives, becomes fashionable, and the cheap characteristics become undesirable, leading to models that are more expensive than the original alternatives.