Gabion Wall for garden - worth doing?

[garjobo]

Hello,

I am wanting a barrier ( approx 7ft high x 3feet in width x 7ft length)
- ideally for soundproofing my garden near my house. ( annoying
neighbours! )

Money as always an object, the best solution i can see ( aside from
move! ) is a Gabion Wall, now they look attractive and seem to of come
back in fashion as well.

My question is, are they stable enough - being 3ft across - approx x 7ft
high - aware i require good quality wire baskets, and over time will
likely give...but just wanting to know from anyone with more knowledge
than me in the trade..

.simple enough idea? I buy several 'cages' lay them down on cement
floor, tied together, through in some 'cheap quarry rocks' and bobs'
your uncle? Job done?

Or..is there a bit more too it than that? Breezeblock wall better way to
go?

Appreciate your time and any replies.




--
garjobo

[Brooklyn1]

Long ago, some 40 years, I had a noisy neighbor to the back, he'd
leave his lawnmower running for hours and not even be there. I had a
4' chainlink fence so decided to erect a six foot high cedar stockade
fence. His lawn mower noise bounced off the fence and reflected right
back to his house where it was much louder than on my side... the lawn
mower noise stopped immediately. My view was much better too as his
yard was a junk yard. Before erecting the fence I painted the side
facing them all sorts of wierd colors and patterns, I painted my side
a lovely haze gray:
http://i66.tinypic.com/w1witw.jpg

[garjobo]

Thanks Brooklyn for the reply, the pic looks very pretty but I fear a
simple high fence will do nothing. I have a 7ft fence already there -
bit of an eyesore but out of sight out of mind..kindof anyway! Next door
are just..loud..no music or anything...anyway, anyone with any advice on
gabion walls - construction / safety aspect -please feel free to
enlighten me.




--
garjobo

[songbird]

if it is for a garden why not be more creative with
the space and have it as a green wall for growing things?

while i don't find rock walls ugly i don't think i'd
much like to look at a barren fenced pile of rocks for
years at a time.


songbird

[Brooklyn1]

There are many plants that love a rock wall. However the OP wants to
supress sound and stone actually deflects and amplifies sound, a
wooden fence will absorb and supress sound.

[John McGaw]

Doesn't seem it would fit into a residential area very well and a length of
seven feet regardless of height isn't going to do much to reduce sound
anyway. Then there is the local council. Do you think that they would give
planning permission for such a structure? If you do it and anybody
complains do you have the money to remove it (or to financially induce the
council's more pliant and avaricious members to reconsider their ruling)?

[garjobo]

Thanks for replying.

All a matter of taste in what it looks like, but as the last reply
mentioned, yes it is more a case of supressing sound.

From the little ive read on suject, was under impression a gabion wall
is better than brick and certainly a thin (tall) fence re sound. It may
just echo it back into the neighours garden perhaps.

Any other ( cheap ) solution more than welcome. Really is a case of
'talking loudly' noise polution ( we have put up with worse in the past
from other neighbours )..

.created thread on here really just to find out the practicality of
making a stone wall.

Any other thoughts? I have a 7ft ( thin ) wooden fence up - out of
sight of of mind type scenerio )..but does nothing to squash their noise
- hence a stone wall.




--
garjobo

[Brooklyn1]

A stone wall the size you mention won't help much if at all. You need
to offer a more detailed description, ie. distances, sound source, and
intensity. More often there is no solution for noisy neighbors in
close proximity short of moving or murder. Of the two I strongly
recommend moving. My daughter encountered a noisy neighbor problem
recently with new neighbors (loud music) after much retaliation back
and forth I suggested she move and finally she did to a house I
located nearby on 11 acres. Living in close proximity to neighbors on
small suburban properties will eventually result in feuding over noise
or some issue(s). Even on large acreage one still needs to tolerate
the sounds of lawn mowing, chain sawing, and party music, but it's
typically occasional. Noise is not so bad as noxious odors from live
stock or dying septic systems. So long as one lives near people there
will be noises. Even on ones own isle way out at sea one will still
need to tolerate the constant sqwarking of sea birds. Learn to live
with noises, for eventually in the ground you will have quiet for
eternity. To be honest I strongly suggest ear plugs. Even on 11
acres my daughter still complains about noise from nedighbors although
they are many hundreds of feet apart. I live on 16 acres but I still
can hear lawn mowing and such, but I'm not bothered as I mow too. I
have central air conditioning so I never open windows, my house stays
cleaner and is quiet. Rather than ear plugs I suggest adding
insulation, I did that to save on energy bills and as an unintended
plus my house is very quiet.

[garjobo]

John, its my back garden - up to 6.5ft i can do anything i like.
Although it would be nearer 7ft but then hidden by the current 7ft fence
i have up anyway ( been there years - no-one would see it other than me
)

Logistically, how high can you go to reduce noise - seriously! in a
backgarden!!

As for planning , construction etc..that was my intial question! - what
planning is needed?...

I buy the metal baskets ( £20 a time ), lay them on ground, throw in
some quarry bricks, and then repeat with another basket/cage. Simples -
no?

Why is nothing simple.

I know the internet is full of negativity - you will always gather 9 bad
reports for 1 decent one - nature of the beast! - just would like the
pros and cons for what I'm considering. End of the day - I aint making
the noise!, but I will be the muppet who forks out a few hundred quid
because of selfish neighbours. Im not the bad guy here.




--
garjobo

[Brooklyn1]

Baskets of rocks will do absolutely nothing to deaden sound, if
anything rocks will amplify sound. Something soft/porous, like wood
chips/compost will deaden sound, to what degree, depends on the nature
of the sound, but probably not by much. You still haven't
described/defined the noise; machinery, loud talking, barking dogs,
amplified music, what... you must be embarrassed to say... probably
sexual emanations! LOL-LOL

[Terry Coombs]

He's said numerous times the neighbors talk too loud ... how could you have
missed that ?

--
Snag

[Brooklyn1]

Show me. He may have at gardenbanter but not here.

[Terry Coombs]

This is in one of his responses to you :

"Thanks for replying.

All a matter of taste in what it looks like, but as the last reply
mentioned, yes it is more a case of supressing sound.

From the little ive read on suject, was under impression a gabion wall
is better than brick and certainly a thin (tall) fence re sound. It may
just echo it back into the neighours garden perhaps.

Any other ( cheap ) solution more than welcome. Really is a case of
'talking loudly' noise polution ( we have put up with worse in the past
from other neighbours ).."

--
Snag

[Brooklyn1]

On Mon, 7 Mar 2016 08:26:03 -0600, "Terry Coombs" <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

That's not a post, that's copied and pasted, and that's not numerous
times. I asked to describe the noise several times and he's not once
replied directly. In any event there's no solution for people talking
loudly and "loudly" indicates no degree... sounds to me the OP is
living in the wrong place, he needs to move to where he's a much
greater distance from neighbors, or wear shooter's ear protection
muffs 24/7. This hasn't a whit to do with gardening so I'm out of
here.

[Terry Coombs]

That was copied and pasted FROM A RESPONSE TO YOU . Don't let the door hit
you in the ass on your way out .

--
Snag

[Dan Espen]

garjobo <garjobo....@gardenbanter.co.uk> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I am wanting a barrier ( approx 7ft high x 3feet in width x 7ft length)
> - ideally for soundproofing my garden near my house. ( annoying
> neighbours! )

That's a pretty big pile of rock, but 7x7 even 3 feet thick won't do
much to sound.

> Money as always an object, the best solution i can see ( aside from
> move! ) is a Gabion Wall, now they look attractive and seem to of come
> back in fashion as well.

Wow, I think the wire mesh makes them pretty ugly.
A solid rock wall either laid loose or in cement,
which is very attractive. Of course your can't reach 7ft loose,
so cemented is your only rock option.

> My question is, are they stable enough - being 3ft across - approx x 7ft
> high - aware i require good quality wire baskets, and over time will
> likely give...but just wanting to know from anyone with more knowledge
> than me in the trade..

Not in the trade, but rocks in wire mesh will last as long as the mesh.

> .simple enough idea? I buy several 'cages' lay them down on cement
> floor, tied together, through in some 'cheap quarry rocks' and bobs'
> your uncle? Job done?
>
> Or..is there a bit more too it than that? Breezeblock wall better way to
> go?
>
> Appreciate your time and any replies.

A deep stand of trees or bushes might be more effective and look nice
too.

Odd that you are posting from England and using feet for measurement.

--
Dan Espen

[garjobo]

I did state amid my ramblings that the noise was simply that neighbours
talked loudly. Which sounds like a small complaint ( believe me in
another house we had 4 dogs to contend with, abusive etc etc however
it's mightly annoying to hear OTT speaking about nothing more intresting
than 'put the washing on dear' and whistling..oh dont get me started the
inane whistling. Considering putting a note through there door.

Im disappointed to read comments that Gabion walls wont do anything.
However, as some of these comments were put by..well..Im too polite to
say anything negative about someone...

lets hope they are wrong.

My understanding is, based on google research...

Corrigated Iron fence - reduction 17db ( a quiet library is around
40bg btw )
Timber ( a favourite on here!!! ) only 25db reduction

Brick wall - 40db

Breezeblock 50db

and finally a Gabion wall - around 60db.

So..my question to anyone with any proper knowledge...would if be of any
benefit? a little..? 7ft high remember..safety aspect too..dont want it
falling down...any tricks of the trade? Please share.




--
garjobo

[Dan Espen]

garjobo <garjobo....@gardenbanter.co.uk> writes:

> I did state amid my ramblings that the noise was simply that neighbours
> talked loudly. Which sounds like a small complaint ( believe me in
> another house we had 4 dogs to contend with, abusive etc etc however
> it's mightly annoying to hear OTT speaking about nothing more intresting
> than 'put the washing on dear' and whistling..oh dont get me started the
> inane whistling. Considering putting a note through there door.
>
> Im disappointed to read comments that Gabion walls wont do anything.
> However, as some of these comments were put by..well..Im too polite to
> say anything negative about someone...
>
> lets hope they are wrong.
>
> My understanding is, based on google research...
>
> Corrigated Iron fence - reduction 17db ( a quiet library is around
> 40bg btw )
> Timber ( a favourite on here!!! ) only 25db reduction
>
> Brick wall - 40db
>
> Breezeblock 50db
>
> and finally a Gabion wall - around 60db.

Make sense.
Brooklyn has a pretty good record of giving bad advice.

Stone itself is an excellent conductor of sound.
But the transition of sound from air to rock, to air to rock
is going to pretty much kill any transmission of sound.

I don't have the numbers on trees or bushes, but I think
all the transitions the sound has to make would be pretty effective
and look a whole lot better.

> So..my question to anyone with any proper knowledge...would if be of any
> benefit? a little..? 7ft high remember..safety aspect too..dont want it
> falling down...any tricks of the trade? Please share.

Never built that kind of wall, but I see them as retaining walls on
hillsides and they sure look permanent to me.

Where I am we have about an acre per house.
The only things I can hear are dogs and screaming children.
The kids I somewhat enjoy. Nice to hear the exuberance of children.

Still can't see how something 7ft wide is going to help.
Does your neighbor stand in one spot to talk?

(Oh yeah, you've been clear from the start that this was
neighbors talking that bothers you.)

--
Dan Espen

[John McGaw]

You also said 7 feet wide and that is what I based my prediction of bad
noise reduction upon. Unless the path between you and your neighbor is only
seven feet wide then sound will inevitably 'sneak' around the wall, no
matter what it might be. In the US when the authorities are required to put
up noise walls along highways they are usually at least 20feet tall and are
continuous for miles at a time and still they are only really effective in
blocking high-pitched tire noise so that the diesel lorry's or the
boy-racer's noisy exhaust still boom through with low frequencies.

Good luck with it. I'm just happy that I can only see my neighbors in the
distance when the trees are bare and can almost never hear anything they
get up to, no matter how raucous.

[garjobo]

Thank you for the continued replies, didnt really want to drag this one
out..but..

Im still disappointed re gabion walls then..agree totally trees etc
would be a cheaper solution and look better..but, the 7ft im talking
about is at the back garden, side of the house - a narrowish strip. So
its on concrete. I cant chisel away, foundations of house/and also we're
on a lot of clay.

I have tried a raised bed, growing hedges ..i can grow hedges ok but i
dont think they will reduce much. I would love a couple of trees..but
cement and too narrow to be honest. - advice welcome? type of tree
doesnt need much soil???

To answer previous question, in a way Yes neighbours do stand on one
spot - their garage is part of the dividing wall and conservatory hence
the area between the two means they often/all the time when the sun
shines! are there chatting loudly!!! away...just a few notches below -
like most 'normal people would naturally do' and wouldnt have a
problem. They are the type who seem to like you to listen 'we are here/
we exist' type people. Annoying.

Any other thoughts welcome. There area does echo , the
garage/consveratory area.

In comes Spring and i dredd it, i cant go our into my garden without
listening to their inane chatter about nothing!




--
garjobo

[Terry Coombs]

Have you considered acoustic countermeasures ? Loud music will drown them
out , plus give them a dose of their own . When they ask you to turn it down
, tell them to talk more softly .

--
Snag

[garjobo]

Terry, i'm getting a smaller water fountain in time for Spring and yes,
the radio will be on.

Any other advice re trees/plants which dont require much soil? as
mentioned it is on concrete, a small container which grows a tall, thin
tree/bush would be great - get me a half dozen of them.




--
garjobo

[Terry Coombs]

Just about any foliage will help , why not do gouble duty and grow some
citrus or other fruit ? I've seen some do very well in pots . Big pots ...

--
Snag