Case Study: Gabion Bench (by James Harris)

Finished gabion bench with stained decking-board seat along a garden fence

We love seeing the creative ways our customers use our gabion baskets. James Harris kindly shared his clever garden project with us, where he transformed a garden edge into a smart and sturdy gabion bench. Here’s his write-up of the process, step by step:

Understanding the Garden Layout

The gardens beyond those fences are 12 inches approx. higher than our garden level and so those flags are buried 1/3 deep and filled with earth with a flag on top. The idea was to cover this on two sides (top and front) with a gabion basket and limestone and put decking boards on top for a bench.

Patio with a raised garden border along the fence before the gabion bench was built

Preparing the Base

I made the flags go all the way across and filled then with loose bricks / stones I had already.

Paving flags along the base of the fence, before the bench was built

Paving flags filled with loose bricks and stones to form the bench base

Modifying the Gabion Baskets

I ordered two gabion basket kits at 5mm thickness and a size that would cover half the length of the garden wall when made conventionally tying six sides together. Then I used tools to take apart the six sides keeping small sides as supports cut into the wall and two long pieces still joined together for the front and top. I cut the small rectangles diagonally to form triangles. Which acted as supports for the helicoils and a level for the top.

Modified gabion mesh fitted over the bench base along the wall

Gabion mesh running the full length of the fence line

Front of the gabion bench being filled with limestone

Adding Ground Protection

Weed suppressant material was put on top of the original flags before the limestone was put in.

Long gabion bench taking shape along the back of the patio

Limestone-filled gabion front with weed membrane along the top

Gabion bench filled with limestone along the fence

Gabion bench filled with limestone along the fence, seen from the patio

Securing the Structure

This is an example of how the basket is anchored into the wall so the weight of the stones don’t pull the front of the basket forward when filled. The ties are along the wall at regular intervals.

Close-up of a tie anchoring the gabion mesh into the wall

Preventing Bench Sag

To fill the gaps under the bench tops I used the bag the limestone came in and the 10% of unusable loose material to make small sandbags that support the bench in the middle all along so it didn’t bow in the middle.

Small sandbags made from the stone bags and leftover fines

Sandbags placed along the top of the gabion to support the bench seat

Looking down into the gabion bench at the stone fill and sandbag supports

Fixing the Decking Boards

I made fastenings with the lacing wire that I used underneath the decking boards to fasten the boards onto the baskets from underneath.

Lacing wire fastening fixed to the underside of a decking board

Gabion bench filled and ready for the decking boards

Finishing Touches

The decking boards are 32mm thick and had 4 coats of stain during the recent heatwave!

Gabion bench with the stained decking-board seat fitted

Products Used in This Project

Finished Patio

The patio is now finished with reed screening covering up the fencing behind.

The plants and planting I can take no credit for whatsoever. My wife is the gardener!

Thank you to all at Wirefence.co.uk

Finished gabion bench with reed screening covering the fence behind

Finished patio with the gabion bench running along the back fence

Planted garden border in front of the finished patio and gabion bench

View through a garden arch to the patio and gabion bench

Comment From Wire Fence

This project really came to life before our eyes—we received regular updates as Jim worked on his garden seating area, which allowed us to offer timely input and advice along the way. That said, we can’t take credit for the many clever twists Jim introduced. He took an ingenious and environmentally conscious approach, making the most of materials he already had on hand. For example, he dismantled the baskets to cover a longer span, used leftover fines to fill rubble bags for support, and even crafted fastenings from the free lacing wire. These resourceful touches not only resulted in a beautiful bench but also kept the project impressively sustainable. We love it when customers think creatively and take our products to the next level with smart DIY solutions—so it’s been a real pleasure to watch this project evolve in real time and be a small part of the process.

Gyopi (Joy) Veres, Customer Support Manager at Wire Fence

Thinking About Creating a Gabion Bench?

Inspired by this project? A gabion bench is a simple, stylish, and durable addition to any outdoor space – and it’s easier to make than you might think.

If you would like to make your own gabion bench, you can choose any size gabion that you need in our shop, as well as light or dark coloured gabion stone.