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Recommendations for gap along fence

Hi there,

I recently had some concreting work done and my backyard in the process of being levelled. My block had quite a slope towards the back fence, so a retaining wall was installed and filled in.

For both the concrete and the retaining wall, there is a small gap with has been left to keep both off the already installed fence which I am looking for advice on filling in. For the gap between the concrete and fence, I have been told large river rock is a good option as it allows water to drain to keep the fence from rotting. Is this true?
I am mainly unsure about what I can do with the gap between the retaining wall and fence. At its deepest, its about 1m roughly from the top of the wall to the ground. I have small children, so wondering what is the best way I can block/fill this gap, whilst not exposing the fence to increased deterioration?

Any help would be much appreciated. I have added pictures of the areas for referenceConcrete gapWall gap

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Decking and Paving

Repairing

Building and Construction

Landscaping

Fencing and Screening

Comments

EricL

Hello @CookedBread

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about filling the gap along your fence.

In regards to your first photo, I suggest using a cut-down 200 x 50mm 1.8m Treated Pine Sleeper H4 to fill the gap. But before putting the timber in I recommend levelling the rocks so that the sleeper sits level with the soil. I then recommend fixing it in place to the post with Zenith 10G x 75mm Galvanised Countersunk Head Timber Screws - 10 Pack. Please remember to put Bondall 1L Inground Timber Protector on the exposed cut portion of the sleeper.

As for the other side with the retaining wall, I suggest using the same type of sleeper and using it as a cap to cover the gap. In this manner, no extra weight will be put on your fence and both timber products are compatible with the treatment of your fence. I've placed some sketches below to give you an idea of what it will look like once installed.

Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W and @diy_hausdesigns for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

CookedBread

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/21957#Comment_21957

Hi EricL,

Thanks for the recommendation, I appreciate the response.

In regards to the retaining wall section, do you think I should lay something underneath to prevent weeds potentially growing before capping off?

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/73729#Comment_73729

Hello @CookedBread

I suggest putting in some weedmat in conjunction with Whites Weed Mat Pins - 20 Pack to hold it in place. My best advice is to put in a folded weedmat rather than cutting it to fit into the space available.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

GoGeo

Good evening!

My name is Alex and I loved what you show in this images. Yuo have an increible amount of options that you can explore to use this glorious space. I am updating a photo for further references and obviously, as always, you have the last decision around what to do. So, here I go:

1. As Eric mentioned in the next posts, using a folded weedmat is a great idea to stop the weed growing. Also, I would recomment adding some crushed dust all the way alomg the gap and compacted as most as you can, and keep having 100-150mm deep for the next point.

2. Once the crushed dust is compacted, and before the weedmat installed i would potentially install vertical mesh for future growing.Install additional aluminum or A4 posts in concrete. Additionally, do this in line with the post of your fence (just to make it look nice). Next install balustrades wires or slab mesh (the cheapest one or second hand) to the posts. This system will help you to grow from pots and hold them in vertical growing.

3. Add the weed mat and folded as Eric recommended.

The outcome will be a long section of vertical gardens to grow your own food, otherwise a very artistic way to cover the fence. In summer, if you grow plants or veggies, this system helps to cover the temperature that the fence radiate and also, because of the concrete, is a great spot to keep fruits/veggies in great temperate conditions.

Feel free to text me for more ideas

Alexander Stuardo

fence mesh.jpg

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/27408#Comment_27408

Hello @GoGeo (Alex)

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us.

Let me tag @CookedBread to make sure they see your recommendation. Using crusher dust is an excellent way to fill the gap and using a wire mesh on the fence as a climbing frame is a great way to add greenery to it.

If you have a project that you're working on, please make sure to post an update. I'm sure our members would be keen to see what you're creating.

Thank you for sharing your idea.

Eric

ela123

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76329#Comment_76329

Hi Eric

I’ve got a similar issue to @CookedBread in that I have small kids and a large gap between a retaining wall which is also corrugated, and a newly installed colourbond fence my neighbour has installed. I cannot afford the $50k plus to replace the entire retaining wall as it’s about 12m long and retaining over 1.5m.

the gap concerns me and I’m wondering what I can do to cover the unsightly corrugations and gap so my kids don’t fall through and get hurt? Any suggestions would be welcome.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102873#Comment_102873

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ela123. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about extending a retaining wall.

Before considering any work around the corrugated cement sheeting, verifying that it is not asbestos would be best. Some similar profiles are just plain cement, but if this is older sheeting, it could contain asbestos. Once verified that it is not asbestos, I'd recommend removing the section between the retaining wall and the new fence and either using blocks or a timber panel to fill the space. I've created the below renders for you to illustrate. The blocks must be laid on a bed of concrete and mortar used for their joints. Given it's a one-width course, installing reo bar through the cores would be important to prevent the structure from being tipped over. It would also be a good idea to anchor the blocks to the rendered wall with Dynabolts.

The timber panel could be connected to the block wall and Colorbond fence with angle brackets.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

ela123

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118455#Comment_118455

Hi @MitchellMc

its definitely asbestos which is why I want to cover it and it’s too expensive to remove and replace with panel and post without getting engineering and council approval so I’m after a cosmetic and safe option to protect the kids if possible

ela123

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118455#Comment_118455

Also sorry should have mentioned, the corrugated stuff is the retaining wall and I guess up until recently acted as the boundary fence which is very common in Perth

MitchellMc

OK, sorry, @ela123, I misinterpreted your question. So, it's not the gap at the front of the property you want to cover, as per my images; it's the gap between the corrugated retaining wall and the fence.

What about using screening panels for the front and a length of 140mm decking for a capping piece? The capping piece can be held on the fence side with angle brackets installed into the posts. By encapsulating the corrugated panel in timber, it avoids having to disturb it at all.

Mitchell

Colossian

how far from the fence wall?Thanks

JacobZ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/44276#Comment_44276

Hi @Colossian,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

There are a couple of different things in this discussion that you could be referring to.

Can you provide some more details about what you are after?

Once you've provided some more information on what you need help with, we'll be happy to assist further.

Jacob

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