Gabion Retaining Wall: Swanvale, Falmouth

Swanvale is a brand new development situated in the beautiful harbour town of Falmouth, Cornwall. Tucked away just behind Bickland Water Road, Swanvale offers a stunning range of 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes. 

It is also the site of an impressive 4m high staggered gabion retaining wall. Devoran Metals have supplied over 670 BBA approved gabion baskets to site since the build started in June 2014. The contractor, Fred Champion Groundworks, have used 3/4mm galfan coated gabions which are comprised of a 3mm carcass and a 4mm facing panel (for a better aesthetic finish), fixed with helical connectors. 

We think they have done a fantastic job installing the gabion baskets and it is a fine example of quality workmanship to be admired for many years to come. See for yourself...

Cornwall Home & Lifestyle Show 2015

This year, we decided to exhibit our range of Small Garden Gabions at the Cornwall Home and Lifestyle Show 2015. The 2 day event took place at the Royal Cornwall Showground over the bank holiday weekend on 2nd & 3rd May. The event was organised by Live Events South West and showcased the best of Cornwall's home related products and services. 

We have always been interested in exhibiting at the show but had yet to actually sign up. This year, when the offer came round, I wanted to give it a try and booked the show at the end of February which gave us just over 2 month preparation time. I designed the stand using our smaller garden range as these are best suited for private garden projects. 

I wanted to show customers how they could use gabion baskets to transform their garden into a more useful living space, that was both functional and stylish. I designed a gabion seating area which comprised of 2no. 975mm x 450mm x 450mm gabions, and 1no. 450mm x 450mm x 450mm gabion to form the corner planter.

Devoran Garden Gabions stand at the CHLS 2015.

For the seat tops, I used reclaimed pallet wood which was free and readily available. If you do have any trouble sourcing pallets they don't cost a lot to buy direct. They were really simple to build, and you don't need to be an expert joiner to make them. The seat tops were made  by cutting 2 lengths of 80mm wide wood to 450mm long and laying them vertically across the gabion baskets (front to back) approx. 600mm apart and 185mm from each end - these act as a support and fixing point for the seat. Once these are in place, you then need to cut the horizontal pieces to 1000mmm, so they are slightly longer than the basket, and screw into place along the support. You then need to use 2 pieces of wood approx. 40mm wide to form a border around the front and sides of the gabion, and fix them to the ends. In this case we only needed to cover 2 ends as the back and 1 side would not be seen. 

Gabion seat made from 975 x 450 x 450mm gabion baskets filled with local stone from Trecarne Quarry,

For the planters I used 450mm, 375mm and 300mm gabion baskets and simply cut the top mesh panel to size to suit each flower pot so they could be dropped into place during filling. 

Gabion planter made from 450 x 450 x 450mm gabion baskets.

It was a lot of hard work preparing for the show, especially setting up the stand on the Friday but it was well worth it. We would like to say a huge thank you to Trecarne Quarry for giving us the beautiful stone to fill the baskets and to everyone else who helped out along the way. Despite the rainy start, and even though we almost lost the gazebo altogether on Saturday morning in the wind, it was a really good weekend and the weather soon cleared. We had a lot of great feedback on the gabions; it's interesting how many people in Cornwall have a pile of stone just sitting in the corner of their garden that they have no use for...and now they do!! 

If you would like to browse our range of garden gabions and see how you can transform your garden, visit our website www.devoran-garden-gabions.co.uk.

Customer Projects - Europe

Here at Devoran Gabions we love seeing how our customers transform their gardens using the gabions they buy from us. From small seating areas to full scale retaining walls and flood defences, we always enjoy receiving customer photos and feedback!

This year our BBA approved gabions have been shipped to various destinations across Europe including Luxembourg and France. This impressive retaining wall in Hobscheid, Luxembourg was delivered to a customer who needed to retain a large embankment at the back of his property. The wall was designed using our 4mm galfan gabions which have been stepped at each course. The size of stone that he has used is perfect as it gives a very professional finish to the wall and ensures stability and structure throughout the design life. To maintain a good aesthetic we advise that you use 4mm facing panels for walls exceeding 3m high.

Large gabion wall retaining a crumbling embankment in Hobscheid, Luxembourg.

Gabion wall that has been stepped at each course to improve stability.

Gabions have many uses, and not all walls need to be as high as the one above to make a difference. The gabion wall below, which spans over 35m long, has been built in Brittany, France to protect this customer's property from flooding. He comments, “your product is very good and the wall is going well; it is hard work for one person but good for the muscles”. The wall is still under construction but we especially love how he has incorporated seating areas and brightened the gabions with flower baskets.

Gabion wall built to protect a property from flooding in Brittany, France.

Brighten any gabion wall with flower baskets and seating areas.

You can purchase our BBA approved gabion baskets online at www.devoran-garden-gabions.co.uk

Cornwall Home Directory

Devoran Metals are now listed in the Cornwall Home Directory hosted by the Cornwall Home Show. Showcasing some of the best products and services available in Cornwall, you are sure to find something you love! 

You can find our profile at:

http://www.cornwallhomeshow.co.uk/cornwall-home-directory/gardens/devoran-garden-gabions/ 

Devoran Metals support local charity BF Adventure

As a Cornish business, Devoran Metals is always happy to help out local businesses and charities. In July 2014 we were approached by Penryn based charity BF Adventure as they started the build for a brand new kitchen block in the middle of their beautiful 60 acre site. All materials for the build are being supplied by donation, and Devoran Metals were more than happy to donate all the reinforcing mesh for the ground works.  

Delivering mesh to site in Penryn, Cornwall (photo courtesy of BF Adventure)

BF Adventure are a fantastic charity who help hundreds of disadvantaged and disabled children and adults across Cornwall every year. 

The kitchen block is being built to celebrate their 25 anniversary and will provide its members with the opportunity to learn important life skills that we all take for granted. Adrian, the CEO of BF Adventures, says:

"As part of our many focused programmes which support disadvantaged and disabled young people and adults we focus upon life skills starting with the basics of looking after ones-self, making a hot drink, washing up, washing clothes and preparing a meal.

We have taken this one step further developing a highly effective programme which supports entrepreneurial skills in the Kitchen, Young people plan a menu, take orders from the team, write a shopping list, manage their budget in the local ASDA supermarket, prepare, cook and serve the meal and even collect the bill reconciling monies taken and donating profit back into the BF charity tin which further supports the work we do - a real win win for everyone especially those of us enjoying a delicious home cooked lunch on site!"

You can follow the progress of the build at #bigkitchenbuild and can donate yourself by clicking on the link below

http://www.everyclick.com/kitchen25

We wish BF Adventures every success with the build and am sure that the new kitchen will be a brilliant and inspiring asset for the charity and all its members!!

The Summer is here and everything has turned...Orange!!

Devoran Metals are now approved stockists of Novoform permanent welded mesh form work. Novoform is used as a permanent form work to replace traditional materials, including timber, which had to be removed following the concrete pour. This is no longer the case! 

In production, the mesh is encapsulated in film and passed through a heat tunnel to be shrink wrapped. See our video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv5rvvqO4D8

Novoform is made from welded mesh panels, traditionally with 150 x 75mm aperture. The panels measure 2.4m wide and lengths of 0.375m up to 3m are available. Novoform panels can be supplied in strips or bent into shapes L or U shapes. 

Devoran Metals offer a full in-house mesh bending service and can deliver your order direct to site. Call us on 01872 863 376 or email sales@devoran-metals co.uk for a competitive quote today! 

Devoran Garden Gabions: Single and ready to mingle!!

From April 2014 you can now order our BBA Approved Gabion Baskets as single units on the website rather than in packs.

Up until now www.devoran-garden-gabions.co.uk supplied gabions in pack sizes of 3 or 5, but now offer customers the choice to order as little or as many as they like. The company's sales team said, "we really value our customers and want to ensure that we are giving them the best possible service on the web. We understand how competitive the current gabion market is and think that giving our customers the option of purchasing single units rather than packs will help us gain new custom and keep us at the forefront of the market".

Why buy a Devoran Gabion?

Devoran Gabions are not inferior quality imports from the Far East. These Far Eastern Gabions may be slightly cheaper but in our experi-ence you will find that you get what you pay for. Devoran Gabions are BAA Approved and are of superior strength and quality. You can feel confident that when you buy from Devoran you are buying the best.

See our hand check list below to make sure you;re buying the right product.

The Future Looks Bright for the South West

If there’s one thing Cornwall is not short on its vast areas of open land, and as you drive in and around the county you may have noticed some changes to the Cornish landscape in the past years, mainly the installation of Photovoltaic Power Stations, more commonly known as Solar Farms.

In February 2013 Devoran Metals was approached by Spanish based company Axial Solar to supply and fabricate rebar cages to reinforce solar panel bases.  In the space of just 2 weeks Devoran Metals supplied over 420 prefabricated cages to the solar farm site in Rame Cross near Helston, Cornwall.

Nearly 12 months on Devoran Metals have just supplied another 250 prefabricated cages for Axial Solar to a site in Cirencester, Gloucestershire and another 135 cages for K.P.T (sw) Ltd to Totnes, Devon. Producing approximately 50 complete units per day we are currently supplying 416 prefabricated cages for Eiffage Energia to a site in St Columb Major, Cornwall.

With Government plans hoping that by 2020 over 4 million homes across the UK will be powered by the sun, one thing’s for sure, the future for the South West is set to be a bright one!

Devoran Metals provide a full in-house fabrication service to all customers, with prefabrication solutions to suit individual requirements. Please feel free to send us the bending schedules and drawings for a competitive quote today.

www.devoran-metals.co.uk

Future Proof Yourself Against Floods!

Live Chat

We have recently launched a NEW Chat feature on our websites.

www.devoran-garden-gabions.co.uk

www.devoran-metals.co.uk

Our experienced sales team are now on hand on answer you questions at the simple click of a button. You can use the chat feature on your computer, tablet and smart phones. 

Give it a try...

  

Winter Warmers

As we near into December, down here in the South West we're starting to see the first signs of frost, and (without wanting to tempt fate) it feels cold enough to snow! We don't want our customers getting caught out in the cold, so Devoran Metals are here to make sure you are prepared for Winter with frost blankets & rock salt now in stock! 

Our high quality 75m x 1.5m frost blankets provide protection for newly laid concrete giving an excellent thermal insulation allowing it to keep warm. We also have 25kg bags of rock salt in stock which will help prevent accidents in the cold weather by quickly de-icing areas of work. 

Devoran Metals Prefabricated Cages

New Machinery Increases Production at Devoran Metals

Here at Devoran Metals we like to ensure that we’re always keeping up to date with the latest equipment and machinery in the industry. 

Our newest investment is in the patented Oscam Spiral 88 Rebar Bending Machine, which can bend reinforced helicals from coil up to 16mm and bar up to 20mm in diameter. The bender utilises an exclusive hydraulic release which doubles the speed of production. 

You can watch the Machine in action below:

This new investment will dramatically increase production on prefabricated pile cages as it cuts out the need for bending individual circles, which can be very labour intensive. It will, as a result, significantly reduce the lead time from initial order to delivery on site. 

For more information and a competitive quotation on pile cages please visit our website 

www.devoran-metals.co.uk

Devoran Metals Love Your Garden!

Here at Devoran Metals we love nothing more than repeat custom, even more so when that customer is none other than Alan Titchmarsh. In May this year we were contacted by ITV to donate our Gabion baskets for the show "Love Your Garden"; a make over programme which completely transformed the garden of some very deserving members of the public. 

This was the second series of the show and comprised of 8 episodes. The gardens belonged to people who  had experienced very difficult times and are deserving of the gift of a new garden to enjoy. In all cases though out the series, the stories behind the families involved are truly heartbreaking but inspirational. 

The show focused on 8 families throughout the country, one of which belonging to a lady who runs a charity to raise funds for children with the same serious health condition, Sickle Cell Disease, that affects her own 16 year old Son. Without question we happily donated a range of 5mm Galfan Coated Gabion Baskets for the project and the results were stunning! The construction team on the project, The Outdoor Room who are responsible for numerous award-winning Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Show garden builds, really did a wonderful job. You can see the results below:

Gabions provide a low-tech but stylish solution to create retaining walls.

The stone used in this project is natural Purbeck stone, quarried and prepared by Suttle on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, Southern England.

Devoran Metals supplied 975mm x 450mm x 450mm & 450mm x 450mm x 450mm Gabion Baskets in 5mm wire.

To browse or buy our gabions online, visit http://www.devoran-garden-gabions.co.uk/. Prices start from £11 + VAT.

Devoran Metals Log Baskets

Devoran Metals Go Green!!

Devoran Metals are delighted to announce that they have recently been awarded the ISO14001 environmental management certificate.

Managing Director Richard Orsman said "The teams hard work in areas of quality and compliance has been formally recognised through thorough inspections.

We now have a process in place to actively reduce risks to the environment and simultaneously increase the quality of our product year on year".

ISO14001 is the principle management system standard which specifies the requirements and maintenance of an Environmental Management System (EMS). There are 3 fundamental requirements that each company must meet to achieve certification, these include:

• Prevention of pollution
• Compliance of Legislation
• Continual improvement of the EMS

We have always been aware of the responsibilities Devoran Metals have towards the environment and continually work hard to reduce the impacts of pollution and waste. We can now feel proud as a company that our efforts have been recognised and certified worldwide.

Save Time and Money with Our Mesh Bending Service

Save yourself time and labour costs by using bent reinforcing mesh rather than cut and bent bar! Devoran Metals are one of the only companies in the South West who offer a quick and efficient mesh bending service. With state of the art equipment and years of expertise, all of our bent mesh is made to order and substantially cheaper than paying for the fabrication of rebar on site.

Using bent mesh replaces the need for tying individual starter bars, therefore reduces steel fixers' hours and above all saves you money! Most British Standard shape codes can be provided but in some cases it may be necessary to manufacture them in sections for ease of transportation or to enable the shape to be completed. Take a look below at the bent mesh we recently delivered to a customer in Helston, Cornwall. These panels would easily have taken around 2 - 3 hours to fabricate if it was supplied as cut and bent bar. Yet our mesh bending service completely eliminated that extra cost and allowed the customer to complete the job far quicker, and cheaper! 

No longer worry about loosely wired ground beams or wobbly cages. Because all of our reinforcing mesh is welded together before it's bent our mesh bending service guarantees strong and stable reinforcement. If you would like a competitive quotation for bent mesh please contact our sales team on 01872 863 376 or sales@devoran-metals.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.