Gabion

Beats the Cheap Version — Beats landscape timber, thin retaining block; peer-replacement for true engineered retaining walls

Best shape: Straight or curved, any · Tier: Any, near-zero material cost with on-site stone

Proven for retaining/screening; unproven as primary structural building wall

No mortar, staggered courses, crosstie bracing every 12in of lift, 2:1 base-to-height ratio for retaining use

Verified for retaining/screening use — structural building-wall use is thin on precedent