How to fix these gravel boards?

[redhexagonal]

my fence is on top of a sleeper retaining wall and the sleepers aren’t even heights. The gravel boards havent been fitted right and they’ve gradually got crushed and popped out from under the fence, which is distorting the fence in places. What will happen if I remove them? Not sure if theyre holding fence up. Can I just cut new ones to size or does the whole fence need fixing?

 

[JohnD]

Gravel boards are expected to rot, because they are in contact with the ground, so should be replaceable

Do you mean that yours have earth against one side, and are being pushed out?

 

[big-all]

the gravel board should not take any weight more than the timber off the panel above deflecting and sitting on the board
what is the construction off the back as the panel should be fully supported side to side with a possible central leg for support

 

[redhexagonal]

Gravel boards are expected to rot, because they are in contact with the ground, so should be replaceable

Do you mean that yours have earth against one side, and are being pushed out?

No there is air on both sides, they are on top of a sleeper wall. But I think the fence has sagged and crushed them

 

[JohnD]

The fence should be supported by its posts. Go round the back and look. Have they settled, or have the arris rails sagged?

I would not expect a fence to crush sturdy gravel boards unless perhaps people were climbing on it.

 

[Eccles]

1. Gravel boards are NOT expected to rot if they have been pressure treated as they should be.
2. The purpose of gravel boards is to prevent the movement of soil from one side of the fence to the other but this not essential and I did not bother on the last fence job I did after a chat with neighbour.
3. They should not be supporting the fence if the fence was correctly constructed.
4. Have a chat with neighbour (if there is one on the other side) and take a couple of them out and watch what happens.
5. If the fence starts to give way, you need a new fence.

 

[redhexagonal]

The fence should be supported by its posts. Go round the back and look. Have they settled, or have the arris rails sagged?

I would not expect a fence to crush sturdy gravel boards unless perhaps people were climbing on it.

I think maybe what happened is the ground has settled under parts of the retaining wall ( its a 7 year old build) . The fence posts are screwed to the outside of the sleeper wall . like in the 1st pic where the sleeper is lower on the left of the I beam than the right and the board is crushed on the right, there is a dip in the corner of the patio too. The top of the fence is actually higher where the board is crushed and lower to the left where the sleeper is lower

 

[JohnD]

It's even possible for sleepers to rot, when they are in contact with the ground, even though they are full-cell impregnated with preservative (that's why the Railway companies pull them up and sell them to the garden trade)

Fence posts and gravel boards too.

 

[redhexagonal]

It's even possible for sleepers to rot, when they are in contact with the ground, even though they are full-cell impregnated with preservative (that's why the Railway companies pull them up and sell them to the garden trade)

Fence posts and gravel boards too.

Yeah they are slowly rotting (thats another problem cause by there being no drainage material used and the soil being piled directly against the sleepers) , but the section that looks like its sunk is fairly sound. The patio has sunk 30-50mm in that area too, maybe the ground wasn’t compacted properly. Not sure what to do. A landscaper quoted me 8 grand to put in drainage and new sleepers which I can’t afford