Concrete Sleeper
Concrete Block
Timber Sleeper
Brick
Palisade
Sandstone
Repairs & Replacement
What A Wall Costs
Rules, Approvals & EngineeringRetaining Walls Canberra
Retaining Walls Built To Last
We are Canberra's retaining wall experts for homes. We come out, measure the slope and check the access, then tell you which wall suits your block, what it will cost and whether it needs an engineer or an approval.
Built To Engineering Over 1.5 mManufacturer specs below that, an engineer's design above it.
Quoted On Site, Not Over The PhoneWe measure the fall and check the access before we price it.
Residential OnlyBackyards and front yards. No commercial runs.The Retaining Walls We Build In Canberra
We build retaining walls in Canberra in six materials: concrete sleeper retaining walls, block, brick, timber, palisade and sandstone, plus repairs to a wall that has already moved. Access decides more than taste does. If a truck cannot get down the side, half the options are gone before we talk about how it looks.
The Wall Gets Chosen On Site, Not In A Brochure
Four steps, no surprises in the middle of them, and no retaining wall quoted before somebody has stood on the block.
We Come And Look
The fall gets measured, the access gets checked and the soil gets looked at. None of that happens over the phone.
You Get A Real Number
One price for the wall your site can actually take, with the drainage and the footing in it rather than added later.
Approvals, If You Need Them
We check every project for planning, approval, engineering and licensing needs, and tell you up front. Over 1.5 m it goes to an engineer.
Built And Drained
Footings, agricultural drain and backfill done properly, because that is what the failed walls we pull out were missing.
Which Retaining Wall Costs The Least?
We price every wall after a site assessment, not off a rate. This is roughly how the six wall types compare on cost, from lowest to highest.
A typical job runs $15,000 to $35,000. That is a residential concrete sleeper or block wall, and where it lands inside that range comes down to the size of the wall and the finish you choose. Smaller garden walls sit under it and a long engineered run sits over it.
01 LowestTimber Sleeper
Usually the cheapest to build. The price moves most with post spacing and the timber.
02 LowConcrete Sleeper
Our specialty. The style you pick changes the price, and we confirm it on the quote.
04 HigherPalisade
Every log is dug in and set in concrete, so it costs more than sleepers for the same length.
VariesSandstone
Set by machine access more than by the stone. If it has to be placed by hand, the price changes completely.
Nine Things That Affect The Price Of A Retaining Wall
We estimate every wall on its own, from what your site needs. These are the nine things that decide the price.
Height, Length And Layout
How tall the wall is, how far it runs and how many corners or steps it has. Height moves the price most, and past 1.5 m it brings in an engineer.
Cut Or Fill
A wall cut into the slope holds ground that was always there. A wall holding built-up soil, called fill, needs that soil placed and packed down in layers behind it, and that adds work.
Ground And Site Levels
Rock changes the digging, clay changes the drainage, and how far the ground falls sets how much wall you need.
Machine Access
If a machine can reach the wall line the job moves fast. If everything is carried down a side passage by hand, the labour goes up on the same wall.
Excavation And Spoil
The soil dug out, called spoil, has to go somewhere. Digging it out and carting it away is a real cost, and it belongs in the quote.
Footings And Foundations
The footing is sized for the height and the ground. On a taller wall it is often the biggest single part of the price, and all of it ends up below ground.
Drainage And Backfill
Gravel, a slotted drain pipe called an ag pipe, and filter cloth go behind every wall, and the soil packed back in behind them is called backfill. Water sitting behind a wall is what pushes most failed walls over.
Loading And Engineering
A driveway, a pool or a building on the high side adds load the wall has to carry, and that can bring in an engineer's design below 1.5 m.
Materials And Finish
A plain sleeper and a stone clad wall hold the same soil but do not cost the same. This is the part you choose.
What To Know Before You Build A Retaining Wall
What a retaining wall costs in Canberra, and whether it needs approval. Both answered properly here rather than hidden behind a form.
Areas We Cover Around Canberra
Retaining walls across all of Canberra, plus Queanbeyan and the capital region either side of the border. If you are a little further out, ask anyway.
QueanbeyanJerrabomberraGoogongBungendoreMurrumbatemanYassBraidwoodGoulburnCooma 104 km ↓© OpenStreetMap contributorsEvery Canberra District
Belconnen, Gungahlin, Inner North and South, Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo and Tuggeranong.
- Queanbeyan13 km
- Jerrabomberra13 km
- Googong18 km
- Bungendore31 km
- Murrumbateman37 km
- Yass54 km
- Braidwood65 km
- Goulburn83 km
- Cooma104 km
Straight-line distance from Canberra city. Not on the list? Ask anyway, we go further out for the right job.
Retaining Wall FAQs
Retaining wall heights, ACT approvals and how the quote works. If yours is not here, ask when we come out.
How tall can a retaining wall be before it needs an engineer?
Once a wall goes over 1.5 m it has to be built to an engineer's design. Under that, concrete sleeper systems can often be built to the manufacturer's published span tables instead, which is quicker and cheaper. Proximity to a boundary or a building line can pull that trigger lower, so it is checked on site.
Do I need council approval for a retaining wall in the ACT?
Not for most low walls. Away from the boundaries, a wall can hold back built-up soil, called fill, to 1.0 m, or be cut into the slope to 1.2 m, without a development approval. Within 1.5 m of a side or rear boundary, or in the front yard, the limit is 0.4 m. We tell you at the site assessment whether yours needs one. The application itself is lodged by the homeowner, because it needs personal information a contractor should not be holding.
Do you check approvals, engineering and licensing for my wall?
Yes. Every project is assessed for its planning, approval, engineering and licensing needs, and we tell you what applies to your wall before any work starts.
Which wall type should I choose?
Access decides more than taste does. If a truck or a machine cannot get down the side of the house, half the options are gone before anyone talks about how it looks. After access it comes down to the retained height, the design direction of the yard, and the budget.
Do you quote over the phone?
No. A retaining wall quote needs the fall measured, the access checked and the soil looked at. We come out, measure it, and give you a real number rather than a range that changes later.
Do you do commercial work?
Not at the moment. This is residential work across Canberra and the capital region.
Can you replace a wall that is already failing?
Yes. The old wall comes out, the drainage goes in properly, and the new wall is designed from scratch rather than matched to whatever was there.
Send A Photo Of Your Site
A photo and a rough length and height is usually enough for us to tell you which walls will work, before anyone drives out.
Or call (02) 5114 2500Start Here