A brick retaining wall is worth it in Canberra when the wall sits in the front yard and has to look like it came with the place.
Brick
Typical HeightBuilt like a block wall, usually low and in full view
Access NeededRoom for a mixer and for brick to be stacked
Build TimeSlow, because it is laid brick by brick
Finish OptionsFace brick, feature brickwork, bond patterns or render, with brick on edge, solid, bullnose, concrete or stone caps
When It Fits
When A Brick Retaining Wall Is The Right Choice
A brick retaining wall is a reinforced, concrete-filled block wall with face brick laid against it and tied in. Choose it when the wall is in full view and the house is brick, because matched brickwork makes the wall look like it was built with the house.
01
Front Yards
Where the wall is the first thing people see, and it has to suit the front of the house.
02
Matching The House
Older brick homes, including the ones built from Canberra Reds, where any other material would stand out.
03
Planters And Curves
Brick is laid one unit at a time, so it follows curves, steps and planter shapes easily.
Get A QuoteSend a photo of the house and the slope, and we will price the wall after a site measure.
Inside The Wall
How A Brick Retaining Wall Is Built
The block does the retaining. The brick is the face, tied to it, and the drainage keeps water from coming through the brickwork.
01
Pour The Footing
A reinforced concrete footing, sized for the height, with the wall's steel starting in it.
02
Build The Block Core
Hollow concrete blocks with steel bars through them, filled with concrete. This is what holds the soil.
03
Drain The Back
Every wall gets drainage: crushed rock and a slotted pipe in a filter sock carry water away along the base. Not every brick wall needs a waterproof coating, called a membrane, so we decide that for each job, from the site, the damp and what the wall is holding.
04
Lay The Face Brick
The brick you see, matched to the house and tied to the block, with small gaps along the base, called weep holes, so any water inside the wall can drain out.
05
Cap The Wall
A row of bricks on edge, or a solid cap, sheds rain off the top of the wall.
Get A Brick Wall QuoteEvery brick retaining wall is measured on site, so the quote covers the block core, the brick face and the drainage.
Brick Colours
Brick Colours For A Retaining Wall
We buy brick from Austral Bricks, Bowral Bricks, PGH and local suppliers such as Castle Construction Supplies. The ranges run from traditional Canberra reds, red blends and deeper reds, through cream and off white, brown and bronze, to charcoal, graphite, greys and modern neutrals. Most walls are matched to the house, and these are the looks you see most around Canberra.
Recycled
Canberra Reds
Red bricks made at the Yarralumla Brickworks from 1913 to 1976 are on houses right across the city. Recycled Canberra Reds are still sold, and they are the closest match for a house built from them.
Light
Cream Blends
Pale cream and buff bricks with an off-white joint suit cream brick homes.
Modern
Dark Brown And Charcoal
Smooth dark bricks with a dark joint suit newer homes with charcoal roofs.
Rendered
Rendered With A Brick Cap
The wall is coated in render, a smooth cement plaster, and capped in face brick, to go with a rendered house.
Warm
Brown And Bronze
Warm brown bricks with a bronze sheen, a good match for many brown brick homes.
Contemporary
Grey And Neutral
Light and mid grey bricks for a clean, modern wall beside a rendered house.
Colour Ranges
Traditional Canberra Reds
Red Blends And Deeper Reds
Cream And Off White
Brown And Bronze
Charcoal And Graphite
Grey And Contemporary Neutrals
Finishes
Exposed Face Brickwork
Feature Brickwork
Bond Patterns
Rendered Brickwork
Caps And Details
Brick On Edge
Solid Brick Caps
Bullnose
Concrete Or Stone Caps
Decorative Piers
Brick Makers And Suppliers
Austral Bricks
Bowral Bricks
PGH
Castle Construction Supplies
Matching
Matching The Bricks To Your House
A good match is more than the same colour. The size, the texture and the mortar joint all show.
01
Find Out What Brick It Is
The house plans may name the brick. If not, a local brick supplier can often tell the range from its size and colour. For an older home, recycled bricks are the other option.
02
Hold A Real Brick Against The House
Bricks look different in the yard than in a brochure. Check a real one against the house in daylight before deciding.
03
Match The Mortar Too
Grey, off-white or tinted mortar changes how the same brick looks. Match the joint colour and finish, not only the brick.
04
Check The Size
Older bricks can be a slightly different size from new ones, and the difference shows where the wall meets the house.
05
When It Cannot Be Matched
If the brick is no longer made, a deliberate contrast, a rendered wall or a face brick cap often looks better than a near miss.
06
Add Some Detail
Feature brickwork, a different bond pattern, which is the way the bricks are laid, and decorative brick piers can make a plain wall look finished.
The cap is the top of the wall. It sheds rain, and it is the part of the wall people see most.
01
Brick On Edge
A row of bricks stood on their edge along the top. The most common cap on a garden wall, and it matches the wall exactly.
02
Solid Caps And Piers
Solid brick caps, or flat concrete or natural stone caps, often with brick piers, which are short, thicker brick columns, every few metres, give a heavier, more formal finish.
03
Bullnose Brick
Bricks with a rounded top edge. A softer finish, and comfortable to sit on.
Water
Drainage, Weep Holes And Efflorescence
Water is what spoils a brick wall. It leaves a white salt powder on the face, called efflorescence, cracks render and, in a Canberra winter, can freeze in wet brick. Canberra clay holds water, so the drainage behind the wall has to carry it away.
What Keeps A Brick Wall Dry
Drainage Behind It
Gravel and an ag pipe at the base take water away before it builds up.
Waterproofing Where It Is Needed
Where the site calls for it, a waterproof coating on the back of the block stops damp soil sitting against it. We assess that wall by wall.
Weep Holes
Small gaps along the base let any water inside the wall get out.
What Water Does To Brick
Efflorescence
The white powder on brickwork is salt carried out by water moving through it. It brushes off, and it keeps coming back until the water stops.
Cracked Render
Render on a wall that stays damp behind will lift and crack.
Frost Damage
Water in wet brick can freeze on a cold night and flake the face.
Want To Know If Your Brick Can Be Matched? Send a photo of the house and the slope, and we will tell you what we can match it with.
Both go on the same reinforced wall. Pick the finish that suits the house.
Face Brick
Look
Real brick, matched to the house or a deliberate contrast.
Upkeep
Very little. The colour is in the brick.
Best For
Brick homes, and walls in full view.
Rendered
Look
Smooth and painted, to suit a rendered home.
Upkeep
Needs repainting over time, and cracks if water gets behind it.
Best For
Rendered homes and a clean, modern look.
VS
Render on a retaining wall only lasts if the drainage and membrane behind it are right.
ACT Rules
Height Limits And Approvals In The ACT
There are two questions: does the wall need a development approval, and does it need a building approval or an engineer. The height limits are the ACT's own numbers. The 1.5 m point for an engineer is our own rule.
Near A Boundary Or Out The Front
Within 1.5 m of a side or rear boundary, or between the front boundary and the house, a wall higher than 0.4 m needs a development approval.
Everywhere Else
A wall holding fill is exempt from a development approval up to 1.0 m. A wall cut into the slope is exempt up to 1.2 m.
Building Approval And Engineering
A retaining wall up to 1.2 m generally does not need a building approval. Past 1.5 m of retained height, we have it designed by an engineer.
What We Do About It
01
Measure the height and the distance to each boundary when we come out.
02
Tell you before you pay anything whether the wall needs an approval.
03
Supply the engineering drawings where they are needed. The owner lodges the application.
Every brick wall is estimated on its own after a site assessment, not off a square metre rate. The price moves with the height, the footing, the brick you choose and the access.
Is a brick retaining wall expensive?
It is one of the dearer walls, because it is two walls in one: a reinforced block core and a brick face laid by a bricklayer. Where the wall is in full view on a brick home, the matched brick is what you are paying for.
Can a brick wall be a retaining wall?
Yes, when it is built on a reinforced, concrete-filled core with the brick as the face. A single skin of bricks holding soil is a garden edge, and it will not last as a retaining wall.
Can you match the bricks on my house?
Often, and sometimes not, especially on an older home where the brick is no longer made. We check before quoting rather than after.
What is the white powder on brick walls?
Efflorescence. It comes from water moving through the brickwork, which means the drainage behind it is not doing its job.
Does every brick retaining wall need waterproofing?
No. Every retaining wall needs drainage, but not every brick wall needs waterproofing. Whether yours needs a waterproof or damp proof coating depends on the site, how much moisture it gets, how it is built and what it is holding, so we assess it job by job.
Is rendering a brick retaining wall a good idea?
It can be, on a rendered house. Render only lasts on a retaining wall with drainage and a waterproof membrane behind it, or damp comes through and lifts it.
How long does a brick retaining wall take to build?
Longer than a sleeper wall, because the block core, the brick face and the cap are all laid by hand, and the mortar has to set before the wall is backfilled. We give you the time frame with the quote.
Is there a cheaper retaining wall than brick?
Yes. A timber sleeper wall is usually the cheapest to build. If the wall will be out of sight, a plain block wall holds the same soil as a brick one for less, because there is no brick face to lay.
Do I need approval for a brick retaining wall in Canberra?
In the front yard, yes once it is over 0.4 m. A brick wall is often a front wall, and there, or within 1.5 m of a side or rear boundary, anything taller than 0.4 m needs a development approval from ACT Planning. Further from the boundaries, a wall holding back built-up soil, called fill, can go to 1.0 m without one, and a wall cut into the slope to 1.2 m. We measure both when we come out.
Next Step
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.
Concrete Sleeper
Concrete Block
Timber Sleeper
Brick
Palisade
Sandstone
Repairs & Replacement
What A Wall Costs
Rules, Approvals & Engineering
Recycled
Light
Modern
Rendered
Warm
Contemporary
BrickWe do not price walls by the square metre or by the metre of length. Every wall is estimated after a site assessment, from what your site needs.
