Good evening everyone.
Could someone please recommend what is the most cost-effective material to construct a retaining wall from?
Not necessarily something that will fall apart, but I don't need a fancy brick design either.
Just something to replace untreated timber which has evidence of termite activity.
Cheers.
Hi alfrescodining,
The cheapest option is most likely a treated pine sleeper wall, if built properly, it will last a good few years.
You could also use just plane common bricks or blocks and bag them afterwards but it will need more work with the footings compared with the sleeper wall. another option is to go down to your local paving and brick store and check out all the different retaining wall block systems.Hope this helps
ClarsHi alfrescodining,
The cheapest option is most likely a treated pine sleeper wall, if built properly, it will last a good few years.
You could also use just plane common bricks or blocks and bag them afterwards but it will need more work with the footings compared with the sleeper wall. another option is to go down to your local paving and brick store and check out all the different retaining wall block systems.Hope this helps
ClarsThanks for your response Clars.
I'll be looking at costs for treated pine soon – any ideas on what I should expect to pay including installation?
I’ve looked into building a retaining wall for my ppor. All of the quotes are on the high end. It’ll definitely be cheaper to do it yourself.
Other than treated pine, it’s also better to have the plastic behind the sleeper, to prevent them from rot and last longer. You’ll also need agi pipe for drainage. Scoria on top of the ai pipe.What it will cost all comes down to how long and high the wall is. you are going to need a post at 1.2 meters intervals and the length of the sleepers are 2.4 meters long by 200mm high, so you could work out how much timber you would need from that. I'm not sure how much timber costs is in your area but from my experience I would allow about $25 a post and around $13 for a 2.4mtrx200mmx50mm sleeper plus you are going to need concrete, screws and most importantly drainage materials for behind the wall such as Geo fabric, an agg pipe and some form of gravel such as blue metal or whatever is cheapest in your local area. You may also need council approval depending on how high the wall is, so i would call out a few local landscapers for a quote and advise to run you through what needs to be done to complete the job. If you are handy on the tools you could also build it yourself.
regards,
ClarsBesser blocks are quite cheap and sturdy. You can render and paint – I've done it and it looks good.
Cheers
Jamie
Jamie Moore | Pass Go Home Loans Pty Ltd
http://www.passgo.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeMortgage Broker assisting clients Australia wide Email: [email protected]
We just had a couple of fencing guys in to our ppor saying that we would need a retaining wall after our fence blew down in a storm. One guy said that he used treated pine for the retaining wall, while the other said they cut a piece of the colourbond fence horizontally to size for the wall and then build the fence on top of that. Didnt seem to be too much difference in price between the two and Im assuming the colourbond sheeting would last longer than the treated pine?
personally I would not recommend using colourbound sheeting for a retaining wall as it is way to flexible, it may be fine if you have stable and solid ground but I would never give a guarantee if a client asked me to build a wall out of it. A proper wall built out of H5 grade treated pine sleepers should last a minimum of 20 years with 50 to 70 years not being out of question. You will find that most walls that do not last, use a cheap lower grade timber that is not meant for in ground applications.
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There is a few basic rules for the timber to last for example, anywhere you cut the timber and disturb the outer preservative layer you will need to re-coat with the appropriate preservative to retain the longevity.Personally I would always use a masonry wall first if the budget allows, but a well built sleeper wall will be fine.
clars83 wrote:personally I would not recommend using colourbound sheeting for a retaining wall as it is way to flexible, it may be fine if you have stable and solid ground but I would never give a guarantee if a client asked me to build a wall out of it. A proper wall built out of H5 grade treated pine sleepers should last a minimum of 20 years with 50 to 70 years not being out of question.Thanks clars83, good to know
I agree with clars83,
would not be using any sheet fencing material to build a retaining wall. Too light and not its intended use.
If the wall is going to be over 1m high then you will need to think about adding extra material/ footing behind the base to prevent movementHi Jamie
When you built your retaining wall with besser blocks, how much did it end up costing per metre?
Cheers
Clars83, when you do masonry retaining walls, how much do they tend to cost per metre?
Thanks
What are we talking about here? 1m…2m…3m high? Does it border the front/public property or is it a garden rear type wall. Need specs to understand what you're talking about
alfrescodining wrote:Hi JamieWhen you built your retaining wall with besser blocks, how much did it end up costing per metre?
Cheers
Ahh geeze – that's going way back. From memory, they were about $3 a block from bunnings. The wall is about half a metre high and runs for about 6 – 8 metres. The end cost was around the $600 mark from memory – but it's going way back and there were bags of concrete, render mix, paint and cartons of beer as well
The wall looks great still – and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Cheers
Jamie
Jamie Moore | Pass Go Home Loans Pty Ltd
http://www.passgo.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeMortgage Broker assisting clients Australia wide Email: [email protected]
Freckle wrote:What are we talking about here? 1m…2m…3m high? Does it border the front/public property or is it a garden rear type wall. Need specs to understand what you're talking aboutHi Freckle.
It will be one metre high. It will be in total about 35 metres long, wrapping around 3 sides of the property. There is a 1 metre change in grade between my property and the reserve at the rear. Its in the back yard of the property.
What's the change of grade ratio? It drops 1m over how many?
It falls 1 metre over the space of about 1 metre. Its currently battered within my land, but in some parts the batter has failed.
Here is a picture of the area where the retaining wall will need to go (Along the back fence). It will be 450mm off the rear boundary (Council requirement).
It seems like a fairly descent chunk of land. Is it subdividable/developable. What are your intentions for it? The reason I ask is that will have some bearing on how you go about this and what style will suite.
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