A local quote service for Geraldton and the Midwest coast
Sandy block, sloping yard or a boundary that needs sorting? Tell us about the wall you need and we'll match you with a local retaining wall builder for a quote.
A simplified section only. Every wall is designed for its own site.
Use the form below. A rough length, height and what the wall holds back is enough to start.
We pass your enquiry to a local retaining wall builder who services your suburb.
They look at the site and quote the job. Whether you go ahead is entirely up to you.
From Drummond Cove to Tarcoola Beach, these are the walls people ask about most.
Where your yard sits higher or lower than next door. In a windy town the fence on top matters as much as the wall.
Cutting and filling a slope into flat lawn, a patio or a shed pad, sometimes over two or three steps.
Holding back sand beside a pool and squaring up the levels for paving and the safety barrier.
Low walls that edge a lawn or lift a garden bed out of the sand.
Geraldton's afternoons are windy. Bureau of Meteorology records for Geraldton Airport (1941 to 2010) average around 29 to 31 km/h at 3pm through December, January and February.
That matters for any wall with a fence on it. The fence catches the wind and passes the push down into the wall and its footing. The City of Greater Geraldton's retaining wall checklist lists wind on fences, along with driveways, pools, vehicles and buildings, as extra loads a wall may have to carry. A wall designed only to hold soil isn't automatically built for them.
The same checklist says a dividing fence may sit on the higher side of a boundary wall, and that a fence shouldn't be used to hold back soil unless it was designed to. If a fence is part of the plan, say so in your enquiry.
Wind figures: Bureau of Meteorology, Geraldton Airport climate averages.
The coastal limestone of Western Australia, known as the Tamala Limestone, runs from Shark Bay in the north to near Albany in the south, and Geraldton lies on that stretch of coast, and sand is common on blocks here.
Sand drains quickly but it's loose. It slips out through gaps, washes from under a base that wasn't compacted, and moves when it's soaked. Most of Geraldton's rain falls in late autumn and winter. The Bureau's averages for Geraldton Airport put about 444mm a year on the town, with June and July the wettest months at over 90mm each.
Add reticulation and downpipes, and water still collects behind walls here. That's why most walls include gravel, fabric and an ag pipe that carries water somewhere safe.
General information only. The builder will work out what your site needs.
The right choice depends on height, space front to back, what sits on top and the look you're after. The builder who quotes can take you through the options for your yard.
Cut limestone blocks stacked in courses, usually stepped back a little as they rise. A natural fit for the sand-and-limestone country along this coast, and the look many Geraldton front yards already have.
Concrete panels slotted between steel posts set in concrete. Slim front to back, so they suit narrow side setbacks and long straight runs along a boundary.
Hollow concrete blocks with steel and concrete fill on a proper footing. Chosen when a wall has to hold more, like a driveway, a slab or a building close to the top.
From 500mm, approvals come in. The City's retaining wall checklist (form BS12) says a building permit is needed for a wall 500mm or higher, for an addition to an existing wall, and for tiered walls with a combined height over 500mm. Development approval is needed for walls over 500mm and should be obtained before the building permit is lodged. Walls 500mm and over must be designed and certified by a structural engineer.
Boundaries and neighbours. A wall along a common boundary has to be built entirely within one property. Where work may encroach on or adversely affect the lot next door, the adjoining owner's consent is needed on a BA20 or BA20A form. The owner who changes the natural lie of the land is responsible for retaining the soil, and neighbours who have both changed levels may share that responsibility.
Check with the City before work starts. The BS12 retaining wall checklist is the place to begin, and the builder who quotes can usually tell you what they expect will be needed.
Nobody can give a fair price per metre without seeing the site. These are the things a quote is built from.
For most walls you will. The City of Greater Geraldton's retaining wall checklist says a building permit is needed for a wall 500mm or higher, for an addition to an existing wall, and for tiered walls that add up to more than 500mm. It also says development approval is needed for walls over 500mm, and should be sorted before the building permit is lodged. Check with the City before work starts.
The City's checklist says walls 500mm and over must be designed and certified by a structural engineer. The builder who quotes can usually tell you how they handle that.
The City's checklist says a retaining wall along a common boundary has to be built entirely within one property, not straddling the line. If work may encroach on or affect the lot next door, the adjoining owner's consent on a BA20 or BA20A form is needed.
The City's checklist says the landowner who alters the natural lie of the land is responsible for retaining the soil. If both neighbours have changed their levels, they may be jointly responsible and may need to share the cost.
Often, yes, if the wall is designed for it. A fence catches wind, and that load ends up on the wall. The City's checklist lists wind on fences as one of the extra loads a wall may have to carry, and says a fence shouldn't be used to hold back soil unless it was designed to. Mention any fence plans when you ask for a quote.
No. Geraldton Retaining Walls is a local quote-matching service. We pass your enquiry to an independent local retaining wall builder who services Geraldton. They contact you, quote the job and do the work.
No. Sending an enquiry is free, and there's no obligation to go ahead with any quote.
Geraldton and the suburbs around it in the City of Greater Geraldton, from Drummond Cove in the north to Tarcoola Beach in the south.
Tell us about your job and we'll match you with a local retaining wall builder for a quote.