Timber sleeper walls
H4 treated pine or hardwood. These are the lowest cost to start with and suit low garden and edging walls. On wet clay they last less long than concrete. [FACT-CHECK: lifespan source]
Concrete sleeper walls
Concrete sleepers slot between galvanised steel posts set in concrete footings. This is the common choice for boundary and driveway walls. Post depth matters more on reactive clay.
Block and segmental walls
Core-filled or interlocking block suits taller walls and walls that carry a load, and is often engineered.
Engineered and approved walls
For walls over about 1 m, walls near a building, or walls with a driveway, house or pool above them. An RPEQ engineer designs the wall and a certifier approves it. [FACT-CHECK: council triggers]
Replacing old walls
Removing a rotting or leaning timber wall and building a new one, with proper drainage this time.
Drainage behind walls
Ag pipe, free-draining gravel and an outlet. This is often the fix for walls that are bowing or weeping.
What changes the price
Most walls are priced on face area (height × length), then adjusted for access, digging, drainage, removing an old wall, and engineering. A written price should come after someone has seen the site.
Price ranges: [FACT-CHECK: per m² ranges from real recent jobs. None are published until confirmed.]
Questions to ask any builder
How deep are the footings, and why? Where will the water go? Does my wall need engineering? What is your QBCC licence number?
Licensing
In Queensland, building work over $3,300 (including labour, materials and GST) needs a QBCC licence of the right class (QBCC). Quote requests from this site currently go to Versalex Pty Ltd, QBCC licence 15644441, Builder - Low Rise [FACT-CHECK: register].
Ready for a price?
Tell us about the wall: where it is, roughly how long and high, and what sits above it. A licensed builder can then contact you to quote.