Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls In Dee Why

Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls Experts

Concrete sleeper, block, sandstone and gabion retaining walls for Sydney's Northern Beaches - engineered, drained and built to last on steep coastal and bushland blocks

Besser and core-filled concrete block retaining walls are our choice when you want a strong, solid wall with a clean rendered finish. Hollow besser blocks are laid on a reinforced concrete footing, threaded with steel reo, then core-filled with concrete to create a rigid, monolithic wall. On the Northern Beaches they suit taller structural walls, walls carrying a driveway or building above, and anywhere an owner wants a smooth rendered face to match a modern home in Manly, Mona Vale or Freshwater. Being non-combustible, block also suits the bushfire-interface blocks near Frenchs Forest and Belrose. Behind every wall we install an agi-drain, free-draining aggregate and geofabric, with weep holes through the block, so water cannot build up behind it. Walls over about a metre are built to an engineer's design and AS4678.

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Northern Beaches Retaining Walls

Block wall options and where they suit

Besser or concrete block walls are built from hollow masonry blocks laid on a reinforced footing, reinforced with steel reo and filled with concrete, so the finished wall behaves as one solid structure. They are ideal for taller and loaded walls, holding a driveway cut, a level building pad, or a terrace beneath a house on a steep block. The face can be left as clean masonry or rendered smooth to match a contemporary Northern Beaches home, and painted to suit. Block is non-combustible, which makes it a sound choice on the bushfire-interface blocks backing onto the bushland at Belrose and Frenchs Forest. It handles surcharge loads well when engineered, which is why it is a common pick above driveways and near boundaries. We match the block size, reo and footing to the wall height and what it has to carry.

Northern Beaches Retaining Walls

How we build a besser block wall

We excavate and pour a reinforced concrete footing, cutting into shallow Hawkesbury sandstone with saws or breakers where the rock is close to the surface, and founding the footing into competent rock where we reach it. Vertical steel reo is set into the footing, the besser blocks are laid course by course over it, and the cores are filled with concrete to lock the wall into a rigid structure. Behind the wall we install an agi-drain wrapped in geofabric, backfill with free-draining aggregate, and set weep holes through the block, so water drains away instead of building hydrostatic pressure, the leading cause of retaining-wall failure. For walls over about a metre, or carrying a driveway, pool or building, we build strictly to the engineer's design and AS4678. We can arrange or advise on the engineer and certifier where council approval or a CDC is needed. The wall is then ready for rendering if you want a smooth finish.

Northern Beaches Retaining Walls

Why choose us for a block wall

Besser walls have to be built right, because the footing, reo and core-fill are hidden once rendered, and there is no shortcutting them. Steve Smith has more than twelve years building structural retaining walls across the Northern Beaches, and our own experienced team pours the footings, lays the block and fills the cores properly. You get a free on-site measure-and-quote, a fixed and itemised price for the agreed scope, and any variations in writing. We are fully insured with $20 million public liability, and we build to the engineered design and AS4678 wherever it is required. We never trim the reo, the core-fill or the drainage to save time. What you get is a wall that performs as it should behind that clean rendered face.

Northern Beaches Retaining Walls

Besser block wall cost guide

As a rough guide, rendered besser block retaining walls often run around $550 to $900 per square metre of wall face, but treat that only as a starting point. The cost depends on the wall height and length, the reo and core-fill specified by the engineer, the footing, how much sandstone has to be excavated, the drainage, site access, and whether you want the wall rendered and painted. A tall wall carrying a driveway on a steep Newport block, cut into rock and engineered, sits well above a low garden wall in a flat yard. Rendering adds cost but gives the smooth finish many owners want. The accurate number comes from a free on-site measure-and-quote once we have seen the ground. Everything is itemised so you know what you are paying for.

Northern Beaches Retaining Walls

Block compared with sleeper and stone walls

Block is stronger and smoother-faced than a concrete sleeper wall, and it is the go-to for tall, heavily loaded walls, but it takes longer to build and usually costs more because of the footing, reo and core-fill. Concrete sleepers are faster and cheaper for straightforward structural runs, while timber is cheaper again but not permanent and combustible. For the natural, characterful Northern Beaches look, sandstone or boulder walls are the premium alternative, though block gives a cleaner, more modern rendered face. All of them need proper drainage behind them to last. We will recommend block when the height, the load or the finish you want makes it the right structural answer for your site.

Related Concreting Services

Taller and higher-load walls designed and certified to AS4678. The engineer designs it, the certifier approves it, and we build to that design - properly footed and drained for steep Northern Beaches blocks.

Bulging, leaning or cracked retaining wall? The usual culprit is trapped water. We assess the failure, rectify or rebuild the wall and retrofit proper drainage across the Northern Beaches, to the engineered design where needed.

Turn a steep, sloping Northern Beaches block into usable, level ground. We build cut-and-fill and tiered retaining walls on sandstone slopes and headland sites, drained properly and built to the engineered design where required.

TESTIMONIALS

What Our Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls Customers Say About Us

The Process

3 Step Process For Your Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls Needs

Free Measure & Quote

We come to your block, look at the slope, the ground and the access, and measure up the wall you actually need. If the height or load means engineering to AS4678 or council approval, we flag it there and then and explain who does what: the engineer designs the wall, the council or certifier approves it, and we build to that design. You get a fixed, itemised quote for the agreed scope, with drainage included as standard rather than tacked on later. No obligation, and no pressure to size up into a wall you do not need.

Excavate, Build & Drain

Once you are happy, we set out the wall and excavate, cutting into the sandstone with saws or breakers where the bedrock is shallow. We build to the engineered design where required, setting galvanised posts or footings into competent rock and constructing the wall in your chosen material. Behind it we install the drainage that makes a wall last: an agi-drain along the base, free-draining aggregate backfill, geofabric to stop soil fines clogging the drain, and weep holes where appropriate. This is how we keep water pressure from building up and pushing the wall out.

Backfill, Compact & Finish

With the wall and drainage in, we backfill in layers and compact as we go so the ground behind sits firm and does not slump later. We shape the finished levels to give you the flat yard, pad or terrace the wall was built to create. Then we tidy the site, clear the spoil and leave you with a clean, finished result. We walk you through what was built and how the drainage works, so you know exactly what is holding your ground back.

Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls In Dee Why

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Everything you need to know about our Besser & Concrete Block Retaining Walls In Dee Why

Do besser block retaining walls need to be engineered?

Taller and loaded block walls almost always do. Any wall over about a metre, or one holding up a driveway, pool, building or sitting near a boundary, generally needs engineering design to AS4678, which sets the footing, the steel reo and the core-fill. The engineer designs the wall, Northern Beaches Council or a private certifier approves it, and we build to that design. We can arrange or advise on the engineer and certifier so the approval is handled properly.

How is drainage handled in a core-filled block wall?

Because a block wall is solid, drainage is essential to relieve water pressure behind it. We lay an agi-drain wrapped in geofabric along the base, backfill with free-draining aggregate, and set weep holes through the block so water can escape through the face. This stops hydrostatic pressure building behind the wall, which is the number-one cause of retaining-wall failure on the Northern Beaches' wet, steep blocks. Skipping it risks the wall cracking or moving, so we always drain properly.

What happens if there is rock where the footing goes?

It is common here, since much of the peninsula sits on shallow Hawkesbury sandstone. We excavate the footing trench with rock saws and breakers, and sometimes hydraulic splitting on tight sites, then found the reinforced footing into competent sandstone where we reach it. Founding into sound rock can make for a very stable base for a block wall. Rock excavation adds cost and time, which is why we assess the ground during the on-site quote.

Can a besser block wall be rendered to match my home?

Yes, that is one of its main advantages. Once the block is laid, reinforced and core-filled, the face can be rendered smooth and painted to match a modern Northern Beaches home in Manly, Freshwater or Mona Vale. This gives a clean, contemporary finish that sleeper and stone walls cannot match. Rendering does add to the cost, and we itemise it separately so you can decide.

Is block suitable for a bushfire-interface block?

Yes. Besser and concrete block is non-combustible, so it is a sound choice on the bushfire-interface blocks backing onto the Garigal and Ku-ring-gai bushland around Frenchs Forest and Belrose. It avoids the combustible-material issue that rules timber out on BAL-rated sites. We can talk through the material choice for your block during the quote, and any specific bushfire requirement is confirmed with your certifier.

Is a block wall stronger than a sleeper wall?

For tall and heavily loaded walls, a properly engineered core-filled block wall is a very strong, rigid structure, which is why it is often chosen above driveways and near boundaries. A concrete sleeper wall is also strong and is quicker and cheaper for many jobs, so stronger is not always necessary. The right answer depends on the height, the load and the finish you want. We assess your site at the quote and recommend the system that suits it best.

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