Service
Timber Fence Installation
The full job: measure, remove the old fence if there is one, set out the line, dig and concrete the posts, fix the rails and palings, hang the gates and clean up.
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Related service
Treated Pine Sleeper Retaining Walls
Treated pine sleeper retaining walls built with H4 sleepers, often alongside fencing where the ground has to be held before the fence can go up.
Timber sleeper retaining walls in H4 treated pine to Australian Standard grading, built to hold a change in ground level.
Why retaining comes up on fencing jobs
Sydney has plenty of sloping blocks, and a fence can only do so much about a change in level. Where the ground on one side sits well above the other, something has to hold it, and a fence is not a retaining structure.
That is why retaining and fencing are so often quoted together. Get the levels sorted, then build the fence on top of a line that will not move.
Materials
Walls are built using H4 treated pine sleepers to Australian Standard grading. H4 is the treatment level intended for timber used in ground contact, which is what a retaining wall demands of it.
What a retaining wall has to deal with
A retaining wall holds soil, and soil gets heavier when it is wet. That means the height of the wall, what sits behind it and how water gets away all matter to how it is built.
- The height of the change in level being retained
- What sits above and behind the wall, including any structures, driveways or paving
- Drainage, so water is not simply trapped behind the wall
- Ground conditions where the posts go in
- Whether the wall is one wall or terraced into steps
Retaining walls and approvals
Whether a retaining wall needs approval depends on its height, its location on the property, what it is retaining and the requirements of your council. It is not something that can be answered generically.
Where approval may be required, that is discussed at the site measure so you know before work is scheduled rather than after.
Fencing above a retaining wall
A fence built on top of a retaining wall reads taller than the same fence on flat ground, because you see it from below on one side. That affects the height you actually want, and it makes the top line much more visible from a distance.
It is one of the situations where lap & cap earns its keep, because the capping rail gives the top of the fence a single clean line where everyone can see it.
Retaining Walls — our work
Photographs from our own jobs across Sydney.
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Treated pine timber sleeper retaining wall built along a cut batter at a Sydney property
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Terraced treated pine timber sleeper retaining wall stepping down a sloping Sydney yard
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Treated pine timber sleeper retaining wall holding back soil to create a level area at a Sydney property
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Treated pine timber fence stepped down sloping ground alongside excavated steps in Windsor, Sydney
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Treated pine timber fence built on top of an existing besser block retaining wall at a Sydney property
Retaining Walls questions
What timber do you use for retaining walls?
H4 treated pine sleepers to Australian Standard grading. H4 is the treatment level intended for timber in ground contact.
Do retaining walls need council approval?
It depends on the height, the location on the property, what is being retained and your council. It is discussed at the site measure rather than answered generically, because the answer genuinely varies.
Can you build a fence on top of a retaining wall?
Yes, and it is common on sloping Sydney blocks. Keep in mind the fence reads taller from the low side, and the top line becomes much more visible, which is worth factoring into the height and style you choose.
Do you build retaining walls without fencing?
Yes, retaining work can be quoted on its own, though it is most often quoted together with the fence that goes above it.
Free site measure & quote
Get retaining walls quoted
Send the details and a few photos of the site. You will get an estimate based on what is actually there, and a free on-site measure before any work starts.
NSW Fencing Licence 269038C · ABN 76 612 245 594