Retaining Wall Types We Engineer

Concrete Sleeper Walls

The most popular residential choice. Precast concrete sleepers slotted between steel or concrete posts. Cost-effective for retained heights up to 2.40 metres.

Engineering covers: Post spacing, footing depth, sleeper thickness, drainage design, surcharge loads from driveways or structures above.

Best for: Residential boundaries, tight access sites, clean modern appearance.

Timber Retaining Walls

Treated pine or hardwood sleeper walls. Economical for lower walls under 1.8m. Natural appearance suits garden and landscape applications.

Engineering covers: Post spacing, embedment depth, timber grade selection, drainage behind wall, connection detailing.

Best for: Budget-conscious projects, garden terraces, rural properties.

Concrete Block (Masonry) Walls

Besser blocks, masonry blocks, or interlocking concrete systems. Maximum strength for challenging sites with high loads or poor soil conditions.

Engineering covers: Block selection, reinforcement detailing (N12/N16 bars), footing design, bond beams, control joints, drainage.

Best for: Heavy-duty applications, high walls, commercial/industrial sites.

Gabion & Stone Walls

Steel mesh cages filled with rock. Flexible, permeable, and visually striking. Allow water to pass through naturally, reducing hydrostatic pressure.

Engineering covers: Cage sizing, fill specification, base preparation, tieback design for taller walls, connection between tiers.

Best for: Erosion control, rural properties, architectural features, sites with drainage challenges.

Stacked Concrete & Sandstone Blocks

Dry-stacked or mortared concrete and sandstone blocks forming gravity or semi-gravity walls. Natural stone aesthetic with engineered performance.

Engineering covers: Block sizing, base preparation, setback calculations, drainage design, surcharge assessment, geogrid reinforcement for taller walls.

Best for: Garden walls, landscaping features, heritage properties, sites where natural stone appearance is desired.

Versawall, Tasman & Modular Blocks

Interlocking segmental block systems designed for retaining walls. Versawall (Adbri Masonry) builds vertical walls to 1400mm with no-fines concrete. Tasman (Baines Masonry) uses a dry-stack patented interlock with 10mm setback, reinforced with FORTRAC geogrid for taller walls.

Engineering covers: Block selection, no-fines concrete or geogrid reinforcement specification, base preparation, drainage design, surcharge assessment per AS 4678.

Best for: Residential retaining walls, garden walls, curved or stepped layouts, projects where a consistent manufactured finish is desired.

Dincel Retaining Walls

Permanent PVC plastic formwork system filled with reinforced concrete. Snap-lock panels stay in place after the pour — no stripping required. Waterproof, fire-rated, and available in 110mm to 275mm wall thicknesses.

Engineering covers: Wall thickness selection, reinforcement design, footing design, drainage, waterproofing details, surcharge and earth pressure analysis per AS 4678.

Best for: Basement and below-ground retaining, waterproof applications, boundary walls where space is tight, sites where speed of construction matters.