When a wall has to be tall, carry a heavy load or look like part of the house, block is often the answer. Retaining Walls Perth connects you with a local, insured specialist who can quote core-filled besser block, interlocking segmental block and rendered block walls.
Call 0485 557 649 for a free, no-obligation quote from a local, insured Perth retaining wall specialist.
Types of block retaining wall
- Core-filled besser (concrete masonry) block: hollow concrete blocks laid on a reinforced concrete footing, with steel reinforcing bars run through the cores, which are then filled with concrete. This is the engineered workhorse for taller walls and walls under houses, garages and driveways.
- Interlocking segmental block: dry-stacked concrete blocks with a lip or pin that sets each course back slightly. Common for garden terraces and, with geogrid reinforcement in the backfill, for taller walls designed by an engineer.
- Rendered or clad block: core-filled block finished with render, paint or stone cladding to match the house.
When block makes sense
- Walls well over 1 m high, where an engineer specifies reinforcement
- Walls with a house, garage, pool or driveway close to the top (surcharge loads)
- Walls on clay near the Darling Scarp where a rigid, engineered design is preferred
- Where you want a rendered finish to match a rendered home
Typical block wall costs in Perth (as of 2026)
One 2026 Perth guide gives typical installed ranges of about $370 to $790 per lineal metre for a block / besser wall at 1 m high, and about $580 to $1,575 per lineal metre for engineered block walls 1.5 to 2 m high (What’s The Damage). Footings for block walls are typically about $80 to $150 per square metre (Landscapes WA). Engineering, permit and excavation costs are extra. See the cost guide.
Drainage is not optional
A core-filled block wall is rigid and solid, which means water has nowhere to go unless you give it a path. Expect a slotted drainage pipe in a filter sock at the base, free-draining aggregate behind the wall, weep holes where specified, and waterproofing on the back face if the wall is rendered or adjoins a building. Ask your specialist how stormwater will be taken away; under the R-Codes, stormwater is generally expected to be contained on site.
Engineering and permits
Block walls tall enough to need reinforcement almost always need an engineer’s design and a building permit. Your specialist can arrange the engineer, or work from your builder’s design if the wall is part of a new home. See our WA permit guide.
Block vs limestone vs sleepers
Limestone is the traditional look and suits sandy gravity walls; concrete sleepers are slim and fast; block is the strongest option for tall, loaded walls and the most flexible for finishes. Many Perth properties use a mix: block under the house pad, sleepers on side boundaries, limestone out the front.
Call 0485 557 649 for a free, no-obligation quote from a local, insured Perth retaining wall specialist.
Sources
- Landscapes WA, "Retaining wall cost in Perth" (12 Sep 2026)
- What's The Damage, "Retaining Wall Cost Perth 2026"
- Luke's Landscaping Co., "Limestone vs concrete retaining walls in Perth" (2026)
- The Quote Yard, "Concrete Sleeper Retaining Walls WA 2026"
- R-Codes Vol 1 (stormwater C9 / site works 5.3.7)