Timber Retaining Walls
Timber is what most Christchurch sections end up with, and for good reason. A pole and rail wall goes up in a few days, costs less than block, and holds a 1.2m.
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Cashmere, Canterbury
Retaining Walls in Cashmere
Top Retaining Walls Christchurch builds retaining walls throughout Cashmere, Huntsbury and Westmorland, which is hill country work. Sections climb steeply from the Cashmere Valley toward the Summit Road, and the ground is loess, the wind blown silt that covers most of the Port Hills.
- Timber, block, gabion, stone and engineered walls
- Full drainage behind every wall we build
- Consents lodged through Christchurch City Council
- Drainage on every wall300mm of metal, a drain coil and geotextile. Never an optional extra.
- H5 poles as standardThe right treatment for timber that lives in wet ground.
- Consents handledChristchurch City, Selwyn and Waimakariri, start to finish.
- Itemised quotesYou see what the drainage and the spoil actually cost.
Terracing is usually the smart answer in Cashmere
On a steep Cashmere section the choice is often one tall engineered wall or two shorter ones with a terrace between them. Two 1.2m walls with genuine horizontal separation stay inside the Schedule 1 exemption, where a single 2.4m wall needs an engineer, a consent and inspections.
Tiering usually costs less overall and finishes faster, and it gives you flat planted terraces instead of dead sloping ground. It only works where the section is wide enough for real separation, and we work that out with a level on site.
| Council for consents | Christchurch City Council |
|---|---|
| Typical ground | Port Hills loess on a steep slope |
| Walls we build most here | Tiered timber and engineered block |
| Consent threshold | 1.5m of retained ground, or any surcharge above the wall |
| Drainage | 300mm metal, perforated coil, geotextile, on every wall |
| Site visit | Free, with a written quote to follow |
Loess behaves differently wet and dry
Undisturbed dry loess has high apparent cohesion, which is why you see stable near vertical faces cut into Port Hills banks. Wet loess is a different material, and slope movement in loess colluvium around the base of these hills was documented after February 2011.
So on a Cashmere job water control is not just about protecting the wall. Getting surface and subsurface water off the slope in a controlled way is part of keeping the slope itself stable, and it is why we are careful about where a drain coil discharges.
Access, spoil and the cost of a hill job
Steep driveways, tight turns and sections that drop away behind the house all limit what machinery can get to the wall line. Spoil often has to go uphill to a truck, which takes time.
Cashmere jobs generally cost more per metre than the same wall on the flat, and the difference is almost entirely access and spoil rather than the wall itself.
Not sure whether your wall needs a consent? Send us a photo and a rough height. Under 1.5m of retained ground with nothing loading it from above is exempt. A driveway, a building, a pool or fill sloping up behind it is a surcharge, and that changes the answer.
Common questions
Retaining walls in Cashmere: common questions
Should I build one tall wall or two smaller ones?
On most Cashmere sections with room to step back, two smaller ones. It usually avoids consent, costs less overall and gives you usable terraces. We measure and tell you whether the geometry works.
Does loess need special foundations?
It needs respect. Dry loess is strong and wet loess is not, so the engineering focuses on keeping water controlled and on founding below the disturbed surface material.
Wall types
Retaining walls we build in Cashmere
Concrete and Block Retaining Walls
Concrete lasts longer than timber and carries far more load, which is why it goes in wherever a driveway, a shed or a neighbour's lawn sits above the wall. We build.
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Engineered Retaining Walls
Once a wall passes 1.5m, or once a driveway or building sits above it, the job changes. You need a chartered engineer, a building consent and inspections. We manage.
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Stone and Gabion Retaining Walls
Stone is the choice when the wall has to look like it belongs. Canterbury gives us plenty to work with, including Halswell basalt, Port Hills volcanic stone, Timaru.
See moreNeed a retaining wall in Cashmere?
Answer three quick questions or call [PHONE] and we will book a free site visit.