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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Hornby, Canterbury
Retaining Walls in Hornby
Top Retaining Walls Christchurch builds retaining walls across Hornby, Islington, Hei Hei and Sockburn. This part of Christchurch sits on deep Canterbury Plains gravel, which gives the best bearing conditions in the city and makes footing design straightforward.
- 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.
The gravel under Hornby is a genuine advantage
West of the city the postglacial surface deposits are thinner and the gravel comes up closer to the surface. For a retaining wall that means firm founding, predictable digging and free draining ground behind the wall.
It also means a machine earns its keep. Hand digging post holes in compact gravel is slow and hard, so we bring a machine wherever access allows.
| Council for consents | Christchurch City Council |
|---|---|
| Typical ground | Deep plains gravel, excellent bearing |
| Walls we build most here | Concrete block and timber pole |
| 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 |
Hornby has more commercial retaining than most suburbs
With The Hub, the industrial zone along Waterloo Road and the freight yards nearby, a good share of our Hornby work is commercial rather than residential. Loading areas, yard level changes and car park edges all get vehicle loads above them, which means engineered walls and consent every time.
Vehicles above a wall put it outside the Schedule 1 exemption regardless of height. On a commercial yard that is not a technicality, it is the design brief.
Residential walls around Hornby
On the housing side we build a lot of straightforward garden and boundary walls between 600mm and 1.2m, mostly timber pole where the run is long and block where something sits above it.
Good machine access is common on Hornby sections, which usually keeps the price at the better end of the range compared with tighter inner suburbs.
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 Hornby: common questions
Do you do commercial retaining walls in Hornby?
Yes. Yard edges, loading areas and car park level changes are regular work for us here. All of them carry vehicle surcharge, so they are engineered and consented.
Is digging harder in Hornby?
Compact gravel is hard on hand tools but fine for a machine. Where we can get a machine to the wall line the job runs quickly.
Wall types
Retaining walls we build in Hornby
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 Hornby?
Answer three quick questions or call [PHONE] and we will book a free site visit.