Updated October 2026
McCrae sits on the hillside below Arthurs Seat, and the retaining walls here hold up the suburb. Split-level houses are cut into the slope, driveways drop away to the street, and most properties carry two or three walls at different levels. The ones that fail usually do it the same way: no drainage behind them, a wet winter, and a lean that grows week by week.
To be clear on what we do: we are a referral service only. We pass your enquiry to experienced, insured local retaining wall builders who work across McCrae.
Materials and what suits McCrae
Block retaining walls on an engineered footing are the common solution where a wall holds a driveway cut or supports ground under a structure. Concrete sleeper walls suit the garden tiers and boundary runs. Access often decides the material as much as the engineering does, because getting stone or blocks down a McCrae block is not trivial. Drainage is the non-negotiable part.
What to budget
Guide pricing only. A wall about a metre high runs from roughly $200 per metre in timber to $700 or more per metre in stone and engineered block, with concrete sleepers in between. Height, engineering and getting materials to the wall line are what move McCrae quotes. Hand-carrying materials down a steep block adds hours that show up in the price. The retaining wall cost guide has the full ranges, and a site visit is the only way to price your block honestly.
Approvals work the same here as across the shire. Councils and the VBA set height and engineering thresholds for retaining walls in Victoria, and the builders we work with confirm what your wall needs before quoting.
Frequently asked questions
Can tiered walls be rebuilt one at a time?
Sometimes, but the sequence matters. Rebuilding a lower tier can unload or destabilise the one above, so the builder plans the order before starting.
Why is access such a big cost here?
Because machinery often cannot reach the wall line. Materials get barrowed or craned, and labour hours climb quickly.
Is a growing lean an emergency?
Treat it as one. Keep people off the toe of the wall and get it assessed. See leaning or collapsed wall.
Nearby, we also connect wall builders in Dromana and Rosebud.