What's the most common type of retaining wall?

Timber pole walls - they're cost-effective, quick to build and suit most residential sections. Taller or load-bearing walls often move to block, crib or concrete with an engineer's design.

Are concrete block (keystone) walls better than timber?

Not better, different. Blockwork gives a tidy landscaped look, handles curves and steps up to taller engineered walls, but costs more than timber. The right choice depends on height, load, look and budget.

Which retaining wall type is cheapest?

Timber pole is usually the most cost-effective for a standard residential wall. But the cheapest wall that fails isn't cheap - drainage and the right type for the load matter more than the sticker price.

Can you build all of these?

Yes - we build timber, block/keystone, crib and concrete retaining walls across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, to your specifications, with drainage engineered in.

Retaining wall types

Timber, block, keystone or concrete

Retaining Walls

Timber, block, keystone or concrete

There's no single "best" retaining wall - the right one depends on how high you're going, what's sitting above it, the look you want and the budget. Here are the main types we build across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and what each one suits.

Timber pole walls

The workhorse of residential retaining. Posts drilled and set, rails or sleepers behind them, drainage engineered in. Cost-effective, quick, and it suits most sections - which is why it's the most common wall we build. Taller walls or walls carrying load usually need an engineer's design.

Concrete block & keystone walls

Dry-stack interlocking concrete blocks (keystone-style) give you a solid, low-maintenance wall with a tidy landscaped look, and they handle curves well. They step up nicely to taller, engineered walls. The trade-off is a higher material cost than timber.

Crib and poured concrete walls

For bigger jobs there's the concrete crib wall (an interlocking framework filled with rock) and, at the top end, a poured or reinforced concrete wall - the strongest option and the priciest, used where the load and height demand it. We advise at the design stage on which makes sense for your site.

Types at a glance

A quick guide to what each type tends to suit - your height, load and look decide the pick.

Timber pole

Cost-effective, common, quick

Most sites

Concrete block / keystone

Curves, taller engineered walls

Landscaped look

Crib / poured concrete

Strongest, highest cost

Bigger / higher-load

Every wall is quoted on its own site. We advise on the right type at the design stage - call for a free quote.

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Common questions