Tierline Retaining Walls Bulging block wall to engineered besser, over a driveway.
Stirling. A bulging block wall leaning out over a cut driveway on a steep Stirling block, rebuilt as an engineer-certified core-filled besser wall, drained behind.
- Project
- 041
- Completed
- Mar 2026
- Build time
- 3 weeks
- Footprint
- 16 m wall, 1.8 m high
The job
What we walked into, and what we did.
The problem
A 16 metre wall holding the cut for the driveway on a steep Stirling block was bulging hard and leaning out over the cars, with no drainage behind it and a footing that turned out to be little more than a shallow pad. The wall held back over a metre and a half with the driveway loading it from above, so it was well over the line that needs engineering, yet two earlier quotes were a single round number with no footing detail, no drainage line and no mention of council approval.
Our approach
We brought in the structural engineer to design the wall to the height, the soil and the driveway surcharge, lodged the council development application and managed it to consent before we dug. We demolished the failing wall, excavated and poured the engineer-designed reinforced concrete footing with steel starter bars, then built the core-filled besser wall, filling and reinforcing the cells to the design. The drainage went in as the wall came up: an ag-pipe and free-draining aggregate behind it, weep holes through the base course and geofabric to keep the soil out.
The result
A straight, certified 1.8 metre core-filled besser wall holding the driveway, drained the full length so water cannot build up behind it again, with the old wall and spoil carted away and the tip fees itemised. Handed over with the engineer certification, the council consent and the 10-year structural and drainage warranty in writing.
Materials
- Core-filled, steel-reinforced besser block to AS 4678
- Engineer-designed reinforced concrete footing, sized to the driveway surcharge
- Ag-pipe, aggregate, weep holes and geofabric drainage
Named in writing
Materials and the honest number.
3 weeks on site
How the job ran.
- Week 1
Engineer and approval
Structural design to the surcharge, development application lodged and consent obtained before anything is dug.
- Week 2
Demolish, dig and pour
Failing wall removed, footing excavated and the engineer-designed reinforced concrete footing poured and cured.
- Week 3
Build, drain and finish
Core-filled besser built to height with the drainage in behind it, backfilled, site cleared, certification and warranty handed over.
On site
A closer look.
“A driveway sits above our wall, so it had to be done properly. They brought the engineer, sorted the council approval and itemised exactly what the over-a-metre line cost instead of a round number. Dead straight and certified.”
Start with a measured quote, not a brochure.
Tell us what you need. We’ll book a walkthrough and send a quote with the work itemised, not just a number.