Scope: Bulk excavation, grading, sandstone log retaining walls, sandstone boulder walls, coloured concrete stairs, absorption trenches
Location: Duckmaloi, near Oberon NSW
Completed: July 2024
This rural property at Duckmaloi, just outside Oberon, needed the ground around the house reshaped into proper levels. The yard around the house had to be cut, graded and retained, and with Oberon’s cold, wet winters, water moving through the ground needed somewhere to go.
Laser Landscapes & Excavation carried out the bulk excavation, built sandstone log and sandstone boulder retaining walls, poured coloured concrete stairs between the new levels and installed absorption trenches around the house.
Reshaping the ground around the house
The job started with bulk excavation and grading around the house. Cutting the site into defined levels gave the house a flat, usable area around it and set the heights for every wall, step and trench that followed.
On an open rural block the bulk work suits a larger excavator, while the digging close to the house needs a smaller machine. Running 1.7, 5 and 13 tonne excavators lets us match the machine to each part of the job.
You can read more about how we approach residential excavation for homes and rural properties.
Sandstone log walls around the house
Sandstone log retaining walls hold the ground around the house at its new levels. Each log is set individually, so the wall can follow the levels of the site, and the natural stone suits a rural setting.
Behind the walls, the fill was compacted so the ground stays put and the walls are not left holding loose soil.
Sandstone boulder walls for the backyard
Further out, sandstone boulder walls retain the backyard. Boulders were placed with the excavator in a curved line to hold the higher ground behind the house, giving the yard a natural edge that sits comfortably with the paddocks around it.
Sandstone is our speciality, and we use logs, boulders and blocks depending on the site. Our guide to sandstone retaining walls explains how the options compare.
Managing stormwater and groundwater
Absorption trenches were installed around the house to deal with both stormwater and groundwater. An absorption trench gives water a place to collect and soak back into the ground away from the house, rather than pooling against the building or building up behind the retaining walls.
On a site where the ground has been cut and reshaped, this is the part that keeps the finished levels working through wet winters.
Coloured concrete stairs to the new levels
With the ground now sitting at different heights, coloured concrete stairs were poured to give safe access between the levels around the house.
What we delivered
- Bulk excavation and grading around the house
- Sandstone log retaining walls around the house
- Sandstone boulder walls to retain the backyard
- Coloured concrete stairs between the new levels
- Absorption trenches around the house for stormwater and groundwater
The result
The house now sits on properly graded ground, with sandstone walls holding each level and drainage in place to manage water around the house. The owners have usable levels around their home and safe access between them.
Planning excavation or retaining walls in Oberon or the Central West?
If you are building on a rural block, or the ground around your house needs levelling and retaining, we can talk you through your options.
We take on excavation, sandstone retaining walls, drainage and concreting across the Central West, including Oberon, Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange.
Call Andrew on 0435 355 975 or get in touch to request a quote.
