Envirocon’s annual price check against common retaining wall methods has just delivered yet another great reason to make the transition to Stonebloc retaining. Stonebloc is now, on average, 10% cheaper than timber retaining according to independent cost comparisons undertaken by QV Costbuilder, a division of Quotable Value. This is the second annual independent price check commissioned by Envirocon to dispel the common misconception that great-looking walls have to cost more. Three core trends contributed to the result:
- Timber and associated material costs have increased an average of 20% driven by constrained supply and unprecedented demand. These factors have also led to significant blow-outs in lead times. (QV Costbuilder, 2021)
- Skilled labour shortages and regulatory changes have led to an average 12.5% increase in labour costs. (QV Costbuilder, 2021)
- Stonebloc’s continual investment in research and development through independent testing undertaken by the University of Auckland’s Engineering School led to a reduction in foundation requirements, reducing material costs.
Stonebloc is increasingly proving to be an antidote to the labour and material shortages plaguing the retaining wall market;
- Stonebloc is more productive and requires less skill to install. Our system requires minimal foundation preparation*, the blocks incorporate a quick-grip klaw for speed of movement, positively interlock with ease, and require only two semi-skilled labour units to install.
- Our scale, generic designs, and commitment to long-term customer relationships allow us to minimize cost inflation and meet delivery timelines.
- Our commitment to research and development delivers incremental productivity gains through all aspects of the retaining wall system.
There's never been a better time to make the transition to our Stonebloc retaining wall system.
Background Notes: QV Costbuilder is a division of Quotable Value and undertook the cost comparison in early June 2021 using the most up to date market rates. All costs were rounded to the nearest $5, and foundation costs included labour and material costs. Stonebloc provided wall profiles from our generic designs for a 5kpa wall with retail pricing. Freight was excluded from the costings exercise. Both timber and stonebloc costs exclude backfilling behind walls. *A levelling layer of fines is all that is required in good ground conditions.
