Garden walls Cost Calculator
A brick garden wall is priced per linear metre at a given height, and the foundation is a bigger share of the cost than most people expect. In Q3 2026 a single-skin wall costs about £120–£220 per metre at 1 m high, a double-skin wall £220–£400 per metre, and a…
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How this calculator works
Every figure in this calculator is the one published in the cost table on our garden walls guide. Pick the option that matches your job and the calculator returns that published range, adjusted for your region - it does not model anything the guide does not already say.
That is deliberate. A calculator whose rates drift from the page it sits under is worse than no calculator, because two numbers on the same site disagree.
What it cannot know: access, the condition of what is already there, and anything structural. Those are what separate three real quotes from each other.
Published garden walls costs (2026)
| Option | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-skin brick wall (1 m high), | £1,200–£2,200 | |
| Double-skin brick wall (1 m), 10 m | £2,200–£4,000 | |
| Double-skin (1.8–2 m high), | £3,500–£6,000 | |
| Retaining wall, 10 m run | £3,000–£7,000 | |
| Concrete block wall (rendered), 10 | £1,000–£2,000 |
These are the figures from our garden walls cost guide.
What drives a garden wall’s cost
Most of a garden wall’s price is set below ground. The foundation is a bigger share of the bill than people expect, and it scales with height and ground conditions rather than with the brick you can see. A single-skin wall at 1 m sits around £120–£220 a metre, but a double-skin wall at 1.8–2 m needs a wider, deeper footing and more brick on every course, which is why it climbs to £3,500–£6,000 for a typical run. Clay soil, nearby trees or made-up ground all mean digging deeper, and that extra excavation and concrete is pure cost with nothing to show for it above the surface.
The wall type matters as much as the length. A rendered concrete-block wall is the cheapest way to enclose a garden at £1,000–£2,000 for a 10 m run; brick costs more for the same height, and a retaining wall is a different job again — it holds back ground, so it needs a designed footing, drainage behind it and often reinforcement, pushing a 10 m run to £3,000–£7,000. Brick choice, whether the top is finished with a coping or a soldier course, piers at intervals, and how easily a mixer and materials can reach the back garden all move the final figure.
Height is also where the rules bite: a wall over 2 m, or over 1 m next to a road or footpath, normally needs planning permission — our guide on planning permission for a garden wall and this reader question on how high a wall can be without permission cover the limits. If an existing wall is leaning or cracked, weigh a repair against a rebuild first: repoint or rebuild a leaning wall talks it through.
Garden walls calculator — FAQs
Not usually if it is under 2 m high, or under 1 m where it fronts a highway. Listed buildings, conservation areas and walls that are themselves listed have tighter rules, so check with your council before you build — taking a wall back down is an expensive lesson.
Typically 450–600 mm for a standard garden wall, but nearby trees, clay soil or a taller wall push it deeper. Retaining walls need a designed foundation. Skimping here is the most common cause of a wall cracking within a few years.
Expect £220–£350 a day for a bricklayer in most of the UK, and £300–£450 in London and the South East. Most garden walls are quoted as a fixed price rather than day rate.
A retaining wall holds back ground on one side, so it has to resist soil and water pressure and needs engineering design and drainage. It costs substantially more, and building a normal garden wall where a retaining wall is needed is dangerous.
A rendered concrete-block wall is usually the cheapest, at around £1,000–£2,000 for a 10 m run, because blocks lay faster and cost less than facing brick. A single-skin brick wall at 1 m is next at roughly £1,200–£2,200. Whatever the finish, do not save money on the foundation — a shallow footing is the most common reason a wall cracks or leans within a few years, and putting that right costs far more than doing it properly first time.
Related cost guides
- Garden walls cost guide — The full price guide
- All landscaping services — Browse the hub
- All BestBuilders services — Every trade we cover
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