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MADDEN EARTHWORKS
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Hawkesbury's Retaining Wall Specialist

Sandstone retaining walls
built to last.

Custom sandstone block retaining walls across the Hawkesbury. Kurrajong, Windsor, Pitt Town, Grose Vale, Freemans Reach and beyond.

Owner-operated by Jesse Madden. Fixed-price quotes. $20M public liability. Every wall includes proper drainage, engineered footings, and a pressure-washed finish.

90+
Hawkesbury jobs
12+
Years experience
$20M
Public liability
24h
Quote turnaround
⚡ Free retaining wall quote

Get your free site quote

Jesse personally visits every site. Fixed-price. No obligation.

We never share your details. No spam. Ever.

✓ ABN 86 683 469 712 ✓ $20M Public Liability ✓ White Card Certified ✓ WHS Compliant ✓ DBYD Registered ✓ Fixed Price Quotes ✓ Owner Operated ✓ Hawkesbury Based
Why Madden

Not all retaining walls
are built the same.

A cheap wall fails in 5 years. A Madden wall lasts decades. Every wall we build includes engineered footings, proper aggregate drainage with agg lines plumbed to stormwater, geofabric, and a pressure-washed finish. No shortcuts.

🧱

Sandstone block specialist

2-metre A Grade and B Grade sandstone blocks. Curved walls, stepped walls, tiered walls, walls with stair treads. We do it all and we do it properly.

💧

Drainage done right

Every wall gets aggregate backfill, socked agg lines connected to stormwater, and geofabric. Hydrostatic pressure is the #1 reason walls fail. We eliminate it.

🤝

Jesse runs every job

Owner-operator. One number. No project managers, no subcontractors you've never met. Jesse quotes it, builds it, and stands behind it.

Wall Types

Every wall type.
One trusted builder.

Sandstone Block Walls

Our signature. 2-metre natural sandstone blocks with engineered footings and full drainage. Available in A Grade (premium face) and B Grade. Pressure washed on completion.

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Concrete Sleeper Walls

H-posts with concrete sleepers. Great for longer spans or where sandstone isn't the right fit. Engineered, durable, and cost-effective.

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Tiered & Stepped Walls

Multiple levels on sloped blocks. We build tiered walls that work with the land, not against it. Perfect for Hawkesbury's hilly terrain.

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Curved Walls

Sandstone block curved retaining walls that follow the natural contour of your property. Demo-saw cut to fit perfectly.

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Walls With Stair Treads

Integrated sandstone stair treads and steppers. Functional entry access built into the wall itself. Clean, seamless look.

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Replace Failed Walls

Old wall leaning, cracking, or collapsed? We remove the failed wall and replace it properly with correct drainage so it doesn't happen again.

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Hawkesbury Sandstone

Why sandstone
belongs in the Hawkesbury.

The Hawkesbury sits on a sandstone shelf that runs from the escarpment at Kurrajong Heights down through Grose Vale, Agnes Banks, and across to Windsor. When we build a sandstone block retaining wall on a Hawkesbury property, we're not just building a wall — we're matching the geology that's already under your feet. Every wall Madden Earthworks builds uses 2-metre natural Australian sandstone blocks, supplied locally, cut to fit, and installed with engineered drainage so they last decades.

A Grade

Premium face blocks

Uniform colour, clean-cut face, minimal vein variation. A Grade sandstone is the choice for front-yard feature walls, heritage-matched walls, and any Hawkesbury wall where the finish is the whole point. Honey and gold tones dominate.

  • • Size: 2000 × 400 × 400mm (typical)
  • • Weight: ~1.4 tonnes per block
  • • Origin: Local NSW sandstone quarries
B Grade

Structural workhorses

Structurally identical to A Grade, but with natural variation in face texture and colour. B Grade is the everyday choice for rural Hawkesbury retaining walls, structural walls, and anywhere the wall will weather into the landscape rather than stand out. Same strength, better price.

  • • Size: 2000 × 400 × 400mm (typical)
  • • Weight: ~1.4 tonnes per block
  • • Origin: Local NSW sandstone quarries
The Weathering

Ages into the land

Sandstone doesn't fail like timber, doesn't crack like concrete sleepers, and doesn't look manufactured like render blocks. On Hawkesbury clay and sandstone country, a sandstone block wall weathers naturally, grows moss on the shaded face, and looks better at year 20 than at year 1. That's the advantage of real stone.

  • • Lifespan: 50+ years with correct drainage
  • • Maintenance: Essentially zero
  • • Reusable: Blocks can be relocated
Built for Hawkesbury conditions

Clay country, sandstone country, flood-edge country. We build for all of it.

South Windsor clay pushes walls forward without drainage. Bowen Mountain and Bilpin sit on sandstone bedrock with tight access. Cattai and Wilberforce have ridgelines that slump without engineered footings. Agnes Banks and Richmond River flats are sandy. Every Hawkesbury suburb has its own soil personality — we've built walls in all of them and we know what each one needs.

DRAINAGE
Socked agg line + aggregate backfill + geofabric on every wall.
FOOTINGS
Compacted roadbase engineered for the soil type on your block.
ACCESS
5.5t Kobelco fits tight Hawkesbury driveways where larger machines can't.
FINISH
Pressure washed, site spotless, photo documentation on handover.
What's Included

Everything in
your fixed-price quote.

No hidden extras. No surprise invoices. This is what every Madden retaining wall quote covers.

Excavation & site prep
Roadbase engineered footings
2m sandstone blocks + delivery
Aggregate drainage backfill
Socked agg lines to stormwater
Geofabric membrane
5.5t excavator + operator
Block grabs + demo saw
Skilled labourers
Pressure wash on completion
All rubbish removed from site
Machine floats included
The Process

From call to finished wall
in 4 steps.

01

Call or submit

Tell Jesse about the wall. Photo of the site helps. We reply within 24 hours.

02

Free site visit

Jesse walks the site, checks access, soil, drainage. You get a fixed-price written quote.

03

Build week locked

Clear start date. Materials ordered. Blocks delivered. No guessing when we show up.

04

Wall complete

Pressure washed, site clean, all rubbish gone. Ready for the next trade or to enjoy your yard.

Before & After

Real Hawkesbury transformations.

Failed walls, overgrown slopes, unusable yards — rebuilt properly, drained properly, finished properly.

Before
Overgrown residential slope before retaining wall construction - Hawkesbury NSW
After
Finished two-tier sandstone block retaining wall with driveway - Hawkesbury NSW
Before
Failed timber sleeper retaining wall before sandstone replacement - Hawkesbury NSW
After
New sandstone block retaining wall replacing failed timber wall - Hawkesbury NSW
★★★★★ 5.0 on Google

What Hawkesbury locals say.

Verified Client
★★★★★

"I would highly recommend Jesse and the team after the fantastic work he has completed at my home. He rectified a 50m long failed stone wall and completed extensive earthworks, services, fencing and landscaping all to an extremely high standard. Jesse went above and beyond to ensure the end result was millimetre perfect."

D
Dave
Hawkesbury — 50m sandstone wall rebuild
★★★★★

"Jesse quoted Monday, wall was built by Friday. Sandstone looks incredible and the drainage behind it is done properly. Won't be calling anyone else."

D
Dan M.
Kurrajong
★★★★★

"Three tiered walls, stair treads, and landscaping. Fixed price, no surprises. Site was spotless when they left. Highly recommend Madden Earthworks."

R
Rob T.
Grose Vale

Dan M. and Rob T. shown as illustrative examples — replace with your next two verified Google reviews.

Meet the crew

The blokes
building your wall.

Madden Earthworks is owner-operated. Jesse quotes the job, runs the site, and stands behind every wall. No project managers you'll never meet. No sub-contractors swapping out halfway through.

Just a tight Hawkesbury-based crew that turns up, cares about the detail, and leaves the site cleaner than we found it.

12+
Years on the tools
100%
Owner-operated
1
Number to call
☎ Talk to Jesse: 0432 085 976
Jesse Madden and the Madden Earthworks crew on site in Hawkesbury NSW
Service Areas

Retaining walls across
the entire Hawkesbury.

Based in East Kurrajong. We've built walls in every suburb listed below and service the broader Western Sydney region for larger jobs.

Madden Earthworks builds sandstone block retaining walls in Kurrajong, Kurrajong Heights, East Kurrajong, Windsor, South Windsor, Pitt Town, Freemans Reach, Glossodia, Grose Vale, Wilberforce, Richmond, North Richmond, Agnes Banks, Oakville, Cattai, Bowen Mountain, Bilpin, Penrith, Glenbrook, Castlereagh, and the broader Hawkesbury and Western Sydney regions of New South Wales, Australia. Contact Jesse Madden on 0432 085 976 for a free retaining wall quote.

FAQ

Retaining wall
questions answered.

How much does a sandstone retaining wall cost in the Hawkesbury?+

Sandstone block retaining wall costs in the Hawkesbury typically range from $300 to $600 per lineal metre depending on wall height, access, soil conditions, and whether A Grade or B Grade blocks are used. Our quotes are fixed-price and fully inclusive: excavation, footings, blocks, drainage, labour, equipment, and clean-up. Call Jesse on 0432 085 976 for a free site visit and written quote.

What are the dimensions and weight of a sandstone block?+

Standard 2-metre sandstone retaining wall blocks measure roughly 2000mm long by 400mm high by 400mm deep, and weigh about 1.4 tonnes each. Both A Grade and B Grade share the same dimensions and weight - only the face finish and colour variation differs. That's why every sandstone wall we build uses a purpose-made block grab on our 5.5t Kobelco: nobody is picking these up by hand.

Where does your sandstone come from?+

Our sandstone blocks are sourced from local NSW sandstone quarries and delivered directly to your Hawkesbury site. Because the stone is locally quarried, the colour and texture match the natural sandstone already present under much of the Hawkesbury - especially around Kurrajong, Grose Vale, Bowen Mountain, and the Agnes Banks escarpment. Your wall ends up looking like it grew out of your block.

What areas in the Hawkesbury do you service?+

We're based in East Kurrajong and service the entire Hawkesbury: Kurrajong, Kurrajong Heights, Windsor, South Windsor, Pitt Town, Freemans Reach, Glossodia, Grose Vale, Wilberforce, Richmond, North Richmond, Agnes Banks, Oakville, Cattai, Bowen Mountain, and Bilpin. We also take on larger jobs across Western Sydney including Penrith, Glenbrook, and the Blue Mountains.

What's the difference between A Grade and B Grade sandstone?+

A Grade sandstone blocks have a cleaner, more uniform face and are typically chosen for front yards and feature walls where appearance matters most. B Grade blocks are structurally identical but have more natural variation in colour and texture. Both come in 2-metre lengths. Jesse can show you samples and help you choose the right grade for your project.

How long does a sandstone retaining wall last?+

A sandstone block wall built with proper drainage lasts 50+ years. Timber sleepers rot in 10-20, concrete sleepers crack and lean in 20-30, but sandstone is the original structural material - it doesn't degrade. The only thing that moves a sandstone wall is water pressure from behind it, and we eliminate that with socked agg lines plumbed to stormwater, aggregate backfill, and geofabric on every wall.

Will a sandstone wall weather or change colour over time?+

Yes, and that's one of its best features. Natural sandstone deepens in colour over the years, shaded faces grow moss and lichen, and the wall settles into the landscape. A Hawkesbury sandstone wall looks more at home at year 20 than year 1 - the opposite of render blocks or concrete sleepers, which look their best on day one.

Do sandstone walls need maintenance?+

Essentially zero. No sealing, no staining, no replacement. Occasional pressure wash if you want to remove moss, and keep the agg-line outlets clear of garden growth. Otherwise the wall is maintenance-free for decades.

Do you offer free quotes?+

Yes. Jesse personally visits every site to assess the job: access, soil conditions, drainage requirements, block count. You get a fixed-price written quote that includes everything. No obligation, no pressure.

How long does it take to build a retaining wall?+

Most sandstone retaining walls are built in 2 to 5 days depending on length, height, and site conditions. We typically schedule within 1 to 3 weeks of quote acceptance. You get a locked start date so you know exactly when the work begins.

Why do retaining walls fail?+

The #1 cause is poor drainage. Water builds up behind the wall (hydrostatic pressure), pushes it forward, and it eventually leans or collapses. Hawkesbury clay - especially in South Windsor, Oakville and the east-rural suburbs - makes this worse. Every Madden wall includes aggregate backfill, socked agg lines plumbed to stormwater, and geofabric to prevent this. We also use proper roadbase footings so the wall doesn't shift or settle over time.

Can you replace a failed retaining wall?+

Absolutely. We remove the failed wall, excavate properly, and rebuild with correct footings and drainage so it doesn't happen again. We've replaced failed timber, concrete, and sandstone walls across the Hawkesbury.

Are you insured?+

Yes. Madden Earthworks Pty Ltd (ABN 86 683 469 712) carries $20 million public liability insurance. We're White Card certified, WHS compliant, and DBYD registered. Certificates of currency available on request.

Madden walls vs.
the cheap quote.

MADDEN
  • Roadbase engineered footings
  • Aggregate drainage + agg lines to stormwater
  • Geofabric membrane
  • 2m sandstone blocks (A or B Grade)
  • Pressure washed on completion
  • All rubbish removed from site
  • $20M public liability
  • Fixed-price written quote
The Cheap Quote
  • ✗ No footing or dirt-only base
  • ✗ No drainage = wall fails in 3-5 years
  • ✗ No geofabric
  • ✗ Off-cut or undersized blocks
  • ✗ Left dirty and unfinished
  • ✗ Your problem to clean up
  • ✗ Uninsured or underinsured
  • ✗ Verbal "estimate" that changes

Ready for a wall
that actually lasts?

Free site visit. Fixed-price quote. No obligation. Usually back to you the same day.

☎ CALL NOW