Hire a Bricklayer Bunbury and South West WA - Get Local Quotes

Brickwork Across Bunbury and the South West

Brick and block jobs in the South West run from a letterbox pier in Eaton to a rendered pool wall in Dunsborough or a shed footing near Manjimup. The state rules on contracts, deposits, indemnity insurance and registered builders are the same here as in the city, and you can find the detail in our Perth bricklayer guide. What changes once you leave the metropolitan area is the local government that controls your lot, and that is the focus of this page. Ten or more councils share the region, and their fence and wall rules differ in height limits, materials and the approvals they ask for. Knowing which rules apply before you call a bricklayer saves a redesign after the quote is signed. Where a council document is silent on a point, ask the council which state rule applies, because the state building regulations and the R-Codes sit behind every local document.

Start by finding your zoning, which is the planning label such as residential, rural residential or rural that the local planning scheme gives your land. Residential lots also carry an R-Code density, a number such as R20 that sets lot size and several design limits under the state Residential Design Codes. Both details appear on the council's online mapping or on a property report from the council's planning counter. Write them down along with any bush fire, coastal or heritage notes, because every later step depends on them.

South West Brick and Block Prices for 2026

The bands below are the same Western Australian figures used on our state bricklaying and blockwork page and the Perth guide. No separate regional loading has been added, because the live WA bands already allow for a range of sites and crews. Labour for laying runs at about $1,200 to $2,000 for every 1,000 bricks, or $60 to $100 an hour for each bricklayer on site. Face brick veneer, which is a single skin of brick fixed to a timber or steel frame, costs about $180 to $280 per square metre supplied and laid. Double brick, meaning two separate brick walls joined by metal ties with a gap between, costs about $250 to $380 per square metre. Concrete blockwork sits at around $150 to $250 per square metre before any render is applied.

Retaining work is priced by the linear metre, so a rendered concrete block wall 1.0 metre high comes in at about $420 to $680 for each metre of length. Strip footings, the continuous concrete base under a wall or fence, add around $180 to $420 per linear metre depending on depth and steel. Drainage behind a retaining wall, with slotted pipe and gravel, adds roughly $45 to $95 per linear metre. Typical engineering fees for a wall or fence design fall between $500 and $1,500, and small building permit fees run from about $80 to $280. Anyone comparing materials and heights can find full prices in our retaining wall cost guide.

How a Regional Brick Quote Is Put Together

Bricklayers price work in three ways: per 1,000 bricks laid, per square metre of finished wall, or as a day rate for the crew. Per thousand pricing suits new walls where the brick count is easy to measure from the plans. Square metre pricing suits blockwork and retaining walls, while day rates suit repairs where the amount of work is unclear until the old mortar is opened up. Across a region this wide, a fourth item can appear on a quote, which is the cost of getting the crew and materials to the site. Crews based in Bunbury have a short trip to Australind or Dalyellup, while a job at Northcliffe or Augusta takes a large part of the working day in travel. A crew may cover the whole area from Harvey to Augusta or keep to one town and the farms around it, so find out where each crew is based.

Request the travel charge as its own line, either as a flat fee per visit or as an hourly rate for driving time. Then count the visits the job needs, since a fence with footings, piers and infill panels can take three or four separate trips. Delivery of bricks, blocks, sand and cement is a separate cost again, and the supplier sets it by distance and load size. Confirm who orders the materials, because a bricklayer who buys them may add a handling margin while an owner who buys them carries the risk of short supply.

Finding the Council That Controls Your Lot

Town names in the South West do not always match council names, and the rules follow the council, not the postal address. Australind and Leschenault fall within the Shire of Harvey, while Eaton belongs to the Shire of Dardanup even though it borders Bunbury. Dalyellup, Gelorup and Capel sit in the Shire of Capel, and Vasse, Dunsborough and Yallingup are part of the City of Busselton. Margaret River, Cowaramup and Augusta are in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, which writes its own local planning policies. Inland, Donnybrook and Balingup share one shire, and Bridgetown, Nannup, Manjimup, Boyup Brook and Collie each have their own local government.

Each council publishes information sheets for fences and retaining walls, and some also keep a local law or local planning policy on fencing. A local planning policy is a council document that guides how it decides planning applications on matters such as fence height and design. Local laws are different, because each is a binding rule made by the council under state legislation, with penalties for breaches. The table below links each part of the region to its council so you know which documents to read. If you own property in both areas, the councils further north are described in our Mandurah and Peel bricklayer guide. Councils also update their sheets from time to time, so download the current version on the day you brief the bricklayer and keep a copy with your quotes.

Brick Fences and Walls in the City of Bunbury

Building services pages from the City of Bunbury state that a building permit is needed for any masonry wall over 0.75 metres high, which includes brick and concrete. Fences of other materials need a building permit once they are over 1.8 metres high, so a timber or steel infill fence has more room before a permit applies. That difference matters on a brick pier fence, because the piers and plinth, the low solid base wall, are masonry even when the panels between them are metal. The 0.75 metre line comes from the state building regulations, and you will find how it applies statewide in our Perth page.

Bunbury has no local law on dividing fences, and the City's pages note that the Dividing Fences Act 1961 gives local government no power to settle neighbour disputes. Two neighbours sharing the cost of a brick dividing fence therefore have to agree between themselves or use the process under that Act. Its pages also say a demolition permit is needed to remove most structures of 40 square metres or more, which can include an old brick garage or outbuilding. Removing 10 square metres or more of asbestos needs a licensed contractor, and older fences and sheds in the city can contain asbestos cement sheeting. Asbestos cement is a building sheet made with asbestos fibres that was used in buildings before the 1990s, and it must not be cut or broken by a bricklayer. Book an asbestos removal contractor first if an old fence or shed has to come down before the new brickwork goes up.

Busselton Front Fence Design and Visual Permeability

Busselton's fence design specifications set clear numbers for brick front fences on R-Coded lots. No approval or permit from the City is needed for a front fence under 750 millimetres high in brick, stone or concrete. Over 750 millimetres, a masonry front fence needs both a Codes Variation, which is a development application to vary the R-Code standard, and a building permit. Once approval is needed, the fence can reach 1,800 millimetres overall, but the solid part can be no higher than 1,200 millimetres. Everything above that solid base must be visually permeable, meaning a person can see through it to the house and garden behind.

Busselton defines visual permeability with exact gap sizes, and a bricklayer or fence maker should design the infill to those sizes. Gaps must be continuous, run vertically or horizontally, and be at least 50 millimetres wide where they make up one third of the face. If the gaps are narrower than 50 millimetres, they must make up at least half of the face when viewed from the street. Near the driveway, a truncation area covers the first 1.5 metres from the point where the driveway meets the front boundary. Inside that area, the fence can hold no more than one pier of at least 350 by 350 millimetres, and no solid section above 750 millimetres. Brick dividing fences behind the front setback also need a building permit in Busselton, even when they stay within the 1,800 millimetre height.

Margaret River, Augusta and the Shire Fencing Policy

Augusta-Margaret River uses Local Planning Policy 4, adopted by the Shire in 2014, to guide boundary fencing across its towns and rural land. Its residential section names masonry and rammed earth among acceptable materials, so brick fences are allowed where the other standards are met. On the street side, the R-Codes apply, with a maximum total height of 1,800 millimetres measured from natural ground level. Side and rear fences can be between 1,600 and 2,300 millimetres high, but must be visually permeable above 1,200 millimetres for the first 3 metres back from the front. Height includes any retaining wall under the fence, so a brick fence on top of a retaining wall is measured from the lower ground as one structure.

Some places in the shire need planning approval for any fence, whatever its height or material. These include the Rural Residential zone, Gnarabup and the Flinders Bay Special Control Area, as well as any fence along a boundary with a Shire-managed reserve. On rural and rural residential land the policy describes visually permeable post and wire or timber fences up to 2 metres, which leaves solid brick outside the standard. Rural fences must also not conflict with a Bushfire Management Plan or block directions given under the Bush Fires Act 1954.

Separate fences guidance on the Shire's website adds that a masonry fence more than 0.75 metres high needs a building permit, and that the part of a front fence above 1.2 metres must be see-through. Each side of a driveway needs a 1.5 metre visual truncation, an area kept low or see-through so drivers can see, which affects where the first brick pier can stand. Where a front fence up to 1.2 metres meets the side boundary, the adjoining owner's agreement is needed under the Dividing Fences Act 1961. Planning approval, where needed, must be granted before the building permit application goes in, so allow for two separate steps. Gates and infill panels that suit these limits can be priced as fence and gate installation, separate from the brickwork. One design that fits both the height limits and the see-through rule is a brick pier fence with steel or timber panels above a low plinth.

Dalyellup, Gelorup and the Capel Fencing Local Law

Capel controls fences through the Shire's Fencing Local Law 2016, which is binding in the same way as other council laws. The law requires every dividing fence to be a sufficient fence, meaning a fence built to the standard set in its schedules, unless the Shire approves something else. Schedule 1 lists masonry, including brick, stone or concrete, as a sufficient fence on a small residential lot. Small residential lots are those coded R10 or higher, which covers the suburban streets of Dalyellup and the Capel townsite. On those lots a masonry dividing fence should average 1.8 metres high, except inside the primary street setback area, the open strip between the house and the street.

Front fences on small residential lots must be visually permeable above 0.75 metres, apart from the piers, and no higher than 1.8 metres. That rule means a brick plinth of up to 0.75 metres with open infill above and brick piers fits the law well. Fibre cement sheets and sheet metal are not considered suitable for front fences on those lots. Large residential lots, coded R5 or less, are treated very differently, because their front fences must be posts and wire no higher than 1.2 metres. Commercial lots cannot have any fence forward of the building line, meaning in front of the building, and rural lots cannot have screening fixed to a fence. Owners of larger blocks around Gelorup should check their R-Code before ordering bricks for a front fence.

Retaining Wall Triggers in Harvey, Augusta-Margaret River and Donnybrook

Retaining walls hold back soil where the ground level changes, and in the South West they can be built from concrete block, limestone or brick. Harvey's retaining wall sheet, updated in July 2026, says a building permit is needed once a wall retains more than 0.5 metres. Harvey also requires planning approval when a wall exceeds 1.5 metres or does not meet the setbacks for its zone. Those setbacks are 10 metres from side boundaries on rural residential land and 20 metres from all boundaries on rural and priority agriculture land. Residential walls should follow Part 5.3.7 of the R-Codes, which deals with site works and retaining near boundaries.

Harvey asks owners to check with the Shire first so that no drainage easement is affected by the new wall. An easement is a strip of your land that another party has a legal right to use, such as for drains or pipes. The same sheet states that retaining walls are exempt from the requirement to use a registered builder, so a bricklayer can build one directly for the owner. Over in Donnybrook and Balingup, the shire's sheet sets the same 500 millimetre permit trigger and asks for written permission before anyone enters a neighbour's property.

Augusta-Margaret River sets stricter steps for walls on a boundary. Boundary retaining walls more than 500 millimetres high, or ones that support a carport or house wall, need both a building permit and planning approval. Those walls must be designed by a practising structural engineer, according to the Shire, and built from durable materials such as brick, stone or concrete. Timber is described as inappropriate for retaining more than 0.5 metres in that location, so a timber sleeper wall does not fit the Shire's guidance there. Plans must be drawn at a scale of at least 1 to 100, and an adjoining owner must approve work that adversely affects their land. If your wall falls into this group, the engineer and permit steps are described in our guide to retaining wall approval and certification.

Block walls need drainage behind them, so check that retaining wall drainage, with slotted pipe and waterproofing, is part of the price. If you are weighing up materials, start with hollow concrete units, which are used to build besser block retaining walls. Reconstituted limestone blocks are another local choice for anyone who prefers the look of limestone retaining walls. The shire's height trigger applies to the height of the wall, whatever material you choose.

Brick Walls Used as Pool Barriers

A rendered brick or block wall can form part of the safety barrier around a private pool or spa. Capel's swimming pool page explains that new pools and spas holding more than 300 millimetres of water need a barrier that complies with AS 1926.1-2012. AS 1926.1 is the Australian Standard for safety barriers around swimming pools, and the state building regulations call it up. One building permit covers the pool, the spa and the barrier together, and the owner or the pool installer can apply.

Once built, the barrier must be inspected by the local government at least once every four years, starting from the date it first complied. Capel lists a four-yearly inspection fee of $312, charged as $78 a year, with fees set by the Building Commission. A brick wall that forms part of the barrier has to meet the same height and climbing rules as the rest of the fence. That means no ledges, footholds or planter boxes on the outside face that a child could use to climb over. In Augusta-Margaret River, a pool fence that also forms part of a dividing fence comes under the boundary fencing policy as well. Discuss the barrier design, and any pool fencing it will include, with the pool builder before the bricklayer starts.

Coastal, Wetland and Floodway Land in Busselton

Parts of the City of Busselton are marked in its Local Planning Scheme 21 as Wetland, Coastal Management or Floodway Areas. Its information sheet, version 5 from February 2021, states that a development application is needed for all development in those areas. Each application is referred to state government agencies for comment, which adds time before any work can start. Development can include a brick wall or fence, so a property in one of these areas should be checked with the City before any quote is accepted. Your planning report or the City's mapping will show whether any of these areas covers part of the lot.

In a Coastal Management Area, the City must consider State Planning Policy 2.6, the state policy on development near the coast. It also weighs whether the work could affect, or be affected by, coastal processes such as erosion, and any impact on dunes and the foreshore. In a Floodway Area, the City considers how a structure changes the flow of floodwater and the safety of people and property. For habitable buildings without flood protection, the floor must sit at least 500 millimetres above the 1 in 100 year flood level, a flood with a 1 percent chance of happening in any year. A solid brick wall across a floodway can hold back water, so expect the City to ask how floodwater will pass the structure.

Brick Garages and Additions on Bush Fire Prone Land

Land across the South West is mapped as bush fire prone by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, shown in pink on the state map. Building and Energy's guidance says houses and other residential buildings in those pink areas must be built to resist bushfire attack. The same rule covers Class 10a buildings, the code's group for non-habitable structures such as garages, carports, sheds and decks associated with a house. A building entirely outside the pink area does not need to comply, even when other parts of the same lot fall inside it. For brickwork, that means the rules reach brick garages and additions as well as the house itself.

The level of construction depends on the Bushfire Attack Level, or BAL, which rates how much ember attack and heat a building may face. A BAL assessment looks at the slope of the land, the type of vegetation nearby and the distance to it. Qualified people with bushfire experience carry it out, and an accredited Level 1 BAL assessor is one option. AS 3959 is the Australian Standard that sets the building requirements for each BAL, from low ratings through BAL-40 to BAL-FZ, the flame zone. Fired clay brick and concrete block do not burn, but the windows, doors, vents and roof joints set into the brickwork still need to meet the rating. The guidance does not cover fences, so ask the council or a building surveyor before building a brick fence on mapped land.

Heritage Listed Brick Buildings in Bunbury

Close to 200 places are on the City of Bunbury's Heritage List, and works to those places need extra care. Its heritage page says that in most circumstances, development within a listed place requires planning approval. Development here can include new brick fences, additions, new openings in old walls and some repair work. Listing does not stop change, but the City checks that the work respects the heritage values of the place. Assessment draws on the planning scheme, State Planning Policy 3.5 on heritage, local heritage policies and the Burra Charter 2013. The Burra Charter is a national guide that asks owners to change as much as needed but as little as possible.

The Local Heritage Survey is a separate record of places with historical or cultural value, and it does not by itself have legal effect. Protection applies to places on the Heritage List, in a heritage area, or otherwise assessed as needing conservation. Bunbury has one heritage area, the East Bunbury Heritage Area, where planning controls also cover places that are not listed one by one. Places on the State Register of Heritage Places are referred by the City to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. The City offers a heritage advisory service and a rate concession for heritage places, and it asks owners to discuss proposals early.

Matching old bricks and soft mortar on a listed building takes a bricklayer with heritage experience, and the work costs about $200 to $350 per square metre. Have the bricklayer explain the mortar mix they propose and how it will match the colour and strength of the original joints. Damp in old walls needs its cause found first, so book a rising damp assessment before the repair work starts. Where the City requires approval solely because of a heritage listing, its survey page notes the application fee may be waived.

Brick, Block, Mortar and Tool Makers

Clay bricks used in Western Australia come from makers such as Midland Brick and Austral Bricks, and each publishes its ranges online. Concrete blocks and stackable retaining wall units are made by Adbri Masonry among others, with faces made to be left bare or rendered. Cement for mortar and core fill, the concrete poured into hollow block cores, is produced by companies including Cement Australia and Cockburn Cement. Render and texture coatings for block walls and fences are made by Dulux AcraTex and Rockcote, which publish their own application guides. Steel lintels over door and window openings are made by Galintel, and the lintel size should match the span on the plans. Lintels are the steel angles that carry the bricks above a window or door, and an undersized one can sag and crack the brickwork above it.

Sealants and waterproofing products for the base of walls and planter boxes are made by Sika and Bostik. Fixings and chemical anchors, which are glued into drilled holes, for attaching gates and screens to brick piers are made by Ramset and Hilti. Cutting tools matter because brick dust contains crystalline silica, a mineral dust that can damage the lungs when breathed in. Husqvarna and Stihl make cut-off saws with a water feed, and Makita makes saws designed to connect to dust extraction. WA's silica rules apply to every brick cut, and national guidance on safe cutting is published by Safe Work Australia. Name the brick range and colour on the quote, so you can check that the pallets delivered match what you chose.

Mortar, wall ties and lintels must suit the conditions under AS 3700, the Australian Standard for the design and construction of masonry structures. For houses and small buildings, AS 4773 sets simpler construction rules that a bricklayer can follow without a full engineering design. Footings for house walls are designed to AS 2870, the standard for residential slabs and footings, based on the site's soil class. Copies of these standards can be bought from Standards Australia, and your bricklayer should know which apply to your job.

After a Storm Damages a Brick Wall or Fence

Strong winds, a fallen tree or a vehicle can crack or push over a brick fence or garden wall. Keep people and pets away from any wall that is leaning, cracked through or missing its capping, because brickwork can fall without warning. For urgent storm help in Western Australia, the State Emergency Service can be reached on 132 500. Take photos from several angles before anything is moved, and record the date and the cause for your insurer. Your bricklayer can make the wall safe by taking down loose courses and stacking sound bricks for reuse.

Your insurer may ask for a written report on the cause and extent of the damage before they approve a rebuild. Structural engineers can inspect a cracked retaining wall or a leaning boundary wall and write that report. You can compare typical fees and steps for a structural engineer and for storm damage repairs before you book either. Where an old fence contains asbestos cement sheeting, a licensed removalist must clear it before the bricklayer starts work. Rebuilding a masonry fence over 0.75 metres needs a building permit in the same way as a new fence. Ask your insurer whether it will pay for the permit, the engineer and the removal of debris as well as the new brickwork.

Warning Signs in a South West Brickwork Quote

Watch for a quote that leaves out permits or approvals when your council's documents clearly require them. In Busselton, for example, a brick front fence over 750 millimetres needs a Codes Variation as well as a building permit. Be wary of a quote that prices a boundary retaining wall in Augusta-Margaret River without an engineer's design. Question a front fence design on a large residential lot in Capel that shows solid brick, since the local law asks for posts and wire there.

Look for the brick range, mortar mix, wall tie type and footing size written on the quote. Wall ties are the metal strips or rods that connect a brick skin to the frame or to a second brick wall. Durable ties matter near the coast, and the tie class should suit the site under AS 3700. Quotes that say only 'supply and lay bricks' give you nothing to check against when the job is done. Payment terms should follow the stages of work, with a small deposit and no large payment before the bricks arrive. If a quote seems low, ask what has been left out before you accept it.

Lining Up Comparable South West Quotes

Send every bricklayer the same written brief with measurements, photos, your zoning and R-Code, and any council letters already received. Include any bush fire, coastal or heritage notes, plus the engineer's drawings if the wall needs a design. Request separate lines for labour, bricks or blocks, mortar, footings, spoil removal, travel, permits and engineering. Have each quote name the brick range, the wall tie class and the expected number of site visits. Agree in writing how rain days, approval delays and any change to the footing design will be priced.

Other trades can join a brick job, such as an electrician to wire pier lights or a gate motor, so line up a Bunbury and South West electrician early. A downpipe or stormwater line under a new fence may need moving by a Bunbury and South West plumber. Large slab and footing pours can go to a Bunbury and South West concreter instead of the bricklayer. Booking these trades in the right order stops a new brick footing being dug up again for a pipe or cable.

Garden beds and paving beside a new wall can be priced by a Bunbury and South West landscaper while the wall is being planned. If a driveway will meet the new fence line, get paving and driveway installation priced at the same time. Collect at least three quotes if enough crews cover your town, and give each the same deadline to reply. Keep every quote, drawing and council letter in one folder so you can check the finished work against them. Choose the quote that answers your council's rules clearly, not simply the one with the lowest total.