Block Pattern Concrete Sleeper

Overview

Block Pattern is a regular rectangular-block face in charcoal concrete. It is tidier than stacked stone and more decorative than a smooth sleeper. Charcoal block-pattern boards from different makers are the same design.

What the design looks like

Charcoal masonry grid. Surface: Regular block joints. Finish: Ashlar block.

Typical applications

Modern street fronts
Under dark Colorbond
Commercial landscaping

Beside a fence

The face does not hold the soil – the posts, the sleepers as a stack, the drainage and the footing do. A Block Pattern wall can sit under a new Colorbond fence or a timber fence. The fence posts and the retaining posts are planned together so the finished ground level and the fence height still make sense. More on that on the under-fence section.

Standalone walls

The same sleeper is used for garden and driveway walls that do not carry a fence. Those walls still need the right posts, drainage and – where height, soil or surcharge require it – an engineer. We do not guess a maximum height from the face design.

Charcoal block-pattern concrete retaining-wall sleeper on a studio backdrop

Installation and drainage

Keep block joints visually continuous along the run where the mould allows.
Works cleanly under a plain Colorbond sheet fence.

Water behind a retaining wall is a load. We plan drainage with the wall – not as an afterthought – so water can leave instead of sitting against the sleepers. The exact arrangement depends on the site.

Advantages

Modern, ordered look
Dark face suits Monument fences

Things to consider

Joints can look busy on a very short wall
Availability of lengths varies

Maintenance

Concrete sleepers do not need oiling or painting. Wash them if they pick up dirt. Do not pile extra soil against a fence above the wall, and keep drainage outlets clear.

Related designs

Smooth Charcoal

The same clean smooth face in a dark charcoal that sits with Monument and Night Sky fences.

Stacked Stone

Several ledgestone courses moulded into one sleeper – a dry-stone look without laying stone.

Concrete sleeper retaining walls · Timber sleeper walls under fences · Colorbond fencing · Timber fencing

Common questions

Can a Block Pattern sleeper sit under a Colorbond fence?

Yes. The sleeper face does not change how the wall and fence are set out. Posts, drainage and finished ground level still have to suit the site. See walls under fences.

Can I use it as a standalone garden wall?

Yes. Standalone walls use the same sleepers and steel posts. Height, soil and anything sitting above the wall (a driveway, a path, a building) decide whether the wall needs an engineer. We will tell you on the site visit.

Do you publish a price for this sleeper?

No. The board is only one part of the wall. Posts, excavation, drainage, access and whether a fence sits on top all change the job. We quote after a free measure.

Are the sizes fixed?

Joint layout is a mould. It does not replace engineering of the wall.