Your Local Stonemason on the Northern Beaches

Steep blocks, landslip and geotechnical reports

Looking for a stonemason on the Northern Beaches? Northern Beaches Stone is run by Blake Cooper, an NSW licensed stonemason (licence 328680C) who grew up here and has worked with stone since 2004. We are based in Narrabeen and come to you anywhere from Manly to Palm Beach. One example is our sandstone fireplace and garden walls at Bilgola Beach.

Much of the Northern Beaches is built on slopes, and the former Pittwater area in particular has steep escarpment blocks above the water at places like Bilgola, Newport, Bayview and Church Point. Council applies geotechnical risk controls to many of these properties, so a significant retaining wall or excavation there often needs a geotechnical report before it can be approved.

Where a wall needs approval or engineering, we build to the engineer's design and work with your engineer, certifier and Council, along with any other licensed contractor the approval requires. On steep sites we also plan access early: how stone gets down a driveway or along a side passage, where it can be stockpiled, and whether a small machine can get in.

Rock in the footings

Hawkesbury sandstone sits close to the surface across much of the Northern Beaches. Dig a footing trench in Avalon, Collaroy Plateau or Frenchs Forest and there is a good chance you will hit rock, which has to be sawn or broken out before a wall can go in.

That rock is not all bad news. Sound bedrock can make an excellent foundation, and stone that comes out of a site can sometimes be reused in walls, edging or steps. We look at the ground on our site visit and allow for rock in the quote rather than surprising you with it later.

Salt air, sealing and stone choice

Homes near the beaches and the Pittwater foreshore live with salt spray, wind and strong sun. Sandstone is porous, so salt carried in moisture can build up in the stone and, over time, cause surface flaking on poorer-quality stone.

We choose the grade of stone for how exposed the job is, keep mortar joints sound, and recommend a breathable penetrating sealer for paving, pool coping and walls that face the weather. A penetrating sealer reduces water and salt uptake without trapping moisture in the stone the way a surface coating can.

Which planning rules apply to your property

Northern Beaches Council was formed from three former councils, and the planning rules still depend on which one your property sits in: the Manly LEP 2013, the Pittwater LEP 2014, or the Warringah LEP 2000 or 2011, each with its own development control plan. Council is working to consolidate them, but for now the old boundaries still matter.

For smaller jobs, the state Codes SEPP sets out when a retaining wall is exempt development: no more than 600 mm high, at least 1 m from each boundary, and not on a heritage item, among other conditions. If your wall falls outside those limits, or the land is flood, bushfire or landslip affected, we will tell you on site and point you to the right approval path.

Bush blocks in the Forest district

Further inland, in Terrey Hills, Duffys Forest, Belrose and Ingleside, blocks are larger and often border bushland, and much of the land is bushfire prone. Stone does not burn, which makes sandstone walls, steps, paving and edging a practical choice close to the house. On acreage we also build longer driveway walls, entry pillars and garden walls that suit the bush setting.

Local work

Our work on the Northern Beaches includes a floor-to-ceiling sandstone fireplace and sandstone garden walls at Bilgola Beach, and sandstone work in Duffys Forest. You can see more finished jobs on our projects page.