Capital Retaining Walls
Pile Driving & Retaining Walls in Lyall Bay

"We are very pleased with Capital Retaining Walls team's prompt and resonable quote, their communicationand follow up service, their team's professionalism and attention to detail. They worked hard and finished the retaining wall and cleaned up the worksite just in time for the big Wellington storm that hit the next day. Highly recommended."

1st May  •  Rating by: Jane  •  Contact: Capital Retaining Walls team  •  Job date: Apr, 2026

"We first asked Capital Retaining Walls to do some work for us in 2015 and were very pleased with the work.
Since then we have had more work done by them, everything as quoted, job well done, section cleared and pleasant workers.
They are definitely our go to Company."

5th Dec, 2025  •  Rating by: Jean @ Allan  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Dec, 2025

"In addition to the work completed, I was happy with the honest feedback and attempts to work with what we already had, rather than tear it all down and redo it. A very practical and realistic approach to my problem. Would have appreciated slightly more ongoing communication as the job proceeded, but I took that to mean everything was going well."

27th Nov, 2025  •  Rating by: Stephen  •  Contact: Several of them  •  Job date: Nov, 2025

"Ben and the team built a retaining wall and did landscaping/drainage to tidy up a bank at the back of my house in Aro Valley. Time from quote to completion was quick, and the cost was very reasonable. Would recommend these guys to anyone in hilly/slippy Wellington!"

11th Nov, 2025  •  Rating by: Emma  •  Contact: Ben  •  Job date: Nov, 2025

"Really happy with everything Ben and his team did. Quick to quote, quick to do the work and the work was exactly as asked."

31st Aug, 2025  •  Rating by: Jodie  •  Contact: Ben Cathie  •  Job date: Aug, 2025

"Good blokes to deal with. Got the job sorted with great efficiency.
Highly recommended."

30th Apr, 2025  •  Rating by: David  •  Contact: Bill and Ben  •  Job date: Mar, 2025

"Bill and Ben's team at Capital Retaining Walls completed a retaining wall replacement and build of a new deck and concrete path for me last year. I was really happy with the final works (as were the neighbours!), which really improved my property visually and functionally. Really good communication from the team all the way through the project, there was great attention to detail, the site was always left safe and tidy, the works were done to a great standard and I was really pleased with the price."

20th Mar, 2025  •  Rating by: Shelley  •  Contact: Capital Retaining Walls  •  Job date: Nov, 2024

"I was really pleased with the communication and service from Capital Retaining Walls when I recently needed a retaining wall rebuilt (with major changes) and some garden beds and a path built. Everyone onsite was polite and respectful and very helpful. Ivan, who did most of the work, was fantastic at keeping me up to date on details and asking for my thoughts or preferences when decisions needed making (this was always going to be a job with some challenges). I am very happy to recommend them and would absolutely use their services again."

25th Jan, 2025  •  Rating by: Megan  •  Contact: Ben Cathie / Ivan  •  Job date: Nov, 2024

"Good response and completed the jobs without any hassle."

20th May, 2024  •  Rating by: Subbu  •  Contact: Capital Retaining Walls  •  Job date: May, 2024

"Capital Retaining Walls did an excellent job repairing our retaining wall that had been damaged by the neighbours next door. Great communication, started job promptly, completed work within time specifications and stuck to the budget that was quoted. The quality of the workmanship was fantastic. Highly recommended."

22nd Apr, 2024  •  Rating by: Martin and Jennifer  •  Contact: Ben Cathie  •  Job date: Sep, 2023

"This is the second time we've used Capital Retaining Walls, on the basis of being very happy with the work they did for us previously. Once again they've built a good-looking wall, this time with adaptations to avoid the sewer pipe uncovered while digging the post holes. When in doubt, the guys on site asked for input on non-structural details (e.g. the extent of the capping) and never once acted as though our opinions on these matters were an irritation.

They're a great team to deal with and I have no reservations in recommending them to others."

6th Sep, 2023  •  Rating by: Iain  •  Contact: Ben Cathie  •  Job date: Aug, 2023

"Have used Ben and Bill from Capital Retaining Walls a couple of times now. Great work at a good price. They always deliver what they say and to a high level. Really pleased with the work they've completed on both occasions for us."

27th Aug, 2023  •  Rating by: James  •  Contact: Ben and Bill Cathie  •  Job date: May, 2023

"Bill was very professional to deal with and he and his team had extensive experience in repiling. We really appreciate the quality of the work and it was completed in a timely manner."

26th Aug, 2023  •  Rating by: Lisa  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Jun, 2022

"Extremely happy, my experience with this business was excellent from start to finish. The first site visit -, someone turned up as promised at the time agreed upon, my requirements were discussed and I was given options. Price quoted was very very very competitive (1/3 of some of my other quotes) and at the end I was actually invoiced a few hundred less than the quote. Work was done quickly, I was consulted a couple of times to confirm work was proceeding as I wanted / expected. They even came on a Saturday to complete the work. I have already given contact details for this company to a number of colleagues - highly recommend."

14th Aug, 2023  •  Rating by: Elizabeth  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Aug, 2023

"Excellent work by the guys, they were very efficient and built two very sturdy walls. Good communication with the owners, and great that the bill came in at -- or slightly under -- the quoted price."

9th Jun, 2022  •  Rating by: Nick  •  Contact: Bill and Ben Cathie  •  Job date: Jun, 2022

"Capital Retaining Walls were the only contractor to get back to us promptly on our retaining wall job. The quote was reasonable, the communication was excellent, work was done on time and to a high standard by Steve, and it all came in slightly under budget too. A relief to find such a capable outfit. Highly recommended!"

30th May, 2022  •  Rating by: Tom  •  Contact: Ben Cathie  •  Job date: May, 2022

"We put an offer in on a house. Do you know the stress, of that time period for due diligence? Well, we were in it. I had concerns about insurance in Wellington and the large retaining wall on the back of the property.

I initially rang Bill first, based on the No Cowboys high review. He talked me through our thoughts with patient advice and when I asked if he could come give us a quote for necessary measures to make sure it was safe, he said he may be able to pop his head in on the property on the weekend, and also that he had done quite a few properties on that sloping street.

At the time I thought, oh what a lovely guy!

But still just to be sure I rang a few other companies and to my shock found I couldn't get anyone in the time we needed for own peace of mind re: due diligence! It was then I realised just what a hard-working guy Bill was, so I Immediately rang him back to see if he could meet us asap. He said he couldn't be sure because he was busy, but to call him on Sat morning to check? He literally was my only hope and the person with the best reviews! The Irony was glaring.

When I did call gratefully on Sat morning, he graciously fitted me in around his personal life and family plans to come take a look.

When he arrived, he was jovial and very kind to do the walk up to our potential property then, upon arrival did a great look over the property and to our surprise honestly told us that the retaining wall was absolutely fine for now! I was both ecstatic and disappointed that I couldn't give him work! The fact that he came up and told us honestly that we wouldn't be needing his services at this time was actually very impressive. I can assure you, he's honest, a man of his word, fun and very generous. The qualities you can trust in a tradie. I know I sound like a marketeer atm, but I'm just someone, taking a big financial risk grateful for his outstanding efforts and advice. If we needed to do that work, we would definitely cross my fingers he would be available to do the work!"

22nd Sep, 2019  •  Rating by: Heidi  •  Contact: Bill Cuthie  •  Job date: Sep, 2019

"We had two significant slips in the banks around two sides of our house. Bill quoted a really reasonable price to fix them. The work has been completed to a high standard. The workmen we’re efficient and reliable. We are really thrilled to have this issue solved. Highly recommended."

17th Sep, 2019  •  Rating by: Jessica Craig  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Sep, 2019

"I contacted several retaining wall companies for advice and a quote, and Bill Cathie from Capital Retaining Walls was the only one to get back to me. He arranged a time to come and look at the work and emailed me a very reasonable quote immediately after visiting. We talked on the phone about the problem, and he let me know up front that if they hit problems along the way, it might cost more than the estimated cost. Because it was a small job, he said he'd be able to fit it in around larger jobs and gave me a date he would possibly start. Several weeks before that date, he phoned to say he could start right away. The work was done to a very high standard - I'm really thrilled with the result. Bill was in regular phone contact to check on some decisions that needed to be made along the way. The crew finished the work quickly and cleaned up meticulously. I highly recommend Capital Retaining Walls. They know their stuff, and keep you informed along the way. Thank you Bill and Crew!"

9th Aug, 2018  •  Rating by: Anne  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Aug, 2018

"We had a challenging project (poor access, no digger operation possible, poor weather, all 13 holes dug by hand - many with a kango hammer)....but, I highly recommend this business....

One disclaimer: Due to their existing work, there was a bit of a time lag between "quoting" and "construction"... but the end result went some way to offsetting this.

~ Bill stayed engaged with us from the start to the end
~ Bill created our best solution, quoted the job and then, thankfully, billed us in line with his quote
~ Other so called retaining wall experts saw the access issues and either didn't have the courage to quote or didn't follow up or didn't return our many calls...obviously too hard for them or preferred the easy money!
~ Steve, Ben and Brent did the actual work and were an absolute pleasure to work with. They never moaned once and frequently worked in the rain.
~ They went beyond what they were required to do and kept us in the loop the entire way
~ A special thanks to Steve for putting up with my questions and assisting with my "maintenance education"

If you are looking for a team of guys who can be trusted to provide a solution when it comes to retaining walls - including cleaning up after they have finished, then I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this firm for any type of retaining walls - most especially the challenging ones."

26th Jun, 2018  •  Rating by: Steve  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Jun, 2018

"Great job and a great experience with Capital Retaining Walls. Bill kept us up to date with progress and regularly visited at weekends to keep us informed of next steps. His team always tidied up at the end of each day so there was no mess. Recommended."

7th Apr, 2018  •  Rating by: Steve  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Apr, 2018

"Very good to deal with, excellent communication and quality work - would recommend"

14th Feb, 2018  •  Rating by: Jeremy  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Dec, 2017

"Excellent work. Friendly, competent neat and tidy, obviously know their stuff!"

21st Mar, 2017  •  Rating by: Phil  •  Contact: Phillip Thomas  •  Job date: Jul, 2015

"My retaining wall fell in July this year and as I look up from my Newlands property I can see Woodridge above.
My concern was with all the heavy rain we had been experiencing more of the bank would fall.Mainly the central part had fallen but logic says that the sides might go too as some parts were tilting outwards and the wall is close to 40 feet long and very high.
I decided to call a retaining wall company and contacted one that had a great website.
I looked at the website several times but unfortunately did not see at all the guy who owned it.
After some grovelling he did come up to take a look at the damage, told me what was wrong, but it really did not take many brain cells to tell me the upright/s had rotted and broken thus the fall.
I was not really reassured when he indicated that he could not say when the rest of the bank would fall as it had been there for some time.
So okay...but 'When can you come to fix it,,??'.
'Maybe in a few days' was the reply.
Well the few days turned to weeks and I was very cynical about tradesmen not turning up as at one stage I phoned 15 of them to repair my conservatory and not one came to do the job, right at the time [before Chch] when I understood builders were looking for work.
Seems some have the tools but they only pick them up for select jobs so looking for work seemed to be only jobs that suited them.
I got tired of waiting so hit the internet again and somehow found No Cowboys and a company with not a lot of web pics but 7 good references.
They were called Capital Retaining Walls.
I put in my name and email and received a reply that night.
This also happened with the other company so I was still apprehensive.
But within a few days I received another message saying they would be up in about 3 days around 10.00am.
Three days later at 10.00am there was the rumble of a truck and 5 guys came up my 15 steps with Kango hanmers and long steel shovels over their shoulders.
The head honcho Bill Cathie gave instructions whilst they were setting up their all important hot water jug and in minutes go to work on moving the broken fence and at my wife's request cut down my favourite trees with the beutiful red leaves [Robina..??] plus a couple of other sturdy shrubs that she thought would get in their way.
Bill had planned on using 4 solid round poles concreted into the ground but I suggested we go somewhat further along the wall to prevent future falls, so we ended up with 9 .
It was no easy task making the holes as the old timber and concrete had to be taken out and this took ages with two men on the job with the vibrating Kango.
By the end of the second day the posts were ready to be placed and then the horizontal pieces were fitted.
Early on the third day the last post was set in and the men began to clean up the mess.
Cleaning up became another meaning as one man was so fastidious that he used what looked like a small hand brush to sweep the dried clay away in case 'it turned muddy'.
Bill had given me a quote for the job and although he used more posts than originally planned the final cost did not double plus in proportion.
That was a relief...!!
His men worked well so they were presented initially with a couple of bottles of wine whilst they had their break and after the job was done I served them deep-fried potato wedges and fresh pineapple chunks as my token of thanks.
In between bites they had a bit of a flloor show of this 78 year old doing a Bruce Lee act.

I have to say that this is the second version of my review of Bill Cathie and his men as I think the first one might have been over doing the gratitude...and I think Bill wanted it toned down a bit.
I told him to keep the glossy version and I'll do another which is this.

Thanks for showing as you promised Bill and Co and for the sturdy job.
Above all I can see your men have a respect for you as the Head Honcho probably because you do care for them.
And that is a rare thing to see in these days where bosses squeeze everything out of their staff in the name of economy and efficiency.

I do recommend Bill and crew highly.

Faithfully,

Stan Chun
Newlands
30 October, 2014."

30th Sep, 2014  •  Rating by: STAN CHUN  •  Contact: BILL CATHIE-CAPITAL RETAINING WALLS  •  Job date: Sep, 2014

"Thank you Capital Retaining Walls. A pleasure to do business with you Bill. Delivered as quoted. No fuss. Cleaned everything up afterwards. Excellent communications throughout. I couldn't ask for me. No hesitation recommending this company."

15th Feb, 2014  •  Rating by: Geoff  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Feb, 2014

"Great job, friendly staff, good price. Only thing I could recommend is that the use of e-mail would be helpful in my situation, for communication. Recommend."

31st Jan, 2013  •  Rating by: Lincoln  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Jan, 2012

"Capital retaining walls gave us a reasonable quote and although they took a bit of time getting to us explained why there was a delay. The reason was legitimate and they kept us informed. The work itself was done at a good pace and they tidied up after themselves. The job looked good."

28th Jun, 2012  •  Rating by: Christine  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Jun, 2012

"Recently we got a retaining wall and fence erected by Capital Retaining walls. Bill Cathie and his boys did a great job. We recommend them to anyone wanting to build a retaining wallo and fence.

From Shirely and Allen"

17th Jun, 2012  •  Rating by: Shirley  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Jun, 2012

"Bill was great to deal with and so were his workers. They worked like trojans and did a fantastic job under difficult circumstances. We really appreciated their professionalism. I am happy to recommend them."

7th Dec, 2010  •  Rating by: Steve Plowman  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Sep, 2010

"This firm is exemplary in their customer relations, with excellent quality of workmanship, communication and timeliness. They are unfailingly pleasant and helpful to deal with and I recommend them very highly.

A most impressive job, carried out in the most user-friendly way possible."

20th Oct, 2008  •  Rating by: Andrea  •  Contact: Bill Cathie  •  Job date: Oct, 2008

"I found this company really great to deal with. Good price, friendly workmen, and job completed well within sechedule even with all the rain. Workmen there till 5pm and when i suggested it was raining and they should go home and get dry, was told "we work till 5pm", and they did."

11th Aug, 2008  •  Rating by: Tina  •  Contact: BHill Cathie  •  Job date: Aug, 2008