How much does bricklaying cost in Sunshine Coast?
Sunshine Coast bricklayers quote labour in one of three units. Hourly work is $44–$115; laying a thousand bricks costs $970–$2,125; and plain walling per square metre comes to $53–$115. Materials such as bricks, sand and cement are paid for separately unless the quote says supply and lay. A full day on site costs $435–$875. With 73.2% of local homes being detached houses (ABS 2021 Census), plenty of the brickwork here is residential: letterboxes, garden and feature walls, brick retaining walls, outdoor barbecues and veneer on new homes.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Bricklaying cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Bricklaying Cost in Sunshine Coast 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklaying (hourly rate) | $44/hr | $73 | $115 |
| Bricklaying (per 1,000 bricks, labour) | $970/1000 bricks | $1,550 | $2,125 |
| Bricklaying (per sqm, standard) | $53/sqm | $78 | $115 |
| Garden feature wall, installed (per sqm) | $135/sqm | $250 | $435 |
| Brick retaining wall, installed (per sqm) | $240/sqm | $435 | $630 |
| Brick veneer (new home, per sqm) | $48/sqm | $68 | $97 |
| Brick pointing / repointing (per sqm) | $39/sqm | $68 | $145 |
| Brick repair (per brick) | $24per brick | $63 | $135 |
| Brick letterbox (supply & lay) | $390total | $775 | $1,450 |
| Brick BBQ or simple fireplace (built, installed) | $1,950total | $3,400 | $6,300 |
| Damp-proof course, whole-house retrofit | $970total | $3,400 | $5,800 |
| Full-day bricklaying | $435per day | $630 | $875 |
| Damp-proof course injection (per metre) | $68/m | $105 | $240 |
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Get Sunshine Coast quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Sunshine Coast metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Sunshine Coast brickwork: block laying, a 10 m² wall three ways, and repointing
Block laying on the Sunshine Coast
Our Sunshine Coast table prices brickwork, not concrete blockwork: it has no block-laying row, so we don't publish a price per block. Standard bricklaying is $53–$115 a square metre.
A 10 m² brick wall on the Sunshine Coast, three ways
At the typical square-metre prices in our Sunshine Coast table, 10 square metres comes to $780 as standard brickwork, $2,500 as a garden feature wall and $4,350 as a brick retaining wall.
Repointing and a damp-proof course on the Sunshine Coast
Repointing is $39–$145 a square metre in our Sunshine Coast table, or $1,360 for 20 square metres at the typical price. Installing a damp-proof course is $970–$5,800.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Bricklaying Costs in Sunshine Coast
Per thousand, per square metre or by the hour
People here often ask for a price per 1,000 bricks, and $970–$2,125 is the labour-only answer. A square-metre rate is easier to check against your plans, while hourly work at $44–$115 suits small repairs where the brick count is hard to pin down. Block layers quote in similar ways, so ask which unit the price uses and how many units the job is assumed to need.
Brick fences and the 2 m limit
Queensland lets a fence of any material, brickwork among them, go up to 2m without building approval. Pool fencing is the exception, and a local planning scheme may still want a say over minor work. Extensions and other structural brickwork are a different matter: they need engineering plans and certification, so allow for both in the budget.
Brick retaining walls
An installed brick retaining wall costs $240–$630 for each square metre. The state's building rules only waive approval when the total retained height is a metre or less, no extra load such as a car or a building sits above it, and a 1.5m gap separates it from houses and other walls. A freestanding garden feature wall is $135–$435.
Mortar, heat and summer rain
Summer is both hot and wet on the coast: January afternoons average 29.1 °C, and the airport's rainfall record peaks at 217.5 mm in February (BOM averages). Heavy rain washes fresh mortar out of the joints, and hot, breezy days dry it before it cures, so careful bricklayers cover new work and may dampen the bricks in the heat. September, at 51.1 mm, is the driest month for outdoor laying.
Damp, repointing and repairs
The NCC maps the region as climate zone 2, where humid summers meet mild winters, and older brick homes can show rising damp low on the walls. Injected damp-proofing is priced by the metre at $68–$240, while a whole-house retrofit runs $970–$5,800. Repointing tired mortar joints is $39–$145 per square metre, and swapping out single cracked bricks $24–$135 each.
Scaffolding and getting pallets in
Brickwork above what can be reached safely from the ground needs protection against falls, usually scaffolding hired for the job, and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is the regulator that enforces it. At ground level, the cheapest job is one where a truck can unload the brick pallets right beside the wall. Removing old brickwork first is a separate demolition and disposal cost, so get it quoted on its own line.
Outdoor builds and the QBCC
For a letterbox in brick, materials and labour together, expect $390–$1,450; a built-in barbecue or simple fireplace runs $1,950–$6,300. A QBCC licence is required in Queensland once building work reaches $3,300 in value, and the top of that barbecue band, $6,300, is well above it, so get the licence number in writing on larger outdoor jobs.
How to Save Money on Bricklaying Cost in Sunshine Coast
Bricklaying Cost in Sunshine Coast: What the Quote Should Include
A Sunshine Coast bricklaying quote works best when the unit, the materials and the summer weather are all written down. Whether the wall is in Buderim, Caloundra or Noosa Heads, brickwork and blockwork are quoted in similar ways, so say which unit the price uses.
- The unit the price uses and how many of that unit the job is assumed to need, whether bricks, blocks or square metres.
- A labour-only rate of $970–$2,125 per 1,000 bricks set beside a supply-and-lay figure, so the two can be compared.
- Hourly work at $44–$115 an hour for a repair that cannot be counted in bricks in advance, with an agreed cap.
- A brick letterbox at $390–$1,450 or a built-in barbecue at $1,950–$6,300, supplied and laid, with the footing and trim named.
- How new brickwork is covered and, in hot weather, how the bricks are dampened, since January is hot and February is the wettest month.
- Rising damp low on an older brick home, with injection at $68–$240 a metre priced apart from repointing at $39–$145 a square metre.
- Old brickwork removed first as a demolition and disposal line of its own, not buried in the laying price.
- Where a truck can unload the pallets beside the wall, with any hand carrying from the street charged as labour.
- Start and finish dates, payment stages and GST in writing, and ask for their licence number and insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bricklaying Cost in Sunshine Coast
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →