How much does bricklaying cost in Wollongong?
Hiring a bricklayer in Wollongong costs $49–$130 an hour, or $485–$970 for a full day on site. Larger jobs are priced by the brick or by the square metre: laying runs $1,075–$2,375 per thousand bricks, labour only, and a standard wall $59–$130 per square metre. Home jobs range from a brick letterbox at $430–$1,625 to retaining walls at $270–$700 a square metre, plus repointing and damp-proofing for older walls. Before comparing quotes, check whether the bricks, mortar, scaffolding and rubbish removal are in the price or extra.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Bricklaying cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Bricklaying Cost in Wollongong 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklaying (hourly rate) | $49/hr | $81 | $130 |
| Bricklaying (per 1,000 bricks, labour) | $1,075/1000 bricks | $1,725 | $2,375 |
| Bricklaying (per sqm, standard) | $59/sqm | $86 | $130 |
| Garden feature wall, installed (per sqm) | $150/sqm | $280 | $485 |
| Brick retaining wall, installed (per sqm) | $270/sqm | $485 | $700 |
| Brick veneer (new home, per sqm) | $54/sqm | $76 | $110 |
| Brick pointing / repointing (per sqm) | $43/sqm | $76 | $160 |
| Brick repair (per brick) | $27per brick | $70 | $150 |
| Brick letterbox (supply & lay) | $430total | $865 | $1,625 |
| Brick BBQ or simple fireplace (built, installed) | $2,150total | $3,775 | $7,000 |
| Damp-proof course, whole-house retrofit | $1,075total | $3,775 | $6,500 |
| Full-day bricklaying | $485per day | $700 | $970 |
| Damp-proof course injection (per metre) | $76/m | $120 | $270 |
You're in.
A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Getting quotes for bricklaying work in Wollongong? Get a quote from a verified local tradie — free, no obligation.
Get Wollongong quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Wollongong metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What Affects Bricklaying Costs in Wollongong
Who buys the bricks
The per-thousand rate of $1,075–$2,375 buys the laying and nothing else; bricks, sand and cement are a separate purchase, sometimes made by the homeowner. Spread over a thousand bricks, new work costs a small fraction of fixing one damaged brick ($27–$150), since a repair means raking out old mortar and matching what is there. Get every bricklayer to state whether materials are in or out.
Wet months and fresh mortar
The university weather station records 1,323.7 mm of rain a year, and March and February are Wollongong's wettest months (BOM averages). Fresh mortar washed by rain loses strength and stains the face of the bricks, so crews stop in a downpour and cover new courses. July and September are the driest months here, and a job booked then is less likely to stretch over extra days.
Repointing and rising damp
Raking out and refilling tired joints runs $43–$160 per square metre. Damp creeping up a wall is fixed by drilling in a chemical barrier at $76–$270 a metre, or $1,075–$6,500 when every wall needs it. In a city this rainy, have the cause found first: a garden bed heaped above the old damp course, blocked weep holes or a leaking downpipe can do the damage on their own.
Brick fences on the boundary
NSW planning rules let a brick or block dividing fence at the side or back of the block go up without approval to a height of 1.2 metres, while other fence materials can reach 1.8 metres; on a road frontage every fence stops at 1.2 metres (NSW Planning Portal). Anything taller in brick needs approval. Neighbours normally split a dividing fence equally, but a neighbour who wants a higher standard than a sufficient fence pays the extra.
Retaining and feature walls
A brick retaining wall typically costs more per square metre ($270–$700) than a garden feature wall ($150–$485), because it has to hold back soil and water. Under the NSW exempt development code, a retaining wall needs no approval when it stays at or below 600mm, keeps a metre clear of every boundary and has drainage tied into the stormwater; past those limits, plan for engineering and approval.
Working at height
Once brickwork climbs past what can be laid from the ground, the law enforced here by SafeWork NSW calls for a safe system of work to stop falls, such as barriers or scaffolding. Scaffold hire then goes on the quote. That matters for upper-storey veneer on a new home ($54–$110) and for extensions, but rarely for a garden wall or letterbox.
Licences and insurance
A NSW contractor licence is needed for trade work such as brick laying once the contract tops $5,000, counting labour, materials and GST. For home building work worth more than $20,000, NSW tells owners to confirm the business has valid insurance before handing over a deposit. A letterbox sits well under the licence line; a garage, extension or long retaining wall can pass both.
How to Save Money on Bricklaying Cost in Wollongong
Bricklaying Cost in Wollongong by Wall Area
Say a wall is 25 square metres and six bricks have cracked, both the example's own assumptions. The wall at $59–$130 a square metre comes to $1,475–$3,250 in labour, and the six repairs at $27–$150 a brick add $162–$900 as a separate line.
What moves a wall of that size in Wollongong is the weather and who buys what. Rain stains the face of the bricks and weakens fresh mortar, so crews cover new courses and halt in a downpour, and July and September are the driest months to book. Bricks, sand and cement are bought on top of the laying rate, so the quote should say who orders them.
Bricklaying Cost in Wollongong: What the Quote Should Include
A Wollongong bricklaying quote is clearer when it says who buys the bricks, how rain days are handled and what is behind any damp wall. Whether the job is in Thirroul, Figtree or Dapto, the same lines separate one quote from another.
- Who buys the bricks, sand and cement, and whether the homeowner or the bricklayer orders them, stated on the quote.
- Block laying, if that is the job, quoted in the same units as brick so the two can be lined up.
- A rain plan for the wet months, February and March in particular, covering new courses and stopping work in a downpour, since rain stains the brick face.
- Repointing worn joints at $43–$160 a square metre and a damaged brick at $27–$150 a brick, priced apart from any new wall.
- For damp, the cause found first, such as a garden bed above the old damp course or a leaking downpipe, before injection at $76–$270 a metre.
- A retaining wall at $270–$700 a square metre and a garden feature wall at $150–$485 a square metre, each with its footing and drainage named.
- Scaffold hire for upper-storey veneer or an extension as its own line, with the veneer rate of $54–$110 a square metre kept separate.
- Space for the truck to drop pallets near the wall, since barrowing across a backyard adds hours.
- Start and finish dates, payment stages and GST in writing, and ask for their licence number and insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bricklaying Cost in Wollongong
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 →