How to fix drooping feature wall?

MrKayne

G'day all, had a feature wall in our backyard installed roughly five years ago and over the last year it's had a slow droop on its right side and appears on an angle leaning back now. Soil is mostly or entirely clay underneath the house, so everything shifts and and unfortunately so has this.

Pavers I know what to do with, but the feature wall is a bit formidable. Four mount points for the wall: two bracket mount spots on far left and right sides and the two beams in the middle are concreted into the ground. It's a bit hard to tackle from behind, can see that in the last photo it's right on the edge of the neighbours fence which has slightly shifted overtime with work they've done on their side. 

Unsure how to bring it back into its original position, still learning and getting into care for the backyard so any assistance, tips or advice is very welcomed.

EricL

Hello @MrKayne 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your feature wall.

In order to apply a long-term fix, the feature wall will need to be disassembled. Straightening a leaning fence post with a cement footing in clay soil can be a bit of a job, but it’s definitely doable—especially if the concrete is still mostly intact and you’re willing to dig around it. Clay soil complicates things because it expands and contracts with moisture, which often causes posts to lean over time. 

First, assess how badly the post is leaning. If it’s only slightly off and the concrete footing is still solid (not cracked or broken), you may be able to correct it without fully replacing the post. However, if the concrete is damaged or the lean is severe, the best long-term fix is to reset or re-pour the footing.

Start by digging around the concrete footing with a shovel or post hole digger to expose the full depth of the concrete. You’ll want at least 15–20 cm of clearance all around. This gives you room to move and straighten the post properly. Clay soil can be sticky and heavy when wet, so if it’s recently rained, let it dry out a bit before digging.

Once the footing is fully exposed, use a level to check how far out of alignment the post is. Gently push or pull the post into the correct upright position. Depending on the weight and lean, you may need to use a lever (like a crowbar) or a helper to assist you. If the post moves freely and you can straighten it, hold it in position with temporary braces—timber offcuts or stakes with screws or clamps work well. Make sure it’s perfectly plumb on both sides with your level.

Now it’s time to lock it back into place. If the existing concrete footing is still usable, you can top it up and reinforce it with fresh concrete. Mix up a batch of quick-set concrete and pour it into the gap around the old footing, making sure to slope the top slightly away from the post to prevent water pooling. Let it cure for 24–48 hours while keeping the bracing in place.

If the footing is cracked or too loose to reuse, you’ll need to fully remove it—this part takes effort but it’s worth doing properly. Break up the old footing with a sledgehammer or jackhammer, remove the debris, then re-set the post in a new hole (at least 600mm deep, deeper if the fence is tall). Fill it with fresh concrete, brace it again, and let it cure as above.

Because you're in clay soil, drainage is crucial. When re-setting the post, consider adding a layer of coarse gravel (about 10–15cm deep) at the base of the hole before pouring concrete. This helps reduce water retention around the post and lessens soil movement over time.

If this is a common issue along your fence line, adding a French drain or simply ensuring water drains away from the posts can go a long way in preventing future leaning.

Let me call on our experienced members @Nailbag and @Dave-1 for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric