Price guide
How much does a Cotswold stone wall cost?
Short answer
The Dry Stone Walling Association gives £60 to £100 per square metre to rebuild a wall with the stone on site. A new wall with bought stone is about £120 to £220 per square metre, nationally. Cotswold walling stone costs more than the national figure: local merchants charge £324 to £480 a tonne.
What dry stone walling costs
A rebuild with the stone on site costs less than a new wall. The Dry Stone Walling Association says walls are now usually priced by the square metre of face, not by the metre length.
Its figures are national. It says costs change with the size and condition of the wall and the type of stone.
| Job | National price |
|---|---|
| Rebuild, with all the stone on site | £60 to £100 per m² |
| New wall, with stone bought in | £120 to £220 per m² |
| Building stone | £60 to £120 per tonne |
| Stone needed for a new wall | About 1 tonne per m² |
National estimates from the Dry Stone Walling Association FAQ, checked on 15 October 2026. The page gives no date for the figures. They are not local quotes. Sources: Dry Stone Walling Association: Frequently asked questions (national).
What Cotswold walling stone costs
Cotswold stone costs more than the national stone figure above. Local merchants publish £324 to £480 a tonne. So a new wall in Cotswold stone may cost more than the national range.
Coverage depends on the stone. Thin bedded stone covers more wall face per tonne than rough dry walling stone.
| Merchant (base) | Product | Published price | Coverage stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire) | Cotswold Yellow walling, 4 inch on a bed | From £480 per tonne plus VAT | 4.3 to 4.5 m² of face per tonne |
| Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire) | Cotswold Yellow dry stone walling, 850 kg bulk bag | From £325 per bag plus VAT | 2.75 m² per tonne |
| Beechfield Reclamation (Devizes, Wiltshire) | Cotswold building stone | £324 per tonne including VAT | Not stated |
Prices that each merchant publishes on its own website, checked on 15 October 2026. These are stone prices only, with no labour or delivery. Sources: Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire): Walling Cotswold Yellow 4 inch on a bed, Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire): Cotswold Yellow dry stone walling, Beechfield Reclamation (Devizes, Wiltshire): Cotswold building stone.
Mortared stone walls
We found no Cotswold firm that publishes a price for a mortared stone wall. Ask for a quote per square metre of face, so you can compare firms.
On an old wall, use lime mortar, not cement. Read our guide to lime mortar or cement.
What changes the price
The height and thickness of the wall, and how much stone must be bought in.
Access for machines and for stone deliveries. A long barrow run adds labour.
The type of coping. The traditional Cotswold top is cock and hen coping, with stones set on edge.
The condition of the old wall. The Cotswolds National Landscape says early repair avoids higher costs later.
Planning. A new wall over 2 metres high, or over 1 metre next to a road, needs planning permission. The national householder fee for a wall is £272.
How to get a fair price
Ask each waller to price the same job in the same way.
- Is the price per square metre of face, or per metre length?
- How much of the stone on site can you reuse?
- Does the price include new stone, delivery and taking away waste?
- What level of the DSWA Craft Certification Scheme do you hold?
Questions
Is a dry stone wall priced per metre or per square metre?
Most wallers now price per square metre of wall face. The Dry Stone Walling Association says a price per metre length does not account for height.
How much stone does a dry stone wall need?
About 1 tonne for each square metre of wall, says the Dry Stone Walling Association. Reusing the stone on site keeps the cost down.
Do I need planning permission to build a stone wall?
Not for a wall up to 1 metre high next to a road, or 2 metres elsewhere, if other conditions are met. A listed site has stricter rules.
Sources
- Dry Stone Walling Association: Frequently asked questions (national)
- Dry Stone Walling Association: Register of professional wallers
- Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire): Walling Cotswold Yellow 4 inch on a bed
- Stoneworld (Great Milton, Oxfordshire): Cotswold Yellow dry stone walling
- Beechfield Reclamation (Devizes, Wiltshire): Cotswold building stone
- Cotswolds National Landscape: Dry stone walls
- Planning Portal: Fences, gates and garden walls, planning permission
- Planning Portal: Application fees, England, from 1 April 2026 (PDF)