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Leveled garden - retaining wall

stephenalexkerrYI_jSWddstephenalexkerrYI_jSWdd Posts: 2
edited August 2021 in Problem solving
Hi everyone,
I am buying a property which the garden is down to bare bones. 

I am ok with making retaining walls at each of the levels at the front but am a bit worried about the banking to the right hand side neighbor as you can see in the photo. What would be a potential solution to this? 

Neighbour is getting work done so is using our garden as laydown space hense the bottom fence is open


Posts

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    It's a difficult one to answer. Anything that could impact your neighbour's wall would need an engineer looking at it to be honest. Perhaps you could keep the bank as is, but introduce a decked path along the side of your garden, which could give you another metre or so of usable space without getting into affecting the slope? It's not an easy one.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd be inclined to do something like the neighbour on the left is doing - gabions.
    Then a path to the inside of that, with a hedge, or a few attractive shrubs, or just some attractive planting, depending on your likes/dislikes, and the time you have to spend on it all. Your budget also becomes a factor, and it will also depend on how much work you can do yourself. 
    Grass is probably a bit pointless in such a small area unless you really want it. Terracing [front to back]  as per the other neighbour, is also probably the best use of the space, and would give plenty of privacy. Perhaps removing a layer of that central section would also help, and would also help ease the slope on the bank, although you'd still need some sort of retaining wall, or similar, on that left side. The neighbour's fence creates a rather ugly area there too. 

    Is your garden a basic rectangle, like the one on the left, or does it extend across to the right and in behind the greenhouse? Or is that all the neighbouring plot? 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    edited August 2021
    Anything over 1m high and/or that could affect the stability of that slope would need much careful thought.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited August 2021
    Indeed @Loxley . It's a tricky site without doubt.  :/
    It's difficult to judge from the photos just how awkward it all is too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GreenbirdGreenbird Posts: 237
    That's a nasty slope. Not sure if the photo is making it look worse.

    You need an engineer.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    If you are buying the property at a fair price, fine.  If not, I'd use the problematic garden as a negotiating tool - obtain quotes from at least two engineers/landscape contractors and come to an arrangement with the seller.  Hopefully you are not already  too far down the conveyancing process to do this.  
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    If it was mine, I'd terrace it both ways, to make a really interesting multi-layer form with steps, seating, beds. Use gabions and sleepers (as your neighbour to the left is doing) and try to avoid having any retaining structure that's more 750mm or so high (easier to build).

    You won't end up with any really large spaces, so you may want to work out where you can get a space big enough for a seating area and then work away from that - up and down - to try, as much as possible, to avoid having to take any soil away (which can be expensive). 

    It could be lovely, if challenging with a wheel barrow
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • stephenalexkerrYI_jSWddstephenalexkerrYI_jSWdd Posts: 2
    Fairygirl said:
    I'd be inclined to do something like the neighbour on the left is doing - gabions.
    Then a path to the inside of that, with a hedge, or a few attractive shrubs, or just some attractive planting, depending on your likes/dislikes, and the time you have to spend on it all. Your budget also becomes a factor, and it will also depend on how much work you can do yourself. 
    Grass is probably a bit pointless in such a small area unless you really want it. Terracing [front to back]  as per the other neighbour, is also probably the best use of the space, and would give plenty of privacy. Perhaps removing a layer of that central section would also help, and would also help ease the slope on the bank, although you'd still need some sort of retaining wall, or similar, on that left side. The neighbour's fence creates a rather ugly area there too. 

    Is your garden a basic rectangle, like the one on the left, or does it extend across to the right and in behind the greenhouse? Or is that all the neighbouring plot? 
    The garden is a rectangle with a basic brick wall between ours and the house of the right. The neighbour doesn't have the issue at being at a higher elevation to their other side neighbour. 
    Would do something like a sleepers for steps up like the neighbor but the bank on the right I just don't know, will likely need to retain it somehow?

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