How to design a sloping garden - Part 1 - Retaining Walls

When designing a sloping garden one of the hardest tasks is how to divide the space into functional areas so that the whole garden can be used without interfering with the privacy of neighbours or creating an ugly outlook from the house.

Most people look at a sloping garden as a problem rather than a wonderful opportunity to make a beautiful garden.  The outcome of this is usually a huge retaining wall enclosing or supporting a patio near the house with the rest of the garden not used because it is unsafe and inaccessible.  However, with a little careful planning a sloping garden can be functional and stunning.

Contemporary Sloping Garden Design Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire

The main issue when designing a sloping garden is cost.  To create useable, safe spaces in a steep garden requires the construction of retaining walls which are expensive.  However, investing in the structure of a sloping garden is like investing in the structure of any other part of a property – it adds value, gives pleasure and extends the living space.

It is always better to design a sloping garden using several lower retaining walls rather than fewer very high walls.  It is usually false economy to construct a single, high retaining wall.  It may seem like less work and therefore a cheaper option, but a high retaining wall needs large foundations in order to be structurally sound and usually the services of s structural engineer, whereas several smaller walls will need shallower foundations and will help to stabilise the garden.  

Large Sloping Garden Design, Kenley, Surrey

Retaining walls are usually constructed from concrete blocks which are either rendered (plastered) and painted, or faced (clad) with another material such as brick, stone, flint, slate, steel, mosaic sheets – there are many other options. 

Stone filled wire cages called gabions are also very useful for creating retaining walls, their advantage is that they do not need a concrete foundation which generally makes them cheaper to build.  Gabion cages are stitched together to make walls and then filled with stone such as Limestone walling, flint, cobbles, stacked paving slabs, stacked granite setts – again, there are many different options.

Contemporary Sloping Garden Design, Reading Berkshire

Railway sleepers are a useful cheap option for creating retaining walls in sloping gardens.  The problem is that they do not last as long and are not as stable as blockwork or gabions.

An essential task when creating a garden on a steep slope is to plan where the walls will go, how high they need to be and what materials they will be constructed from.  A garden design plan will show how the garden will look once it is complete and allow landscape contractors to submit accurate quotations for carrying out the work.  The plan should also allow the garden to be constructed in phases if budget is tight.

3-D visual for a sloping garden design in Basingstoke, Hampshire

If you would like help planning your garden please get in touch through my Web site . I specialise in sloping garden design and would love to help.

Check out my previous post on designing a sloping garden here . 

Garden Design Plans - The Master Plan

There are many different phases in the garden design process.  Each part of the process usually results in the production of one or more plans.  One of the most exciting phases is the design concept phase out of which comes the master plan.  This is the first of many plans that help to construct successfully a new garden. 

 Master Plan - Sloping Front Garden Design

The master plan is the top level garden design plan, it is the proposed new layout for the garden.  The master plan is a discussion document that allows the designer to convey their ideas and vision for the new garden to the client.  The master plan is usually presented to the client with additional visuals showing part of all of the garden in 3-D.  These supporting visuals help clients understand how the finished garden will look and feel.

 3-D Visual - Sloping Front Garden Design

Clients often mistakenly think they are buying a plan when they pay a garden designer. Whereas what they are actually purchasing is the designer’s knowledge, experience and ability to solve the technical problems associated with constructing gardens that meet the brief and respond to the topography of each site.  The master plan reflects the garden designer’s ideas and creative problem solving abilities honed over years of designing gardens of all shapes and sizes for clients with widely varying requirements.  

 Master Plan - Courtyard Garden Design

The master plan is a hard copy manifestation of the garden designer’s response to the brief.  It represents many hours of creative thinking.  It shows where everything is located – seating areas, retaining walls, planted areas, lawn, etc.  These elements must not only meet the client’s brief but also fit in the space, contain the correct balance of mass and void, and combine to give the garden a sense of symmetry.  This will result in a garden that feels comfortable to spend time in and also looks wonderful.  The design will also contain elements that move the eye around the garden and, if necessary, divert attention away from ugly external factors, or emphasise a beautiful borrowed view. 

Perspective view - Courtyard Garden Design

The master plan is based on a thorough topographical survey and site analysis.  The survey involves measuring the house and garden and any level changes around the site.  Taking an accurate survey is essential and some of the techniques required are covered in these blog posts Post 1, Post 2.  Very large gardens are best surveyed by a specialist garden surveyor.

Master Plan - Large Country Garden Design

The final garden design is arrived at by working out the practical requirements of the garden from the brief – seating area, paths, lawn, storage, etc - then translating this into a unique design using a number of different creative techniques.  The ideas are represented on a 2-D drawing - the master plan - that shows the house, any existing garden elements that are being retained and all the new parts of the garden.  The master plan will usually be presented to the client in colour, at A1 size, with each element labelled.  The master plan will always include the scale at which the plan is drawn, the drawing number, the designers name, the date and version number of the plan, and a title.

 3-D Visual - Large Country Garden Design

If you'd like help with designing your garden please get in touch.  Visit my Web site and Facebook page for more project photos. 

Linsey Evans Garden Design creates beautiful bespoke gardens throughout Berkshire, Surrey, London, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire.

Sloping Garden Design - Case Study - Post 4

The landscaping in this sloping garden in Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire is very nearly complete.

The top of the garden has been levelled with a larger patio paved with blue-grey granite. One of the main requirements was to provide an upper level that was flat and could be enclosed so that the client's young children could play safely with minimum supervision.

 The topsoil and turf will go down next and the client will have a lush lawn that opens out the space and makes it beautiful and useable.

The garden is quite exposed as it sits on the top of a steep hill, so I have designed a smaller, decked terrace immediately below the patio for sitting and eating in a more private, intimate setting.  This also gives protection from the wind.

The ramp leading down to the lower garden area is waiting for it's sub-base and then a top layer of self-binding gravel.  The stepped planters adjoining the path will be filled with topsoil and await their plants.

The steps up from the lower garden area are complete and the planters on either side will be filled with topsoil and planted with plants that will tumble over the retaining walls softening the scheme.

If you would like help designing your garden please visit my Web Site for all contact details, or email linsey@linseysgardens to arrange a consultation.

See the first , second and third posts for earlier progress shots and a link to the the garden design plan and model. 

Sloping Garden Design - Case Study - Post 3

The build is well underway in this steeply sloping Buckinghamshire garden.  The built elements of the garden look very dominant and a little overbearing at the moment.  This is inevitable when constructing a garden on such a steep site.  However, there will be plenty of planting to soften the garden structure, provide privacy for and from neighbouring properties and blend the garden in with its surroundings. 

All the levels have been excavated and the mostly wooden structure that will retain the new garden is in place.

Although railway sleepers have been used to retain all but the patio area of the new garden the walls look and feel absolutely solid.  Stout (150mm x 150mm) square uprights have been concreted in at no more than 1m intervals.  Each sleeper is fixed to an upright and/or the sleeper beneath it using 300mm long Timberlok screw bolts. 

There has also been a saving on the build costs as no waste has been removed.  We have managed to use all soil and old hard landscaping materials to make up the new levels or as a sub-base for the new path and deck areas.  It is anticipated that only a small amount of new topsoil will be needed.

The blockwork retaining wall that will support the patio area has been built and is awaiting its render finish.

The frameworks for the upper and lower deck areas are in place ready to be clad with Redwood deck boards laid smooth side up.   

All step risers are in place.  This part of the build took longer than expected as the steps leading up from the lower deck area had to be fitted in precisely with the new terraced planting.

 

The raised borders just need a bit of a top up with some extra soil then we can start thinking about planting.

See the first and second posts for earlier progress shots and a link to the the garden design plan and model. 

If you need help designing your garden please visit my Web site for all contact details or email me and I'll be happy to help.

Sloping Garden Design - Case Study - Post 2

The build has started at this steeply sloping garden in Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire.  The house is perched right on top of a hill and the garden drops 3m from top to bottom.  I’ve developed a plan that preserves the stunning views over the Buckinghamshire countryside whilst making the garden attractive and safe for the client’s young children.

Site clearance is always an exciting time.  The old garden is almost gone all but a few piles of rubble.  Even at this stage you can see how much more useable space there will be in the garden once it’s finished.

Kings Landscapes is the contractor and they are doing a great job especially in the appalling weather conditions we had last week.  It has been possible to get a small digger into the site which speeds things up and makes life a little easier for Neil and George.  Although, a great deal of hand digging is necessary because of the awkward shape of the site.  

The old retaining walls and steps have been removed and the new levels are being set out as per my construction/setting out plan.  I had to work extra hard to ensure the levels worked precisely in this small space.  The challenge is fitting in sufficient steps with the correct riser heights to navigate the various terraced levels.  When designing sloping gardens the technical aspect of addressing the level changes with retaining walls and steps to create useable space are at least as important as the aesthetic considerations of the garden design.   

As well as the steep nature of this site it is also a very awkward shape and this lower corner could have ended up being unused or a dumping ground.  Instead, I have made it easier to access via a ramp and at the end will be a deck for the children to play safely in their own 'hidden' space.

The upper level is going to be a flat lawn enclosed by child proof railings so that the children can be allowed to play safely with the minimum of supervision.

See the previous post for some before shots and the garden design plan and model. 

If you need help designing your garden please visit my Web site for all contact details or email me and I'll be happy to help.