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      The Sloping Garden

Sloped gardens - the ones we love to hate. The curse of many view properties. But without them, the breathtaking views we love to brag about would not exist. And then we'd be sad.

So let's just accept them, and deal with them in the best possible way. Because of the site-specific nature of slopes, many of these ideas may not work for you, but I am confident there is something for everyone.

There are many ways to deal with a slope.
You could build out over it. A wooden deck with wide stairs and landings will often eliminate the necessity for retaining walls while covering up that nasty hill and the maintenance you don't do on it.

You could lengthen the slope to reduce its height. However, as with all landscape decisions, MAINTENANCE is a key factor when deciding what to do. If you cannot lengthen the slope to a degree that makes maintenance easier, adding retaining walls might be more palatable as it saves back breaking, miserable hours weeding or mowing on a steep slope.

So let's think about walls.
Slope is a relative term, and guessing the slope of your property can range from difficult to impossible. It is extremely critical to the success of your efforts, so don't guess. Get a level, and measure the amount of slope accurately. Before you even begin to decide where the walls will go - DRAW IT OUT. To scale - no sketching and guessing. It will save you time, money and energy. You can estimate materials accurately, know what it will look like, and decide if it's worth it.

Or have a professional design it. It's a worthwhile investment.
Walls higher than 4' need to be engineered. Check with your municipality, as allowable heights and distances between retaining walls differ between areas. You have all heard about walls that have failed, and you don't want one of them to be yours. The area between the walls need not be completely flat, but flatter yards usually lead to less maintenance. Keeping walls 4' or less is generally easier and less expensive, but if higher walls will give you more level, livable space right outside your door, it might be worth the expense of engineering. There are many choices for construction - dry stacked boulders or flat rocks, broken concrete (reuse, recycle), exposed aggregate, smooth, stamped or sculptured concrete, brick, stucco faced, wood or a variety of stacking segmental concrete walls. There are varying degrees of cost and/or labour involved with each. Accessibility can be a deciding factor. Each has its own unique construction technique, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

There is no rule that says a wall must be completely straight. Adding contour might add some degree of difficulty and cost, but will also make your wall less imposing and will add depth to a space already made narrower by its construction.

Walls at the edge of a patio area that are 16"-18" high with a wide cap can act as additional seats for your guests. With or without cushions for special occasions, they will provide additional furniture and delight adults and children alike. You may choose to have the wall border only part of the patio, as if it encloses it entirely, it often makes the space seem smaller. A softer, plated edge can be more attractive.

Steps go hand in hand with walls. Whenever possible, build the walls slightly higher than the risers, to enclose the steps. It makes you feel steadier when you are climbing the stairs, and it nestles the steps into the ground. Every riser in a set of steps must be the same height. No exceptions. The rule is 2X the Riser + the Tread = 27". Minimum riser height is 5" and maximum is 7½" for outdoor steps. Make steps nice and wide. There is a lot of room outside, don't be afraid to use it.

Water creates magic, and slopes are obvious, natural places for water to be. Think about including it. The styles and types are almost endless.

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