I am thinking of buying the house but has a sloppy backyard. Mowing would be tough. Is there a way to flatten it or make it usable somehow? What would be the cost roughly? How about a deck? I also want to be able to do some gardening. Please suggest.
by bereal-100
35 Comments
Skateboard ramp? Zip line?
Slip n slide
Terraces? How far is it from house to tree line? Hard to give suggestions without other views/scale.
Terraces/retaining walls. They’re a lot of work, though, and you need to either do a lot of homework or hire *qualified* professionals (probably some permits required). If you don’t build them properly, they’ll just collapse, with potentially dire consequences.
Edit: Yes, there’s some significant engineering involved. I was thinking a series of 3-4 ft terraces, but even that requires significant knowledge of soil mechanics, etc. “Homework” was probably a significant understatement.
Deck is your best bet with planters on it for gardening. Mowing that will be a nightmare. I’d make sure whatever is below the deck can help stop the erosion and that you don’t need to maintain it. I wouldn’t want any part in mowing any part of that hill.
Cost depends on the size of the deck. If you want Taj MaDeck then $100k ish. Could probably get something good for 30-40k though
It’ll take a $75k retaining wall…
I’d suggest retaining wall BUT that pipe would make it a no-go. Septic drainage field? Don’t mess with that area
You can do a deck, but I would terrace the slope. Each terrace would have a different function, a bbq or outdoor kitchen on one with outdoor dining table. A lounge area on the next with some tables or games. Look up terrace farming, this idea is how farmers make use of a hillside.
judging by that drain and the tube sticking up if you tried to terrace it you’d probably be digging up some pipes. (Sprinkler system?)
OMG, as someone who owns a house with a hill that is less steep than that, I commiserate.
I fell down 4 times, then decided to convert the hillside and the wet area at the bottom to a native garden and have been fighting the township for weed violations ever since… though a lot of that is because the hill on my property faces 2 streets, so visibility is a factor
Personally, if I bought property like that, I’d hire someone to mow that before you break your tailbone.
Cut in terraces. Plant garden on terrace.
i see subsidence in the future of this hill, which you might first notice when the condensor becomes unleveled.
A very tall retaining wall and many yards of dirt will make this flat. In order to lessen the massive expense of this, consider doing two flat terraces. One higher, one below. Each would have its own more reasonable hight retaining wall, and it would take a lot less dirt. You could make the top one a patio and the lower one a garden space, with a staircase between them. Still expensive, but far less dirt.
It’s going to be retaining walls. That is the solution.
Start one of those cheese wheel competitions!
Terraces for gardening. Sections of fruit trees, veggies, herb, etc.
and a flat bottom as an entertaining space.
I would say that you don’t have an actual back yard. What you have is a ravine.
Install a ski lift and a ticket booth.
i just wouldnt ever buy property with a backyard like that. Too much cost and effort. Its essentially unusable unless you spend $75k – $100k. Factor that into the cost of the property before you buy it.
What is the actual slope? It’s hard to tell from the picture? You can probably figure it out on Google Earth by measuring the horizontal distance and elevation change. My guess is that you aren’t going to want a 20′ high wall, so you will be looking at several terraces. Retaining walls can cost $100 per square foot of face, probably more for the difficulty of working on this steep slope, so it’s going to be expensive.
Uh, that slope looks far too steep to have built a house on top of it. Any retaining wall to stabilize that slope would be exorbitantly expensive. I’d run from that purchase, very fast.
tiered garden beds.
Beyond building retaining walls and stairs there isn’t much to do. Cost could be crazy if you can’t get machinery in.
That hill is steep enough that’d Id want absolutely nothing to do with it if I had a choice.
Is there a submarine under your yard?
Making a tiered garden is definitely an option. Plants grow just fine on slopes. I wouldn’t want to mow this either, i’m not a goat.
For a deck I would go for a deck that both goes into the slope as hangs over it, because that would require the minimal amount of force to be dealt with. (small retaining wall + small height, instead of a enormous retaining wall or towering deck)
Creating zigzag paths with short stairs will be much nicer to walk than one big staircase to the bottom. [Do: cut the slope in many short stairs.](https://pin.it/sknJK4ZQW) [Don’t: create one, tiring steep staircase.](https://pin.it/2q9BrcqZE)
Pinterest has lovely inspiration for slopes gardens!
Switchbacks
I have a VERY similar backyard. Even the trees in back. Only I have a small flat space at the bottom, approximately 600 sq ft.
A neighbor with the same issue did the retaining wall. I refuse to spend the money as it’s sunk cost. Instead, my house already has a solution:
A deck out the rear of the house and also a bay window beside the deck at our breakfast nook. I itch the woods behind we have a SPECTACULAR view in all four seasons and it’s like a treehouse. The view sold the house and will sell it in the future. You need to accentuate the view. It will be much cheaper than a retaining wall and will raise your home value.
Terrace it. You can look up ways online. Deck and wildflowers as stated above will be less expensive unless you do the labor
Native plants, especially ones that help with soil erosion; I also saw some folks saying a deck, which be the perfect place to view your gorgeous wildflower meadow. Quick tip as well, native plants are adapted to your climate and once established need Very Little maintenance.
My suggestion is to find a different house with a better yard
That backyard sucks. You’re not going to do anything with it so just find another home.
It would be cheaper to buy a different house.
Don’t buy that house
Problem solved.
Unless you feel like spending $100k on a retaining wall
I would run away from this house because of the backyard.