Fence Border - help/suggestions

[Batman]

Hi Guys,

I have never posted on gardening site before but I am hoping I have came to right place for a little help...

We have plans to revamp our back garden and one of the things we want to do has got raising some questions. The garden slopes down away from the house and I want to level it from the lowest point/bottom end (if we were to raise it then we'd be taller than the 6ft fence). I would like to know how to support the side fence(s)?

If I level from the lower end then it will probably be about 1 1/2 feet from the top meaning I will expose the postcrete and therefore the fence will fall, how is best to retain it?

There will be a border going in after so not worried what retaining method is used as the border will hide it

I have made a little mock up on sketchup i want i want to achive, as you can see the border round the edge, just to recap i want to know the best way to keep the fence retained hidden behind the border.

I should probably add the fence is not mine, its the neighbours

I'm hoping this all makes sense but i will do my best to answer any questions

Thanks all

 

[Sean Regan]

Hi and welcome.
Is there an existing fence?

If it's a six foot concrete post and base panel fence, you can get longer posts.
Our garden is over a foot higher than the garden behind our back fence.
So we have longer posts and two base panels. But you can only see one panel on our side.

 

[Batman]

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your reply, there is an existing fence but not sure I will be able to change the posts

I've attached 2 photos I took this morning, it dosent really show the slope but the bottom fence away from the conservatory is the low end

I'm not sure if they'll with the imagination

The close up of the side fence is one where it's just lengths of wood rather than panels...the neighbour just had the fence changed last summer so doubt he wants it taken down or anything done to it

 

[Sean Regan]

From what I see, you're going to need a considerable amount of top soil to get the whole garden level, I mean a few tons of it, raising the back end of the garden by one and a half feet.
The back fence is a lesser problem, if you change it, to the way I suggested.
Wooden fences all rot away. Concrete posts and base panels are best with Waneylap wooden panels that slot in and can be replaced.

The problem is with the side fences, keeping the soil from pushing up against them.
Ideally, you'll want the borders to slope slightly towards the lawn. So that will increase the height at the back. There's no easy answer. You could use rows of 1' x 6' concrete base panels to retain the soil, driving some long metal stakes between them to stop them being pushed against the fences. But they'd need to be double at the bottom end and a fair way up the sides.
To be honest it's not something I'd want to do and I've done an awful lot of building work in my garden.

 

[Batman]

Thanks again...would you not recommend levelling from the lower end?

I know that would create steps up to the conservatory but I'm happy with that

Again, attached is a bit more of what the finished article I was hope for

The border going along the bottom fence opposite the conservatory and along the fence that's on the right in this picture

Hoping this is all making sense

 

[Sean Regan]

I'm not clear what you want to do.
Presumably the bottom of the garden is 1.5 ft lower than the top end?

I thought at first you wanted to raise the bottom end.

If you want to lower the end near the house, it's less of a problem. Just slope the border down to the lower level.
A border of 2.5 to 3ft would be wide enough, even with a fairly steep slope at the house end. I'd suggest putting a shallow gully between the border and the lawn, so any rain on the lawn will run off.

This is what I have. A line of bricks negates any lawn edging and any run off from the lawn or sloping border, can drain into the gully. The back of the border is nearly a foot higher than the front.

 

[Batman]

Sorry Sean, appreciate you sticking with me here

Thats right though, I want to remove the higher end to make it level with the lower end but if I do that then I'll expose the postcrete along the side especially with the ones closest to the house

I was thinking the border could also act as the retainer for the fence...ie the border to be 1 or 2 feet higher than the new level ground as I'll be removing about 1 1/2 feet

I could tomorrow draw out a diagram, it might be easier to show with a picture rather than words

 

[Sean Regan]

Sorry Sean, appreciate you sticking with me here

Thats right though, I want to remove the higher end to make it level with the lower end but if I do that then I'll expose the postcrete along the side especially with the ones closest to the house

I was thinking the border could also act as the retainer for the fence...ie the border to be 1 or 2 feet higher than the new level ground as I'll be removing about 1 1/2 feet

I could tomorrow draw out a diagram, it might be easier to show with a picture rather than words

Yes that's what I meant, there would be no need to disturb the posts.
I'm up late as I'm watching the tennis over my laptop. Mind you, we don't go to bed until around midnight, but I'll be up early tomorrow as it's one of my three golf days each week.