This Pontypridd garden was a bare, steep slope of soil rising above old brick walls and steps, with a lane running along the top. The before photo shows how little of it was usable: loose earth, a few plants, and nothing to hold the ground or mark the upper boundary.
We tackled it in two parts. Lower down, timber sleepers were stacked to make retaining walls, cutting the bank into level terraced beds. Along the top, a long close-board fence now closes the garden off from the lane. You can find more about boundary work on our fencing services page and about hillside plots in the area on landscaping in Pontypridd.
Holding the slope with sleepers
The work-in-progress photo shows the team building the lower retaining wall, with sleepers laid horizontally behind upright timber posts and more lengths waiting on the ground. Safety barrier netting runs along the lane above while the work goes on. Each wall holds back a band of soil, turning one steep face into a series of flatter beds.
Once the walls were in, the beds were topped with a dark mulch, and a palm and an ornamental grass were kept in place on the upper level. Below them, the original brick walls and steps still lead up from the drive. Terracing with sleepers is often the most practical way to make a steep valley garden usable; our guide to retaining walls in Pontypridd explains when one is needed, and landscaping a hillside garden in Pontypridd covers the bigger picture.
- Sleeper retaining walls stacked between upright timber posts
- Level terraced beds formed from the bare bank and finished with mulch
- Existing brick walls and steps kept at the foot of the slope
A stepped boundary along the lane
At the top of the bank, the new fence is close-board: vertical featheredge boards on rails between timber posts, with a timber gravel board at the base. From the garden you can see it drop in a series of steps as the lane falls away, each bay level at the top so the line stays tidy on a steep site.
From the lane side, the two photos taken at dusk show the same fence as a long, continuous wall of fresh timber, with the valley and hillside beyond. The gravel board keeps the boards clear of the tarmac edge, where water runs down in wet weather. Our article on fencing steep boundaries in Pontypridd goes into stepping and post depth on slopes like this. For your own hillside boundary, ask us for a free quote.
Questions About This Job
How do you fence a boundary that slopes steeply?
Usually by stepping the fence, with each bay level at the top and set a little lower than the one before. The gap at the base on the downhill side is filled with a gravel board so there is nowhere to crawl under.
Are timber sleepers strong enough for a retaining wall?
For lower garden terraces, yes, when they are fixed to posts set firmly in the ground and have drainage behind. Taller walls or ones holding back a lot of soil may need a different build, such as block or brick.
Can you do the fencing and the landscaping together?
Yes. On a slope it often makes sense to plan both at once, so the terraces, steps and boundary line up. See our landscaping page for the wider garden work.
