Help With My Backyard Design

9 years ago

HELP!!!!! I recently just bought a lovely mid century home that needs a few upgrades, but the main pain in my butt is the back. My backyard is in desperate need of help. I have a 3 tiered layered back yard, that slopes downward. The last tier is about an 8-10ft drop. This is a big safety concern for me whenever there is children around, right now children would not be able to play in the back yard. I have a huge side yard that they can be used for kid space, but right now I don't trust them being alone in that area because there is nothing stopping them from wandering into the back yard. The back yard has wood retaining walls as well as wood steps that lead downward to the rest of the backyard. ALL the wood has been rotted. I need to find a cheap/reasonable solution to replace the retaining walls as well as an option on what to do about that 10ft drop.

My idea is to swap out the retaining wall and put up a huge privacy fence and not use the rest of the backyard space that slopes downward. I would like to use this space mainly as an entertaining area, sitting, with an outdoor fireplace. I'm not concerned with losing the yard space, as I have a huge front yard and side yard as well. My main concern really is to not have to deal with the retaining wall and the downward slope of the backyard.

I would be so appreciative of any help/ideas/comments to help me solve this HUGE problem of mine.

The fence towards the back, beyond that fence is a 10ft drop off. I'd like to get rid of both trees you see in these pictures.

The 2nd tier is where I would like to put up a privacy fence and then not worry about the area beyond that, but this whole area you see in the picture in part of my land.

To the left of the house, the continuation of the rotted wood, the slopped yard, and all the trees. PLEASE HELP with any suggestions and ideas.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

A desperate homeowner

Featured Answer

miacometlady

9 years ago

If you but the bullet and hire a landscaper who builds retaining walls then have him draw up a three phase plan. First phase clean up and fence for safety. Phase two can be part or all of the retaining walls. Phase three the fun stuff... mulching and planting and grass.

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Comments (9)

apple_pie_order
9 years ago
Beautiful edge of the woods. It'll be fun to see what comes up in the spring. Some situations call for a professional landscape architect to develop a good plan that will fit your budget. This is one. In the meantime, try getting an estimate for various kinds of fences that can be used to separate the kid area from the forbidden area. Check with city hall to see what types of fences are permitted in your area. In my area, for example, chain link fences are not permitted. You may also need to hire a crew to do a one-time cleanup.
apple_pie_order
9 years ago
By the way, in some climates the fence posts rot out first. They can be replaced, then the other parts of the fence re-installed if they are still sound. You might try posting in the gardenweb area if you need advice on how to do this.
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skysdalimit30
Original Author
9 years ago
Apple Pie,

Thank You! It definitely needs a clean up, I just bought the house in Nov, and I've been traveling a lot. I was waiting until the weather got nicer to do that. When I got the house inspected the inspector told me that it all needs to be replaced, a few people have expressed that about the wood walls. But I think you're right I may need to bite the bullet and hire a landscape architect. I've been doing some work on the inside of the house, so it's not really in my budget to start the outside right now, but I also can't look at this yard like this....and I want to be hands on by doing some work myself to gain knowledge on how these things work. Thanks for your comments.
apple_pie_order
9 years ago
Thanks for additional info. The reason I mention hiring a crew is that three or four people can clean up a lot in a day, especially if they bring their wood chipper and professional equipment for removing overgrown brush, then haul away the debris in one fell swoop. One or two people working with kids underfoot can spend all summer weekends at it. Getting fence estimates is easy, then you can plan your budget for various phases of the work.
teeainttelling
9 years ago
Why a privacy fence? I think that with the slope you would be able to look right over the top.
skysdalimit30
Original Author
9 years ago
Teeooh, I like the idea/aesthetic looks of a privacy fence, but I guess what really is needed here is a safety fence, I want it to be safe for kids to play in the back yard, right now as it is, it's not safe, a young small kid could easily climb over that fence to a 10ft drop. With a privacy/safety fence up I don't have to worry about that.

Thanks for the comment.
groveraxle
9 years ago
Since safety is your first concern. I would get estimates on a wrought iron fence which would make the drop-off inaccessible, but still allow you to keep the view. Once that's done, you can take your time planning the rest of the yard. Since you haven't spent a summer here yet, you don't know how the space will best be used. I wouldn't make any other decisions till fall.
skysdalimit30
Original Author
9 years ago
Groveraxle,

Thanks for your comment. I will take your advice and get an estimate on a fence.

If you have any design ideas please share.

Thanks