Before and After: 3 Creative Solutions to a Sloped Yard
Step it up? Level it out? See how designers, including one found on Houzz, beautifully handled grade changes in 3 yards
An uneven landscape is often an underused landscape. A hill might be hard to climb, a steep pitch hinders playing, and who would set a dining table on a slope? Not to mention the potential issues with safety, soil erosion and rainwater runoff. But figuring out how to handle a grade change gracefully can be difficult, which is why we’re sharing these three skillful designs. Each is distinct, but all solve grading problems while enhancing the natural beauty of the landscape. Would any work for your own yard? Let us know in the Comments.
Before Photo
After: Hoffman tackled the trek up and down the hill with bluestone slab steps, winding them around for a gentle ascent and descent. Newly planted grapevines turn the south side of the slope into a miniature vineyard, with clover planted between to help with water runoff and slope erosion. A dry-stacked stone wall adds interest and aids in soil retention as well.
The team kept the existing deck and mature redwood and oak trees, which offer a lovely canopy for the deck when leafy. Homeowner Karen Jacobs, who is an interior designer, selected many of the new plants and hardscape materials plus all of the furnishings.
The new pool at the base of the hill has the feel of a watering hole waiting to be discovered.
Steps: Water-washed bluestone, SBI Materials
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The team kept the existing deck and mature redwood and oak trees, which offer a lovely canopy for the deck when leafy. Homeowner Karen Jacobs, who is an interior designer, selected many of the new plants and hardscape materials plus all of the furnishings.
The new pool at the base of the hill has the feel of a watering hole waiting to be discovered.
Steps: Water-washed bluestone, SBI Materials
Find a local landscape designer
Stone steps on the far side of the hill wend gracefully down to a new seating area with a spark-minimizing gas-burning fire pit. Boulders encircling the fire keep the natural vibe going and create a fun campout feel.
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Before Photo
“After” photos by Leonid Furmansky
2. Cheers to Tiers
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two kids
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Landscape architect: Brian Baughman of Double B Design
Before: This Texas backyard — empty save for a hot tub, some trees and an upward-sloping lawn — wasn’t ideal for hosting the parties and school functions the homeowners were envisioning. Landscape architect Brian Baughman came onboard to create an amenity-filled yard with enhanced natural beauty.
2. Cheers to Tiers
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two kids
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Landscape architect: Brian Baughman of Double B Design
Before: This Texas backyard — empty save for a hot tub, some trees and an upward-sloping lawn — wasn’t ideal for hosting the parties and school functions the homeowners were envisioning. Landscape architect Brian Baughman came onboard to create an amenity-filled yard with enhanced natural beauty.
After: Baughman regraded the base of the slope and added pavers to extend the patio. The hillside now has a bench and two tiers above it: a long steel planter backed by a retaining wall, and a stretch of lawn.
Removing the original wall and pushing the patio out into the yard made room for a dining area and, snuggled into a planted alcove across from it, a fire pit lounge with built-in benches.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture on Houzz
Removing the original wall and pushing the patio out into the yard made room for a dining area and, snuggled into a planted alcove across from it, a fire pit lounge with built-in benches.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture on Houzz
This zoomed-out shot shows how regrading the grassy hillside made way for a generously appointed entertaining space. And the yard still has plenty of natural appeal, thanks to all the new plantings, including grass between the concrete patio pavers, as well as the preserved trees.
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“After” photos by Henry Scott
3. Flat-Out Lovely
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple with children who have just moved out
Location: Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England
Size: 2,690-square-foot (250-square-meter) side yard on a one-third-acre property
Landscape designer: Henry Scott of Pehrsson Scott
Before: With a drop of almost 6½ feet from end to end, this part of a couple’s yard in southern England simply wasn’t usable. And below a newly added studio, a gap highlighted the unevenness of the terrain and made for an awkward entry. The couple tasked landscape designer Henry Scott, whom they found on Houzz, with turning the slope into an area where they could relax and entertain, and with better incorporating the studio.
3. Flat-Out Lovely
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple with children who have just moved out
Location: Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England
Size: 2,690-square-foot (250-square-meter) side yard on a one-third-acre property
Landscape designer: Henry Scott of Pehrsson Scott
Before: With a drop of almost 6½ feet from end to end, this part of a couple’s yard in southern England simply wasn’t usable. And below a newly added studio, a gap highlighted the unevenness of the terrain and made for an awkward entry. The couple tasked landscape designer Henry Scott, whom they found on Houzz, with turning the slope into an area where they could relax and entertain, and with better incorporating the studio.
After: Scott’s team excavated and raised the lower section of the yard to level things out and added long steps to eliminate the gap. The steps are clad in the same light gray porcelain tiles used on the new patio, for an expansive feel.
This part of the yard gets lots of sun, so Scott went with a loosely Mediterranean look, bringing in cypress trees (Cupressus sp.), olive trees (Olea sp.), purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis, USDA zones 7 to 11; find your zone) and agapanthus, among other plants.
Caution: Purpletop vervain can reseed and may be invasive in your area. Check with a landscape professional or local cooperative extension or county extension office before planting.
Plant These Garden Favorites for a Taste of the Mediterranean
This part of the yard gets lots of sun, so Scott went with a loosely Mediterranean look, bringing in cypress trees (Cupressus sp.), olive trees (Olea sp.), purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis, USDA zones 7 to 11; find your zone) and agapanthus, among other plants.
Caution: Purpletop vervain can reseed and may be invasive in your area. Check with a landscape professional or local cooperative extension or county extension office before planting.
Plant These Garden Favorites for a Taste of the Mediterranean
The new studio is perpendicular to the house. This photo was taken from behind the right side of the sectional in the previous photo and shows the kitchen. Sliding glass doors and a nearby table and chairs make dining alfresco convenient.
You can also catch a glimpse here of the grassy yard at the side of the house, reached via a charming steppingstone path.
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You can also catch a glimpse here of the grassy yard at the side of the house, reached via a charming steppingstone path.
Read more about this project
More on Houzz
Tour other inspiring gardens
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Work with a landscape architect near you
Shop for outdoor products
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1. Winding Down
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Jamey and Karen Jacobs
Location: Danville, California
Size: Half-acre backyard
Landscape architect: Martin Hoffmann
Landscape designer and installer: Tracey Blume
Before: Perched on a hillside in Northern California, the deck seen here offered a beautiful vista of native oak trees, the home down below and open nature stretching toward the hills. But the hillside itself wasn’t much to look at, and the hike up to the deck felt like a trek rather than a thoughtful journey. The homeowners wanted to overhaul the backyard with a pool, plantings and steps while keeping the focus on the dramatic natural backdrop. They tapped landscape architect Martin Hoffman for the project.