In short
Split the slope into two or three flat levels, each with a job: somewhere to eat by the house, a lawn or play area in the middle, planting or a seat at the top or bottom. Use stone walls, sleepers or decks to hold each level, link them with generous steps, and plan the drainage before anything else.
On this page
A sloping garden can feel like a problem until you stop trying to make it flat. Terracing turns one awkward bank into a series of level spaces, each a few steps apart, and a garden that was hard to use becomes one with more interest than a flat lawn ever has.
Start with what each level is for
Before thinking about walls or boards, decide what you want to do in the garden and give each level one job. Most terraced gardens end up with some version of this:
- By the house: a level for eating and sitting, at or close to door height. This is the one you use every day, so make it the biggest.
- In the middle: lawn, a play area or a vegetable patch.
- At the far end: a seat to catch the evening sun, a shed, or planting that you look at rather than walk on.
Two or three levels are usually plenty for a typical back garden. More than that and too much of the garden turns into steps and walls.
Ways to hold up each level
Stone walls
Dry-stone or mortared stone walls are the traditional answer, and in hill towns many gardens already have them. They look right next to stone houses and last for generations if built well. They are also the most expensive and slowest option for new work, and a wall more than about a metre high is a structure that needs proper design.
Sleepers and timber
Railway-style sleepers stacked on their sides make quick, informal retaining walls for low changes of level, up to about 60 cm. They suit vegetable beds and cottage planting. Use treated timber rated for ground contact; softwood sleepers in wet soil will rot within ten to fifteen years.
Gabions
Wire cages filled with stone. They drain freely, look modern, and can be built by hand in sections. They take up more width than a wall.
Decks
A deck holds a level without holding back any soil at all. The frame stands on posts and the ground underneath stays where it is. That makes decks the cheapest way to create a large flat area on a steep bank, and the easiest to remove or change later. Many terraced gardens combine the two: a deck by the house over the steepest part, with stone or sleeper terraces below. Our page on decking on a slope goes into the deck options.
Steps and paths between levels
The links between levels decide whether a terraced garden is pleasant or a chore.
- Keep steps generous: a rise of 150 to 180 mm and treads at least 280 mm deep. Our guide to decking steps has the numbers.
- Put steps where people naturally walk, usually down one side, not straight through the middle of the lawn.
- On long slopes, a zigzag path with a gentle gradient is easier than a long straight flight, especially with a wheelbarrow or a mower.
- Add a handrail on any flight longer than a few steps, and guard the edge of any level that drops more than 600 mm.
Drainage comes first
Water runs downhill, and on a terraced garden it all arrives at the lowest wall and the house. Before building:
- Find out where water goes now in heavy rain.
- Give every retaining wall drainage behind it, usually a gravel backfill and a perforated pipe, so water does not build up and push the wall over.
- Make sure the level nearest the house falls away from the house, not towards it.
- Leave the ground under a deck open or gravelled so water can pass through.
In clay soils, common across much of West Yorkshire, this matters more than anywhere. Clay holds water, swells and pushes on walls.
Planting a terraced garden
Terracing gives you raised beds for free. The tops of walls are perfect for trailing plants, and the different levels let you grow things at eye height when sitting on the level below.
- Drought-tolerant plants such as lavender, rosemary and thyme suit the tops of walls, which dry out fast.
- Ferns and hostas suit the shaded foot of a north-facing wall.
- Grasses soften the hard edges of steps and decks and move in the wind.
- On exposed hillside gardens, choose tough, low plants for the top terraces and save tender ones for sheltered corners.
Planning and permissions
Most garden terracing does not need planning permission, but some parts can:
- Decks and raised platforms more than 30 cm above the ground normally need an application.
- Retaining walls that act as a boundary are limited in height, typically 2 m in a back garden.
- Significant changes to ground levels can need permission, especially near boundaries.
- Listed buildings and some conservation areas have stricter rules.
If in doubt, check with the council before work starts.
Rough costs
Prices vary a lot with access, ground and materials, but as a broad guide:
| Approach | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Composite deck terrace, raised on posts | Roughly £120 to £320 per m², fitted |
| Sleeper retaining wall, up to 60 cm | Often £150 to £300 per metre run |
| New stone retaining wall | Several hundred pounds per metre and up, depending on height |
The deck figure includes the extra cost of a raised frame. Our composite decking cost calculator works out a deck terrace for your size and height.
A simple plan to start from
For a typical garden that falls a metre or so over ten metres:
- A composite deck off the back door, level with the house, around 4 × 3 m.
- Three wide steps down to a lawn held by a low sleeper wall.
- A gravel path down one side to a bench and planting at the bottom.
That gives three distinct spaces for much less than a full set of stone walls, and every part of the garden is usable.