More Landscaping - Need ideas on terracing my lawn

[Tiger]

My lawn is south facing, lots of sun, and the soil is , a hard clay and with the slight slope the water basically runs off of it before it soaks in. So I want to get rid of some of the slope. So basically right now I just do not water it come summer time so I do not have to waste the water since it just runs off.

What I want to do is put in railway ties (untreated) to raise the front of the lawn to lower the slope. Is there anywhere to get them (or something similar) so I can build a nice looking terrace. Or does anybody have a better idea (pictures would be nice).

[MelBridgeman]

I have nothing to add, other then I thought you were talking about something else.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Tiger

My lawn is south facing, lots of sun, and the soil is , a hard clay and with the slight slope the water basically runs off of it before it soaks in. So I want to get rid of some of the slope. So basically right now I just do not water it come summer time so I do not have to waste the water since it just runs off.

What I want to do is put in railway ties (untreated) to raise the front of the lawn to lower the slope. Is there anywhere to get them (or something similar) so I can build a nice looking terrace. Or does anybody have a better idea (pictures would be nice).

How high is your retaining wall going to be (approx)? If I was you, and if it wasn't too big of a wall, i'd be looking at stone instead of railway ties, last longer and look better IMO.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Tiger

My lawn is south facing, lots of sun, and the soil is , a hard clay and with the slight slope the water basically runs off of it before it soaks in. So I want to get rid of some of the slope. So basically right now I just do not water it come summer time so I do not have to waste the water since it just runs off.

What I want to do is put in railway ties (untreated) to raise the front of the lawn to lower the slope. Is there anywhere to get them (or something similar) so I can build a nice looking terrace. Or does anybody have a better idea (pictures would be nice).

And, without knowing what your yard looks like... the retaining wall will help level your yard, but will not help the lawn situation. You should probably account for having to add 3-4 inches of black dirt on top of the clay, and plant new grass to get your lawn to grow properly. Clay doesn't make for nice lawns.

[BlackArcher101]

I don't think lowering of the slope is going to help with your water issue very much. The clay will still be there and instead of the excess running off, it will start to pool.

My father had bad clay soil as well, and was very difficult to water.

Start with aerating your lawn to see if that helps. If not, I would bring in some nice dirt and resod. (You'll have to regrass anyways if you change the slope).

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Would using a soaker hose not work?

[Tiger]

I would only need to have a retaining wall that is 12-18" high to mostly level off my lawn. The whole process would include me getting good soil and re sodding the lawn. The soaker hose is okay but still not great.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Tiger

I would only need to have a retaining wall that is 12-18" high to mostly level off my lawn. The whole process would include me getting good soil and re sodding the lawn. The soaker hose is okay but still not great.

Well, if its not a big cost issue, I'd use a stone/brick retaining wall and add the sod, make sure it is well graded so it doesn't pool and you're good to go.

[Rathji]

Allen Block. ( Which is what is in those photos)

[MoneyGuy]

My yard is being renoed as we speak (er, type). The back was high and the whole yard sloped to the house and garage. I used to get water in my garage in spring. We're building a berm at the back and used a Bobcat to take out the slope so the berm will be much higher than the rest of the yard to provide some privacy. It's going to look nice when it's done, sometime next week. I could post pics if you like. I'm using a lower-cost option, so the berm won't have a wall of blocks. Those things are expensive, however we used cedar chips in the beds and that stuff costs a fortune.

[Envitro]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

My yard is being renoed as we speak (er, type). The back was high and the whole yard sloped to the house and garage. I used to get water in my garage in spring. We're building a berm at the back and used a Bobcat to take out the slope so the berm will be much higher than the rest of the yard to provide some privacy. It's going to look nice when it's done, sometime next week. I could post pics if you like. I'm using a lower-cost option, so the berm won't have a wall of blocks. Those things are expensive, however we used cedar chips in the beds and that stuff costs a fortune.

Do you mind PM'ing me and letting me know what you're using for the wall?
I'm in the process of getting quotes for retaining walls (2.5-3' high) and they're bloody expensive.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

My yard is being renoed as we speak (er, type). The back was high and the whole yard sloped to the house and garage. I used to get water in my garage in spring. We're building a berm at the back and used a Bobcat to take out the slope so the berm will be much higher than the rest of the yard to provide some privacy. It's going to look nice when it's done, sometime next week. I could post pics if you like. I'm using a lower-cost option, so the berm won't have a wall of blocks. Those things are expensive, however we used cedar chips in the beds and that stuff costs a fortune.

Pics would be great, thanks

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Envitro

Do you mind PM'ing me and letting me know what you're using for the wall?
I'm in the process of getting quotes for retaining walls (2.5-3' high) and they're bloody expensive.

There is no wall. We're building mounds around the outside and they'll slope into the yard. The mounds will be covered with those ghastly- expensive cedar chips. They're a thousand bucks a load. As requested by another poster, I can post pics once it's done. I just wish I'd taken before pics so you can see how much better the yard looks compared to before.

My brother does concrete and landscaping work and he's doing this for me. He says the blocks used to build a wall are about five bucks each and this would use a lot of them. You could build the wall our of poured concrete for less money.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

There is no wall. We're building mounds around the outside and they'll slope into the yard. The mounds will be covered with those ghastly- expensive cedar chips. They're a thousand bucks a load. As requested by another poster, I can post pics once it's done. I just wish I'd taken before pics so you can see how much better the yard looks compared to before.

My brother does concrete and landscaping work and he's doing this for me. He says the blocks used to build a wall are about five bucks each and this would use a lot of them. You could build the wall our of poured concrete for less money.

And it would crack within 2-3 years due to frost heaving.

Allen Block Standard is about 10 bucks a square foot when you include the cost of gravel. This can get pretty pricey, but it looks awesome and even if you do get some crazy frost heaving it doesn't totally destroy your wall. Worst case you reset a few blocks.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

I have nothing to add, other then I thought you were talking about something else.

Good job. I expected the first reply to be about plowing.

[Chingas]

If you are going to go throught the expense of new soil and sod, is it necesary to do make a retaining wall? A 12" drop over what I am assuming would be over 15 feet or more shouldn't be too bad. It is always nice to have some grade away from the house.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Rathji

And it would crack within 2-3 years due to frost heaving.

Allen Block Standard is about 10 bucks a square foot when you include the cost of gravel. This can get pretty pricey, but it looks awesome and even if you do get some crazy frost heaving it doesn't totally destroy your wall. Worst case you reset a few blocks.

Probbly, but properly reinforced it will hold together and the cracking may be insignificant. You;d get a good wall and it's maintenance free. Depends what one is looking for.

[Ice]

I have clay soil in my front and a few years back put in new sod. My landscaper mixed sand in with the dirt and it made a world of difference. I still have runoff if we get a lot of rain, but the water from my sprinklers soaks in and the grass has stayed nice and green and thick ever since. Adding sand was cheap and it allowed the yard to be leveled without any expensive masonary work.