Garden steps ideas needed

First_timer

Hello,

We are currently levelling out our garden which has a big slope. We had to remove a mini wall border with steps along the house path because we needed to get a digger in and they were ugly. It will be a huge drop from the path beside the house to the lawn/patio area after levelling out is done, so we think building steps will be a nice (and safe) idea to create flow from the house to the garden.

We would rather not have to put up a wall/fence where the old one was, to leave the space open and visually bigger.

How can I attach photos of the problem area to show what I mean? It doesn't let me post a Tinypic link as a new user.

I'm struggling to imagine what the steps will look like if they need to be the whole width of that path and different height! Any ideas?

Davesnave

Post the link, broken in an obvious way, and someone will fix it.

First_timer

Thanks!
Since this photo was taken, further digging has been done, and the drop from the path at the bottom of the house to the garden ground level is around 0.5 meters at its deepest on the right. Fence will run along the right hand side of the photo to separate ours from the neighbour's garden.

Instead of fencing off the path at the top, could we put some furniture (eg. Storage bench) in that 0.5m drop space in the garden, to create some sort of natural barrier and then steps somewhere further along?

Http:// s1248.photobucket.com/user/First_timer/media/IMG_0903_zps7cnf0rdu.jpg.html

Debbie_Savard

First_timer

Just to add, this is the actual width of our garden. To the left of the photo is the garage, to the right will be the fence dividing us from the neighbours. The space is now pretty much levelled with the left-hand side. While it'll be a small step down from the path to the lawn on the left, the drop on the right calls for something to form a barrier. I have seen woven bamboo partitioning screens, or trellis maybe, or steps, just need anything to go up from garden ground level to the path 0.5 meter-ish high, without it being yet another border wall we just took down (although I can see why it was there now...). The border was cutting off the space visually, and we are trying to connect the garden with the path beside the house.

Steps would be straightforward enough, if it wasn't for that whole width of the garden and the varying height to the path (it is sloped).

Debbie_Savard

What about this? Build some dwarf walls (could be sleepers) to give you raised beds either side to plant in to make the house looks less harsh and draw the eye away from all the pebble dash

Build just enough steps down to where you can sensibly slope the grass and keep it cut and it's not a ski-run when wet, running down the main lawn.

Plant lavender etc. along the back so you have some perfume when walking along the path to the steps

getmore4less

hard trying to picture what you want.

How are you joining the ground, low level to the left, higher level to the right, slope or big step(s)?

or is it dug out all the way to the fence on the right?

are you prepared to dig out the concrete path and relay or are you trying to reuse what's there?

where do those steps with railing go?

First_timer

Thank you Debbie for the sketch! We were hoping to have a patio on the right, where there is a sun trap. Which is why I'm so focused on somehow dealing with that big drop.

Getmore4less, it has been dug up on the right to make the garden flat. Removed one concrete slab on the left corner so it is now level with the garden, but would prefer keeping and reusing the rest of those slabs of the path that you see along the house wall. The path is now 0.5 meters above ground level on the right.

The steps with the railing lead up to the house.

getmore4less

do you want the patio up to the right side fence and the drop from the steps down from the house.

what time of day was that picture taken, once that fence is back up there will be a shadow towards where the wheelbarrow is.


as the house is up the stairs whats the plan for power, water, fridge etc. for outdoor life.

a plan of the plot would help.

i was thinking similar to debbie a raised bed to make the drop save and use the existing path down to garden level

my first thought was a raised entertainment level with the bottom of the house stairs and then a drop to a lower level off that but too late for that if has been dug out.

First_timer

Yes, we would like the patio against the fence on the right with direct access via steps to it or near it. Would be good not to have to walk along the house all the way to the end of the path before accessing the garden.

It was taken in the afternoon, and when the old fence was up, there was still sunshine in that part of the garden, so should be good.

In our part of the UK, there is no outdoor life involving a fridge or other comforts, it's often raining, cold etc. Unpredictable weather most of the year. Could we maybe have wide steps onto the patio and then place a natural-looking bamboo screen (example in the photo below) to keep the airiness of the space, yet have a space barrier to prevent falls, ending where the path is almost level with the garden?

https:
//goo.gl/images/f8B31e