Looking at a house and it’s lovely, but the back garden especially is quite steeply sloping. Some steep concrete steps, not quite level terranced area etc. The good thing is the front of the house faces south and the back gets a lot of sun as it’s quite high (the end of the back garden’s probably the height of the house).

The front driveway is sloping, but not very much and not enough to be a problem.

But I somehow feel the desire for a nice level garden instead. I’ve never had a steep garden before and have no idea if it would become annoying, kids playing etc.

Can anyone offer their experiences of it?

Is it long enough to build a ramp on & get some speed up to practice jumps?

But….. hard to sell on IMO

We had ours terraced
Made four different levels

Whilst mine in dead flat and I’d like to create some levels at some point.

Does the property cope with the surface runoff okay?

As above. Flooding with a garden that steep could be a problem.

Run off and resale would be our concerns.

We avoided one also because we have an elderly dog.

Ours is steep and high. Back door faces 6′ retaining wall, then 25-30° slope up to about roof ridge level. It’s terraced and did have a good lawn that’s flat on one area. It also faces almost due north and neighbour over the back had put up a fence 6’+ high, that obliterates light.

It does bother me.

But the house was £10-20k cheaper because of it.

Does it slope towards or away from the house?

Downward sloping – great views.
Upward sloping – poor views, dark, flood/damp issues.

Does it slope towards or away from the house?

From the front or the rear?

For me it’s all about having a decent play area for the kids. A sloping garden wouldn’t even pass the paper sift simply for child safety & lack of playing footie etc. Does it not also mean you’re overlooked significantly to the rear? Some of the properties near me are sloping so much the kitchen of the house behind were looking right into the bedroom!

I’d also be worried about the aspect-front is south facing? Check any potential damp issues on the north side/rear as no sun and a sloping rear garden sounds like bad news to me.

our garden is terraced in 4 levels and the top level is above the roof of the house, yes there are lots of steps but the top level is very private . As for run off damp ect there isn’t a problem at all

I would worry that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the garden when I was old and infirm.
Not suggesting that you fit into that category btw….:-)

I would worry that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the garden when I was old and infirm.

That’s what you feel like when you’ve been riding with Dan though! 🙂

From the front or the rear?

Either? Maybe the house on sloping ground or is on a little hill or in a valley. Just wondering which way the drainage is going to be.

is there any flat area at all at the back? patio at least? enough to fence off?
I’d imagine that you wouldn’t want small kids playing up the slope at the back and that’d put me right off buying. My garden is flat and I happily let my daughter play un attended but if there was terraces with rock/brick borders that’s definately a concern.
keep looking, I would.

🙂 It’s a bloody pain, find a good house and there’s always SOMETHING!

The whole plot slopes south, which is the best way to slope I guess. The front of the house faces south too, so it’s bright, modern and requires no work inside at all. The back garden is steeper than the front. The driveway is very shallow and perfectly decent (huge, in fact).

Our front garden is about 1 in 6 and the drive is a bit of a challenge until you get the knack of driving up without using the clutch.

Back garden used to seem steep, there was a 0.5m retaining wall close to the house and then the lawn slopes up gradually, but it felt steep due to the wall.

I spent a hole summer digging out to create a wide patio behind the house, made a 1 metre retaining sleeper wall which was about 0.25m higher than the existing ground level, and used the soil dug out to raise the lawn to the top of the wall. So we ended up with a couple more steps but the lawn is near enough level.

Is the driveway too steep to get off when it snows/is icy?
Channel drainage fitted/needed?
Plant a vineyard at the back

If it is steep enough you could re-create Project Babylon. If it is Southerly slope you could target Westminster.

The back garden of our new house has a really steep slope. I’ll measure it later, but it’s not far off 40 degrees!

I have a pic of me mowing the “lawn” for the first time which I’d post if I knew how. Pulling the lawnmower up for each stripe was almost impossible.

I’m installing low dry stone walling to break the slope up into several terrace areas with ponds thrown in because I love water 🙂

Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest, as long as the slope didn’t start right at the back of the house – ie a wee bit of flat space to break up the claustrophobic feel from inside?.

An aunt of mine had a garden that was similar when I was a lad, sloped from the house up and then over and fell away at the other side, it was all terraced and different wee areas to explore, I loved it when I was a kid. Would also give lots of little mini gardens for the likes of veg patch, pond etc…

I’d personally prefer an interesting garden like this to a flat lawn with a drying area and a set of goals, Each to their own though.

There’s only an 8ft flat slab area against the house, then a 6ft retaining wall up to the first level of the back garden. I have seen some ace photos of slides that go down sloping gardens, and a sloped climbing wall that kids use to climb up again, looked great.

It’s a shame, this is a nice house and garden otherwise. Good size, huge driveway, good area. Blah!

I know kids aren’t toddlers for long. I think I’m still being overly fussy to be honest.

I know kids aren’t toddlers for long. I think I’m still being overly fussy to be honest.

This.

Ours are now older and love the hilly garden – trees to climb, slopes to slide and jump off etc. It is mrs_oab and I that find it a pain for maintenance etc. However, it was a good house at a great price – and the garden was ‘the price we paid’ for being able to live where we are. I can cope with that.

Three words – slip and slide.

On the other hand, a sloped driveway could be a pig in winter.

It is steep – and ours was ‘unloved’ for 12 years before we moved in…

Views are good 🙂

I agree that slope gives a garden character, but I much prefer downward sloping with the views

That’s what you feel like when you’ve been riding with Dan though!

Jessie, that’s what Dan’s like after he’s been with us. 😉

As I have young kids, it would bother me if there isn’t enough space to kick a ball and run around. If it is terraced and still some space then I wouldn’t mind. If I didn’t have kids, then no issue.

that trampoline placement. 😯

I bet that focusses the mind…

There are plenty of sports you can play on a sloping garden.

I’m installing low dry stone walling to break the slope up into several terrace areas with ponds thrown in because I love water

Get a decent pump and you can have a stream with little waterfalls into a series of ponds. Perfick! 8)

that trampoline placement.

I bet that focusses the mind…

Nah, this one was better…

Get a decent pump and you can have a stream with little waterfalls into a series of ponds. Perfick!

Already planned!