Here’s a question we hear a lot: “What can I do with a sloped backyard?”
A steep slope on your property can start as a minor inconvenience and end up as a major source of debris and damage to nearby structures. Fortunately, by terracing a slope, you can avoid problems like run-off and erosion while also maximizing the land’s potential.
Below, we’ll explain what terracing is, how the right kind of hillside landscaping can benefit homes and other properties, and why you’ll want to consider hiring a professional for terracing on sizeable slopes.
The Benefits of Terracing a Sloped Yard
Terracing involves converting a slope into a series of level steps. The slope ends up looking like a broad staircase. During heavy rain, the precipitation will soak into each of the steps instead of just running downhill and eroding the earth as it moves along. If designed correctly, a terraced slope can even direct water flow right to your property’s drainage system.
Terracing is also used in hilly farmland to maximize usable square footage for crops. Likewise, terracing a slope in your yard will also increase the usable square footage you have for planting, whether it’s a vegetable garden or flower beds for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.
Terracing: Hiring a Professional vs. DIY
Because terracing a slope can appear to be a straightforward process, homeowners might overlook the potential challenges of completing the project themselves. The excavation involved can present some obstacles for homeowners, such as not knowing what machinery to use or how to operate it. There’s also the risk of accidentally unearthing a buried utility–that’s why it’s crucial to contact your local utility companies to locate any underground utilities before any major digging.
You will also need to accurately determine the rise and run of your slope to calculate the number of terraces you’ll need. The rise is the slope’s vertical distance from its top to its bottom. The run is the slope’s horizontal difference between its top and its bottom. For someone who has never attempted to get these types of measurements before, it’s easy to make a mistake that will throw off the whole terracing project.
Just the process of digging and moving the earth tends to be more labor-intensive than many DIY-ers anticipate. This process can also take much longer than planned without excavation experts on the job, and removing too much soil at a time to speed things up can result in dangerous landslides. In short, when tackling a large slope on your property, it’s best to leave a project of that scale in the hands of professionals.
If you need help leveling out a sloped backyard in Western KY, contact Supreme Enterprises at 270-205-4108.
