DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi all, first time on the forum. Hoping I could get some guidance. I am currently reviewing the option of renovating my rear garden. We have a young daughter and would like as much of a flat garden as possible but not to sure on how to achieve this, hence why looking your guidance.

See attached images of current garden. Note the level change is very steep in some locations.

We have had a few contractors out to review, and they all have the same solution. Install a retaining block wall along the fence and infill with soil. My only worry is that it may not end up that level. Also, the top of the boundary fence will not be about chest level.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Please remember these 14 things,
1. Give a wide berth:
Make sure your pathways are wide enough for comfortable passage.
2. Watch your steps:
Outdoor steps and stairways should ascend gently; otherwise, they are liable to seem daunting. Steps with a rise of 6 inches or less are the most comfortable.
3. Plenty of elbow room:
Patios and decks are perfect spaces for outdoor entertaining. Plan for enough room to accommodate dining and mingling.
4. Steady on your feet:
Be certain that any paving provides secure footing. Avoid slick surfaces or loosely set pavers that wobble.
5. Heads up:
Leave plenty of headroom under archways, arbors, and pergolas.
6. Plan for growth:
Give your plants room to grow. If you must have a dense, full landscape right away, the plant with the intent to relocate or remove some plants as they mature.
7. Keep your distance
Place any plants more than 30 to 36 inches tall at least 2 to 3 feet back from walkway and patio edges; otherwise, these spaces may feel unduly cramped and crowded.
8. Turf has its place
A lawn can be costly and labor-intensive to maintain, but no other surface is quite so yielding, so comfortable for lounging, or so resilient and forgiving for play.
9. Look beyond the bloom
While flowers are a highly attractive attribute, many plants offer more than just blooms.
10. Create a comfort zone
11. Keep an eye to the future
12. Look both ways before crossing
13. Be neighborly:
Check with your neighbors before making any major changes in your landscape.
14. Electric, water, and gas:
Few things in gardening are as annoying or inconvenient as driving a pick or trenching spade into a buried pipe or cable. Locate all pipes and underground utilities if you plan to change grades or to dig trenches more than 18 inches deep in your garden.

No way could I make the garden here flat, would not try, but in my first house I did try, built a wall at the back and put pipes in the wall so it would not build up water pressure behind it, so would be safe, then neighbour blocked them up.

I note here the gardens have a small gap between my wall and neighbours fence, it would not matter we do get on, but any wall can over time fail, and what you need to consider is what will happen when it does.

From what I was told it does not matter if a neighbour blocks drain holes, it's your wall it must be made safe.

The one between us and next door seems to be 2 foot thick concrete, and it is only about a meter high.