How to build a hidden retaining wall with sleepers

The Brief:

This long thin back garden in Belvedere, Kent sloped severely from left to right. The owners wanted us to reduce this slope and install a good quality, hard wearing artificial grass. Here we show you how we went about building a hidden retaining wall with sleepers before installing the artificial grass.

Our Work:

To soften the slope we advised the owners to raise the lower side of the garden. We did this by digging out a trench to create a solid level surface on which we placed railway sleepers. Once the railway sleepers were positioned we back filled them in place with a concrete mix. The backs of the sleepers were secured together with pieces of wood.

The remainder of the perimiter of the garden lawn had 3″ x 2″ treated timber concreted in place.

Once all the concrete was set we filled the area with over ten tonnes of mixed aggregates.

The sleepers were used as both a retaining wall and a surface to which we could attach the artificial grass. In this instance we took the Outfield artificial grass right over the sleepers and finished it neatly on the far side. This way the sleepers were completely hidden from view whilst they created a great barrier to stop the aggregates spilling out and causing the grass to sink.

The end result was a great looking lawn with much less of a slope.