Types of terraces and their features. Design and order of work execution. Vertical planning, strengthening of slopes and decorative design.

The content of the article:

Terracing a site is a set of measures aimed at creating horizontal platforms in the presence of uneven terrain with a predominance of hills and slopes. They prevent the top layers of soil from being washed away and are used for planting ornamental plants. Our material today is about how to terracing a site.

Types and features of terraces

The functions and design features of terraces that are created on slopes depend on the slope of the soil surface and the thickness of its fertile layer.

There are four main types of terraces:

• Comb. They are created on terrain with a slope of no more than 0.12. Their construction involves constructing earthen ramparts across the slope, up to 40 cm in height. Such terraces are used for planting grapes and fruit plants and do not exceed 50 cm in width.
• Stepped. They are the most reliable, attractive in appearance and therefore the most popular. Such terraces are built on ground slopes up to 0.25, have a width of 3 m and are reinforced with stone masonry, which makes them strong and stable. Stepped terraces are suitable for planting fruit and forest crops, grapes and vegetables.
• Trench. Such terracing is carried out when the terrain slope is up to 0.18 or more. The fertile soil layer in this case is very thin. During the work, the subsoil layer is removed from the trenches, then they are filled with soil and shafts are poured. Trench terraces are good for growing citrus or tea.
• Ditch terraces. They are installed on site slopes up to 1 with a thin fertile layer of soil. During the work process, soil is taken from ditches to collect or drain water and shafts are poured. This terracing allows you to plant fruit plants.

To independently terrace a site with a slope and turn it into a magical land, you need to consistently carry out a number of activities, while showing patience, hard work and accuracy:

1. Mark the area to be processed; it should be fenced off with a cord stretched over driven stakes;
2. Cut off the soil at the top of the slope and add it to the bottom, thereby reducing the slope of the site;
3. Make a drainage system and, if necessary, lay water supply pipes;
4. Install retaining walls and make steps;
5. Construct waterfalls, mixborders or alpine slides;
6. Perform wall cladding;
7. Pave the paths of the site with stones or cover with tiles;
8. Prepare terraces for planting;
9. Install architectural elements;
10. Fill artificial reservoirs.

Advantages of landscape terracing

The result of proper terracing of a land plot is not only a neat surface of its relief, but also a decorative arrangement of the territory.

The advantages of vertical and horizontal planning of a personal plot include:

• Preventing soil erosion;
• Possibility of simple drainage;
• Convenient division of the territory into management zones;
• Huge design possibilities;
• Uniqueness of the work result;
• Long service life of terraces;
• The ability to transform the disadvantages of natural relief into the advantages of an artificial landscape.

The stepped areas created by terracing look impeccable. They can be placed on slopes or used to form approaches to artificial or natural reservoirs, vineyards, etc. Ornamental plants can be planted along the edges of such areas. In any case, such design of the territory only leads to a positive result.

How to terrace a site with a slope

The construction of terraces involves excavating soil from the upper part of the slope and dumping it into its lower part until a flat plane is formed.

Preparatory work before terracing the site

Before terracing a summer cottage, it is important to take into account several nuances that affect the design of the sites:

• The level of soil water in the wettest seasons of the year - autumn and spring;
• The magnitude of the slope of the site;
• Soil composition and its features;
• Changes in relief height, as well as changes in its slopes in the horizontal and vertical directions.

Having determined these parameters, you can calculate the number of sites, their sizes, method of work and the height of their slopes. In addition, a preliminary study of the land plot will help resolve the issue of the need to construct drainage or drainage communications. After analyzing the soil and local topography, it will be possible to determine the functionality of the site, create the correct composition of platforms and steps, select plants for decorating terraces and, finally, draw up a work plan.

Before terracing, the area should be divided into fragments that meet all dimensional rules. When planning complex objects, for example, a pond, flower garden or alpine slides, you will need to draw up a breakdown plan.

Creating Contours

In order for the platforms to be within the horizontal line, you need to create conditional lines for them using cords and pegs. First, you need to drive a peg into the slope, and then divide the area into parts corresponding to one and a half width of the planned terrace.

The remaining points for placing the pegs must be determined using a level. After forming the first horizontal line, you can do the rest. Then soil should be added, creating sites according to the design. They should have a slight slope necessary for rainwater drainage.

Strengthening inclined slopes

There are three main methods of such strengthening to protect terraces from soil washout:

• Planting ornamental shrubs or trees along the edges of areas. This is the simplest method of preventing soil erosion from terraces. Plants to be planted must be able to create a dense network with their root system, located in the upper layers of the soil. Usually it is lilac, juniper or hawthorn. This method is used to strengthen inclined slopes.
• Installation of mesh or geogrid. It is used for the same purpose and can be combined with planting. At the same time, the branched roots of the bushes, intertwined with the mesh deployed on the slope, form a very strong reinforcing structure.
• Laying concrete slabs. They are also used to strengthen inclined slopes and need to be firmly fixed to the ground to prevent slipping during rainstorms. In addition to concrete slabs, paving slabs can be used.

Strengthening vertical slopes

The construction of retaining walls is the most practical and most common method of strengthening vertical slopes when terracing a site. Such buildings can be light and capital. Lightweight structures have a height of up to 1 m; a foundation is not required for their construction. For permanent retaining walls up to 3 m high, cushions made of gravel or concrete blocks buried in the ground are required. Particular attention should be paid to laying the blocks - they must support a large mass of soil. The thickness of such a foundation should be 60-70 cm, and the width should be at least 25 cm.

To construct retaining walls, you can use logs, concrete blocks, brick and stone, as well as cast-in-place concrete. The most suitable of these materials is natural stone - limestone, rubble, etc. Facing or ordinary clay bricks look good on the wall. However, it is inferior in resistance to weather conditions to natural stone. If the terrace has a slight slope, retaining walls for it can be constructed from short logs with dense wood, such as larch.

In terms of decorative design, retaining walls provide great opportunities for artistic creativity. With their help, you can create beautiful compositions in different styles, from medieval to modern. Such structures can be decorated with lanterns, wooden and stone stairs and other attributes of garden architecture.

Among the advantages of retaining walls are their long service life and easy maintenance. Despite this, it is important to know that such a design is a complex engineering structure. If it is not built correctly, it can collapse and become dangerous for the owners and guests of the house.

Therefore, when constructing it, you should be guided by the following rules:

1. The buried foundation must be strong.
2. The ratio of the height of the wall to its width should be 3:1.
3. A water conduit must be made in front of the top of the supporting wall to prevent its base from being washed away by irrigation or rainwater.
4. To increase stability, the supporting wall should be built with a slight slope towards the top of the terrace.
5. The construction of the structure must begin from the bottom of the site.

Construction of stairs

When terracing a site on a slope, all platforms must be connected to each other by stairs. Their appearance and location should be considered at the design stage. Moreover, the issue of their installation must be approached from a practical standpoint.

If stairs must lead to those objects that are used year-round, it is recommended to make them convenient for walking and clearing ice and snow. The steps of such stairs must be non-slippery. Steep stairs need railings and lighting.

Standard garden stairs are usually flat, the width of their steps is about 30 cm, and the height is no more than 10 cm. If the structure does not carry a large load, it can be made of natural stone or wood.

Decorating the terrace

It can be performed when the terraces are completely ready. When decorating, it is difficult to do without beautiful flowers. Thanks to them, you can create unique compositions from different varieties of these plants. You can safely plant fruit trees on the slopes. Herbaceous plants - nasturtiums or petunias - can give the terrace an excellent look. You can use juniper bushes or Japanese spirea for decoration.

In addition, terraces are convenient for organizing drains, which can have mini-waterfalls imitating forest streams, or a cascade consisting of several small reservoirs located on adjacent terraces. It looks especially beautiful if a large area has been allocated for terracing.

When designing retaining walls, it is useful to plant ivy near their head. This evergreen plant will eventually transform any structure into a green carpet or a chic hedge.

When planning the construction of a terrace for planting any plants, it should be taken into account that just one degree of slope of the site is enough to shift it by 8 km in the direction of the slope due to climatic factors. In practice, it looks like this: if the plot has a slope of 20 in the direction of the north, this means that it is recommended to plant plants on the terrace similar to those in the area located about 180 km north of your garden.

How to terracing a site - watch the video:

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that all terracing options make it possible to implement many design solutions, giving the area on the slope individuality and a beautiful appearance. Compliance with the requirements when performing these difficult works will allow you to do the terracing of the site yourself, completely eliminating the need for financial costs to attract hired workers.

Terracing. How to arrange terraces on a slope?
Despite the fact that, from the point of view of landscape design, a relief area with a difference in elevation is much more interesting than an ordinary flat one, there is still an opinion that arranging a sloping area is a difficult and tedious task. However, if we consider landscape design on a slope as a creative process, here you are given enormous scope for imagination. The layout of such a site, as a rule, is not complete without interesting, original ideas and unexpected solutions. Of course, the design of a summer cottage on a slope will require more effort than arranging a garden with minimal differences in relief; the area will need to be terraced, retaining walls, special structures will need to be installed, etc. But upon completion of the garden arrangement, all efforts will be rewarded a hundredfold. Landscaping on a slope will look very impressive and intricate.
Terracing is the formation of flat areas and differences between them. It can be organized, for example, using retaining walls and stairs. Terraces consist of a platform (canvas), excavation (internal) and fill (external) slopes, as well as a berm - an untouched part of the slope between two terraces. Slopes can be either inclined or vertical (in this case they must be reinforced with retaining walls). Often terraces are arranged in the form of steps, so that the excavated slope of the lower terrace is the fill slope of the upper terrace, and there is no berm. The construction of terraces not only allows you to make maximum use of the area of ​​the site, but also helps to consolidate the soil, prevents its erosion, and makes it possible to optimize the level of soil moisture. If there is excessive moisture in the area, drainage terraces with a small longitudinal slope are built, and if there is insufficient moisture, terraces with a water-retaining roller, the so-called “edge,” are built. Creating terraces on a site that has significant slopes and unevenness solves several applied problems at once. Firstly, the new flat areas of land formed instead of useless slopes increase the functionality of the land without disturbing the overall composition of the garden; secondly, the space of the territory and its individual sections visually increases against the backdrop of unusually picturesque areas - terraces.

Landscape design on a slope. Strengthening
The width of the terraces and the height of the slopes depend, first of all, on the slope - the steeper the slope, the narrower the terrace should be. The height of the terraces usually does not exceed 60-80 cm, but if necessary it can be higher - up to 2 m. The width, as a rule, is not less than 4-5 m. With a small difference in height, the slope can be made inclined, but it must be strengthened. This can be done using turf, which is laid on top of the embankment and fixed with wooden pegs, stones (in this case, large stones are placed at the base of the slope, and smaller ones are placed higher up the slope; stones should not be pressed into the soil, but placed in specially prepared recesses), boards ( they are placed on the edge at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of the slope, arranging square cells in which turf is laid; the gaps are covered with soil and sown with grass). In addition to "finished" turf, a slope can be stabilized with turf. To do this, first fix the soil using a biomat or the same sheathing of boards, then sow grass (it is advisable to choose a mixture that grows quickly and “holds” the soil well). The berm is strengthened in exactly the same way if its natural vegetation cover is damaged during construction work. However, most often slopes are made vertical, strengthening them with support walls made of wood, concrete, rubble concrete, natural stone, and brick. If the terraces are small (in height and width), low decorative walls are made. They can be built independently, without special calculations. If the height of the supporting wall must exceed 1 m, it is necessary to invite a specialist to select its design solution and parameters (thickness, length, height, shape, material), since in this case, erroneous calculations can lead to destruction of the walls and “sliding” » terraces. Curved and broken retaining walls are stronger than straight ones and look more attractive, but in most cases they require more material. However, a straight wall can be strengthened with the help of pilasters or buttresses (by the way, they can also serve as stairs or ramps leading from terrace to terrace). When building retaining walls from heavy materials (brick, stone), a foundation should be laid. Its thickness and depth depend both on the parameters of the wall (height, thickness, material) and on the type of soil on which it will be built. For wall heights up to 30 cm, a foundation is usually not required. For walls 30-80 cm high, the foundation is made 15-30 cm deep, for walls 80-150 cm high - 30-50 cm deep. The foundation is made of concrete, gravel, crushed stone, sand (compacted with heavy clay or cemented with cement mortar). When constructing retaining walls, it is also necessary to arrange drainage, since water, as a rule, accumulates behind the wall, this can lead to stagnant waterlogging of the soil (as a result, plants on the terrace may die) and gradual destruction of the retaining wall. To prevent such phenomena, drainage (longitudinal or transverse) is laid along the inside of the wall with such a slope that the water flows beyond the terrace into a nearby water intake. In addition, a drainage layer of gravel 70-100 mm thick is poured between the wall and the soil, which ensures normal water flow to the drainage holes and prevents them from clogging with soil.

landscaping
A plot with terraces is the dream of any landscape designer. It provides ample opportunities for decorative landscaping, because on each terrace you can create an individual composition of evergreen or flowering plants and even plant fruit trees. Low herbaceous plants (petunia, nasturtium, bindweed) or shrubs (Cossack juniper, Japanese spirea) look very beautiful on the terraces. You can also arrange a watercourse with ledges and mini-waterfalls, imitating a natural stream or a cascade of two or three small reservoirs, organized on adjacent terraces so that water flows from one reservoir to another. Even a retaining wall can be skillfully decorated, for example, by planting evergreen ivy along the entire height of the wall, which over time, clinging to the protrusions, will turn the not very aesthetic structure into a living, pleasing green carpet. Thus, terracing the site and installing retaining walls allows you to fully express your imagination when designing the garden.

It is important
On slopes, it is advisable to plant plants with a powerful, wide-spread root system that can “hold” the soil. Among the shrubs, these are, for example, derain, climbing roses, rose hips, and barberry. Conifers include dwarf spruce, Canadian spruce, thuja globulus, juniper, cotoneaster.

pros
Decoratively designed terraces look very impressive. Thanks to the elevation changes in the landscape, the site looks much larger and more diverse.

Minuses
Arrangement sites on a slope of varying heights may be complicated by clay soils and exposure of the area to wind. Also, the site on a slope somewhat limits the choice of garden style. This applies to the classic regular garden, which is created only on flat terrain.

If your site is located on a slope, then you can make a beautiful and original landscape element - a terrace.

When terracing a slope, it is important to assess the size of the area; usually terraces do not exceed 80 cm with a width of at least 5 meters. Their number depends on the size of the garden plot, sometimes there are 2 or 4 terraces; in larger areas there can be a much larger number.

Forming slopes with terraces protects the soil from landslides and erosion. Each of them can be designed individually, but in such a way that they all look harmonious together.

First you need to level the surface. How to do this? First, it is necessary to conduct a visual survey to estimate the number of terraces and the size of the protrusion. Then the slope is divided using pegs from top to bottom into segments equal to one and a half width of the terrace, and, moving across the slope, using a level, points are found that are located at the same level as the first peg. By placing auxiliary pegs at these points, they find a line cutting the slope exactly horizontally. Having completed work with the first line, move on to the next peg and determine the direction of the second horizontal line.

Then, after determining all the horizontal lines, they begin to form the terrace. When filling, its surface must be made not horizontal, but with a slight slope, opposite to the slope of the slope. Next, the terrace is reinforced with a retaining wall.

You should pay attention to the design of the walls, as they attract attention first.

Retaining walls are: wooden, concrete, stone, brick.

Wooden retaining walls look, of course, more natural and beautiful, but their service life is short, much shorter than that of walls made of other materials. But the price of this material is not so high. Such walls are made from logs or beams. With a wall height of 1 meter, beams and logs should go half a meter underground and rise 1 meter above it. The diameter and length are calculated accordingly for smaller or larger differences.

How to build a wooden wall. First, dig a trench 10 cm deeper than the part of the beams being dug in and 20 cm wider than their diameter. Then the bottom is covered with crushed stone and compacted thoroughly. Next, the bars are installed tightly to each other. The beams are secured to each other with nails or wire, and the bottom is covered with crushed stone. On the inside, the wall is covered with roofing felt. Next, the trench is filled with concrete, then the soil is filled and compacted. To protect the timber from moisture, their surface is fired or treated with special means; they can also be coated with hot bitumen.

Concrete walls do not look very nice and to fix this, they are usually covered with tiles, tiles or pebbles.

To build a concrete wall, first make formwork from boards or panels. Outside, it is necessary to make supports that can support the weight of the concrete. Next, large stones are placed in the bottom row of formwork, and the voids between them are filled with gravel. The stones are then filled with a small layer of concrete. The process then continues, layering stones and pouring concrete into them until the entire formwork is filled. It is necessary not to forget to lay drainage pipes at a height of 5 cm from ground level to drain water.

Brick walls look very beautiful if they are laid out with high quality and from good material. Such walls are usually made if the house is also made of brick. For its construction, clinker bricks with high strength and moisture resistance are best suited.

When building a brick wall, similar to a concrete wall, a foundation is made. In the first row of brickwork, it is necessary to make drainage holes with a slope towards the lower terrace. The thickness of such a wall directly depends on its height, that is, the higher the wall, the greater its width. Strengthen the wall by thickening its lower part (5-6 rows) to one and a half or two bricks. The bricks are placed on the mortar. A solution of 1 part cement, 3 parts fine sand and 3 parts water.

Stone walls are the most expensive, but also the most durable. To make it, unprocessed sawn or chipped stone is taken. This is usually basalt, quartzite or granite. You can make walls of a wide variety of shapes from stone.

Creeping plants can be planted along the upper edge of the wall, the hanging stems of which will partially cover the vertical surfaces. And by attaching wire to the walls, you can make supports for climbing species. For landscaping, you can use climbing plants in special containers, which are placed in niches of retaining walls.

You can plant climbing plants along the wall, such as ivy or wild grapes, sweet peas or clematis.

The terrace can be decorated with small flower beds or flower vases. A terrace entwined with, for example, purple clematis, next to which there are small flower beds with orange flowers, such as calendula, looks very beautiful.

The terrace is usually decorated with floral arrangements, usually from unpretentious plants and flowers. As in ordinary flower beds, the main thing is to choose a good combination of flowers according to color and flowering time.

On the slopes of the terrace it is best to plant shrubs that will hold the soil. This could be barberry, rose hips, euonymus, etc. Coniferous ornamental shrubs look good on terraces.

Fountains, cascades and small waterfalls running from one terrace to another will be a wonderful decoration of the garden.

If the wall is laid without using mortar, then the spaces between the stones are filled with soil, compacting it tightly. In this case, you can also plant plants in the seams between the stones. On the sunny side you can plant phlox, thyme or aubrieta; on the shady side, rhizome, saxifrage or bells will look beautiful.

For work, use a convenient circular saw. Read how to choose it here.

If your dacha plot is on a slope, as in the photo, then you should not despair. Since there are a huge number of ways to arrange it. The most effective option is terracing the site, which is the creation of horizontally located ledges - terraces reinforced with retaining walls. Using this simple method, you can zone the garden area, in which you can combine paths with stairs in one design. The design of retaining walls varies depending on the height of the terrace. Their borders can be either straight or curved. The appearance will be quite harmonious. The terrace can be complemented with an original flowerpot with a miniature fountain, a decorative garden plant and lighting.

Retaining wall decor

Many owners of summer cottages believe that the location of the territory on a slope greatly complicates the process of decorating landscape design. In fact, terracing is an effective way to design a sloping site that turns the characteristics of such a seemingly unsightly area into excellent advantages.

Today, the most effective way to terrace any summer cottage on a slope is the construction of special retaining walls, which are horizontal projections secured with such durable structures. Any protrusion of this kind should be about 70 centimeters long and approximately 4.5 meters wide. If you have a large area at your dacha, then there should be at least 3 such supports.

Arranging the area with fountains

Retaining walls are a fairly commonly used structural component, serving as the most important foundation for most structures. If you have a site on a slope, then retaining walls will be useful in order to secure the ground and prevent it from moving. The design features, shape and decor of the retaining wall mainly depend on the style of the garden area and the load that is placed on them. Every gardener can build such a structure with his own hands.

Retaining walls are:

• light – they have a height of up to a meter, they are erected without a base;
• capital ones - have a height of up to three meters, they require a gravel cushion.

The arrangement of the latter option requires close attention, since they will need to support the weight of the soil. They should be about 23 centimeters wide, and the thickness of the foundation should be approximately 65 centimeters, and as the height of the retaining walls increases, the thickness of the base also increases. Or you will end up with a deformed structure that will soon collapse.

Materials needed to build retaining walls yourself:

• wood

The demand for wooden retaining walls is that such structures naturally fit into the landscape design of the terrace. This method of terracing a garden on a slope with your own hands is possible in various ways, from an ordinary rustic style to a strict version. Compared with other materials, such structures are short-lived, however, if they are built of the highest quality and the wood is well processed, then they will decorate your garden for a very long time.

• brick

Terracing a site on a slope with the help of brick retaining walls is an excellent solution if your garden is decorated in the Art Nouveau style - due to the contrasting color and clear shape. Building such a support with your own hands is a little more difficult than the previous option, because you need to monitor the protrusion of the vertical masonry. Such a wall can be made more attractive with the help of different masonry or brick colors, and can also be faced with decorative tiles or stone.

Choosing plants for slope decoration

• concrete

Concrete is a traditional material for such work - it is affordable, durable, and so on. The best material for those who like to build everything with their own hands. Concrete retaining walls, due to the increased strength of this material, can be made thinner. If you build a metal mesh on such a wall in advance, it can be lined with natural or artificial stone.

• stone

Terracing an area on a slope using various stones is the most effective option, as this material is strong, durable and beautiful in appearance. Granite, limestone or sandstone can be used. During laying, the space between the pebbles must be filled with soil or a mixture of soil, sand and cement mortar. For such walls, natural stones or mixtures of concrete and stone chips are also used; its design can be either smooth or rough. But this material is the most expensive of all the above options.

When constructing retaining walls from any of the listed materials, the structures must certainly be equipped with drainage to drain liquid.

Plant selection

If our terrace for a garden plot on a slope is ready, then we can start decorating it. And here it is impossible to do without flowers. Thanks to various plants, you can perfectly decorate the appearance of the garden, because you can create individual compositions from evergreen or flowering plant varieties. You can also safely plant fruit trees on such slopes.

Zoning space in the garden

Herbaceous plants such as petunia or nasturtium will give your garden plot an excellent appearance. Or you can use shrubs like Cossack juniper and Japanese spirea in its decoration. In addition, you can create a drain where there will be ledges and mini-waterfalls that imitate natural streams or a cascade of several small reservoirs that are organized on nearby terraces. This is an excellent option if you have a large area at your dacha and sufficient area is allocated for terracing.

Also, retaining walls can be skillfully decorated, for example, by planting evergreen ivy at their head, which over time turns even a not very beautiful structure into a hedge or a green carpet.

An important point: on a slope it is better to plant plants that have a powerful, widely spread root system that can “hold” the soil. Among the shrubs, you can choose, for example, turf, climbing varieties of roses, and rose hips. For conifers, you can use dwarf spruce and so on.

Choosing colors for a sloped area

The decoratively decorated terrace looks quite beautiful. With the help of height differences in the landscape design of the garden, everything will look impressive and beautiful.

Important points when terracing a site

A staircase should connect one terrace to another. You should consider the type of stairs before you start designing your terrace. An ordinary staircase is generally flat, and the height of the steps should be approximately 8 centimeters with a width of about 28 centimeters. The material for the steps of the stairs can be wood and natural stone. You can also make it from concrete, then its length and width can be arbitrary.

Let's leave beauty aside for now and think about the practical side of this design, since the steps should be as comfortable as possible, especially if they will be walked on every day. Make the steps as non-slippery as possible. A steep staircase should have railings, and don’t forget about lighting at night.

Stairs for a site on a slope

Any terrace is an excellent platform for decoration in the desired stylistic direction. And if the slope of the terrace is very large, then you can zone the garden area. For example, if housing is usually located on the upper level, then a recreation area can be organized on the second level, and the lowest level can be reserved for a recreation area. A rather original and at the same time beautiful solution would be to build an observation deck on the patio, which should be arranged on the same level as the base of the home.

When planning the creation of a terrace for planting vegetation, it is necessary to take into account such a feature as the fact that just one degree of slope can “shift” the territory according to climatic conditions by about 8 kilometers in the direction in which the slope faces. If you have a plot that slopes 20 degrees to the north, then your area is worth growing, as is the area about 180 km north of your garden.

Read also: DIY terrarium

Owners of a plot on a slope are in an ambiguous position. Standard methods for placing beds are unacceptable here, and the arrangement of such a site involves significant material costs. However, after studying existing approaches to design, the owner most often comes to the conclusion about the advantages of such a situation. Landscape design for a site on a slope will be developed and implemented by specialists. The ideas presented can transform the territory, making it unique, immersing it in the beauty of mountain landscapes.

Strengthening the slopes on the site with your own hands

Landscaping begins with work to strengthen the slopes on the site. This will prevent further destructive processes that can damage buildings and landscape design.

Preparatory actions

When strengthening slopes, various methods and designs are used. Landscape design allows the use of stones and concrete blocks, biomats and gabions, logs and lawn gratings in site preparation. To properly strengthen the slopes, it is necessary to study and calculate the following points:

• how close the groundwater is;
• what slope is the slope at;
• geological features of the soil;
• is there a danger of the area being washed away if a body of water is nearby;
• take into account the soil pressure on the slope;
• decide on the material for strengthening;
• identify the area in need of strengthening.

With a slight slope, landscape design allows you to solve the problem of fixing the soil by planting trees and shrubs with a developed root system. If the slope is significant, terracing or the use of geotextiles will be required.

Ways to strengthen slopes

The simplest and most inexpensive option for landscape design when strengthening a slope on a site is planting plants with a developed root system. This solution is acceptable provided that the slope and its area are small. Plants are planted in cells, which act as a reinforcing structure. In the future, the developed root system is intertwined with the fastening elements and prevents landslides or soil erosion. Juniper is the leader in this method of strengthening the soil; it is also recommended to plant Chinese blackberry, lilac and hawthorn.

Slopes in a summer cottage are often reinforced with fences made of concrete slabs, sandstone, brick or limestone. The advantage of this method of landscape design is as follows:

high level of resistance to external destructive factors;

• does not require significant care efforts;
• does not interfere with the growth of green spaces;
• durability of the structure.

Such fences are erected subject to certain conditions:

• a solid foundation is laid;
• minimum height of the fence – 1 m;
• the thickness of the fence is 1/3 of the height;
• mandatory equipment for a drainage system (water flowing down the slope should not wash away the structure)
• fences are built from the bottom up;
• it is recommended to build a cascade structure;
• it is necessary to provide a slight slope towards the slope.

The landscape design of the site provides the opportunity to decorate such a structure with flower beds, decorative stairs, and lanterns.

Another option for strengthening the slope on the site is the use of stones and logs. They are dug into the ground after first studying the type of soil and the condition of the surface. At the same time, do not forget about the aesthetic appearance of the site and take care of the presence of drainage. This inexpensive method of landscape design is acceptable on both small and large slopes.

Modern developments in landscape design suggest using geotextiles in arranging a site on a slope. This product in rolls, consisting of polyester and polypropylene fibers, has the following advantages:

• waterproof;
• protection of soil from freezing;
• when water converges, it prevents the mixing of soil layers;
• plastic;
• has high resistance to damage;
• ease of installation on the ground.

Another option acceptable when developing landscape design on a slope is laying geomats. This waterproof material consists of polypropylene grids, superimposed on each other and connected by exposure to high temperatures. Geomats have the following features:

• do not contain toxic substances;
• UV resistance;
• maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape;
• are not afraid of aggressive substances;
• resistant to low and high temperatures;
• easy to install.

The presented methods of landscape design when strengthening a slope can be done with your own hands or with the help of professionals. Their choice depends on the preferences of the owner and further plans for the development of the site.

Design options

The landscape design of a site on a slope opens up wide prospects for the realization of bright fantasies and bold ideas. Considering the need for serious financial investments in landscaping, the approach to planning a site on a slope requires special care and thoughtfulness. The development of landscape design work is necessarily preceded by a study of the technical indicators of water supply and soil characteristics. The location of future outbuildings and recreation areas deserves special attention. Based on their location, they plan the construction of future terraces, flights of stairs, retaining walls and other elements of landscape design. When landscaping a site on a slope, its location relative to the cardinal points must be taken into account.

Terracing

Having decided to use terracing in the landscape design of a site on a slope, avoid excessively long retaining walls in a straight line. This design will create the impression of a huge staircase. Landscape design experts recommend arranging terraces randomly with ledges or cascades. This will create a picturesque picture of the overall view.

Winding paths or paths are provided between the terraces, and several steps are designed on steep slopes. Retaining walls on the site are made of various materials: natural stone and brick, wood and concrete. It is better to equip a steep slope with retaining walls using cement mortar; on a flat site, dry masonry will be sufficient.

Original ideas in the design of retaining walls on the site are welcome. Avoid straight lines; rounded shapes will ensure smooth relief transitions and visually make them less conspicuous. Terraces with different functional purposes will allow you to move away from standard approaches. Landscape design allows you to place flower beds, vegetable beds and shrub plantings in separate areas. Combining them with winding paths will visually create a single picture of incompatible things.

The location of the terrace on wet ground requires the presence of drainage fill made of crushed stone. It is located between the wall and the ground with a width of 10-15 cm. It is recommended to supplement the masonry with pipe scraps, which will ensure the release of moisture to the outside and will not allow it to accumulate behind the retaining wall. The absence of such protective measures will provoke rapid destruction of the structure.

Arrangement of paths and stairs

An indispensable attribute of landscape design are neat paths that help achieve an organic connection between the terraces. To ensure compatibility, it is better to make them from similar material.

Important! Large decorative elements, be it stones, tiles or circles of wood, can create good visibility and a bright perception of the path.

The winding shape of the path hides the steepness of the slope, while the serpentine layout, on the contrary, emphasizes it. Following the rules of landscape design for a site on a slope, it is better to emphasize the bends of paths with low trees, shrubs or evergreens.

A staircase is a must on a steep slope. In width it can correspond to the path that continues it or be slightly narrower, but not less than 60 cm. If the staircase has many steps, it is better to separate them with landings. It is advisable to equip them in places where the direction of movement changes. If the size is sufficient, the area is decorated with a bench, an elegant statue or an original flowerpot. Landscape design specialists recommend that stairs located in a shady place be made from building materials of a lighter shade.

Remember! The beauty of landscape design must be combined with safety; choose non-slip material for paths and stairs.

Thoughtful landscape design will provide comfort during evening walks with the help of proper lighting. There are many ways to design it, and choosing an option that matches the overall style will not be difficult.

Floristry of the site

When choosing a floristry concept, the best option for landscape design would be the style of a mountainous area. In this case, the location of the territory relative to the cardinal directions must be taken into account. In this aspect, a site on the northern slope has its advantages, due to the possibility of decorating it with moisture-loving plants that are accustomed to a shady location. For the south side, herbs and flowers that can withstand high temperatures and drought are more suitable.

Landscape design is developed in such a way that the planted plants have different flowering periods. Tulips, hyacinths and crocuses will be the first to delight owners in early spring. They may be replaced by decorative onions, California poppies and marigolds, and autumn will delight with the bright colors of asters and chrysanthemums. Planting perennials will make gardening easier.

Trees on a site with a slope, according to the rules of landscape design, are planted in a special way. If the house is located at the top, tall plantings in the form of thuja, spruce or pyramidal poplar are located next to it. Barberry or lilac will help create an interesting composition.

Please note! Planted trees and shrubs should not cover the house.

The shorter plants are found further down the slope. Evergreen shrubs and colorful flower beds can add nobility and sophistication. Juniper, magnolia, and boxwood would be appropriate here. The region in which the site is located also plays a role. Therefore, when choosing green spaces, take into account the climatic conditions of your area.

The basic rules for landscape design of a site on a slope are as follows:

• correctly organize the division into zones;
• build strong retaining walls;
• protect the site from soil erosion with the help of a competent drainage system;
• When arranging places to relax, take into account the wind rose.

• Pond Plants
• Shade-loving plants for the garden
• Site plan 15 acres
• Trees along the fence on the site

The centuries-old desire of mankind to cultivate and improve the soil has led to the emergence of terraces on the site. Each piece of land with uneven natural relief was transformed by skillful hands into picturesque oases and stepped cascades. In just a matter of days, observation decks and panoramic recreation areas appeared. But terracing a site is a labor-intensive process, which includes proper planning and dimensional reference to the terrain and structures.

If the dacha plot has a slope

A perfectly flat topography of a summer cottage is the dream of any summer resident. It is known that most suburban dacha plots have natural slopes or undeveloped sites of different heights.

The creation of terraces with your own hands allows you to make it easier to stay on a site with a slope and to use it rationally. In order to take advantage of the imperfections of the relief and rationally use the territory, the terraces are given an original shape. It is based on the principle of terracing - the artificial creation of unique platforms on the slopes in the form of high, wide steps.

Principles of terracing

Terraces are a land mass consisting of a canvas, slopes - excavated and filled, an untouched part of the slope between the terraces (berms). Terrace slopes can be inclined or vertical.

In some cases, terraces are built in the form of steps, in which the excavated slope of the lower terrace serves as a fill slope of the upper one.

Terrace areas are limited by rollers, creating a reliable barrier to prevent soil washout. The principles of terracing a site allow you to increase the space of the territory and increase the functionality of soil use.

A variety of retaining walls and stairs allow you to create an expressive and memorable terrace landscape design.

Therefore, the initial stage of organizing the design of a site on a slope is an analysis of the state of the relief and the type of soil.

We analyze the state of the site's relief

The relief of a suburban area is decisive for subsequent compositional constructions, forming the overall impression. Naturally, the existing forms of the earth's surface set the general tone for the organization of landscape planting. Therefore, the options for terraces on the site have many faces.

Analysis of the state of the relief and surface of the site is carried out by eye survey, while simultaneously performing visual terracing. Then it is necessary to calculate the estimated number of terraces on the site and the size of the retaining walls and organize the sites. It is imperative to take into account the size of the plot commensurate with the size of the terraces.

Terraces can be 5-6 meters wide and no higher than 80 cm in height. Up to 4 terraces can be located on a site. Analysis of the state of the relief will allow:

Assess the conditions of the site and its functionality

Implement correct vertical layout

Create a compositional solution for terraces

Select vegetation for planting.

Exaggeratedly, a terrace is considered to be a horizontal or slightly inclined leveled area on the slopes, limited by upper and lower ledges. As for any plot of land recommended for cultivation and development, a vertical layout with dimensional reference to the layout plan is used for terraces.

Vertical layout, layout plan and dimensional reference

Vertical planning refers to measures to man-made change the existing terrain. Excavation activities are carried out by cutting or adding soil. To make a plot of land as a terrace means to break it into fragments according to the dimensional reference. If you plan to create such landscape fragments as an alpine hill, rock gardens and flower beds, mixborders and ponds, then you need to create a simple layout plan to scale.

This information will allow the development and calculation of landscape fragments. The layout plan is drawn on graph paper, replacing the geodetic grid, with a symbol for individual fragments. It is generally accepted that the axes of a geodetic grid are designated by Arabic numerals (the number of hundreds of meters) and letters of the alphabet.

Dimensions are referenced using a alignment basis, which is a straight line. It is in this way that when designing a terrace plan for a site on a slope, you can safely begin excavation work and hammer in the first peg.

terracing stages

The main stages of terracing are:

Marking the area by driving in pegs and pulling vertical threads

Layout for the purpose of reducing (leveling) the angle of the slope by cutting off the soil in the upper part and filling in the lower part

Laying pipe communications for water supply and drainage

Concrete preparation of retaining wall and steps

Construction of alpine slides, waterfalls, mixborders

Decorative cladding of retaining walls and steps

Paving the road and path network

Preparation of soil mixture for subsequent planting

Placement and installation of small architectural forms

Planting plants in the ground, starting irrigation and filling reservoirs.

Terracing of the site can be done with your own hands or with the help of special equipment.

Do-it-yourself terracing of a site

hammer in the first peg

In order for the site to have a strict horizontal line, it is necessary to draw conditional horizontal lines, which are created using pegs and rope. We drive the first peg on the slope of the site. The subsequent breakdown is carried out into segments that are equal to one and a half width of the future terrace.

Moving across the slope, use a level to find points located at the same height and hammer in the next peg.

Thus, the first horizon line will be formed, followed by the next horizontal line.

After identifying and marking all the horizontal lines, you can begin to form the terrace itself, the surface of which, when filling the earth, is recommended to be made not strictly horizontal, but with a slight slope relative to the slope. It is necessary to strengthen the soil backfill with retaining walls.

retaining walls

If there is a slight difference in slope heights, its inclined part is strengthened using turf flooring laid on top of the embankment. The turf is strengthened and fixed with stones and wooden pegs. Large stones are placed at the base, and smaller stones are placed higher up the slope. The stones are laid out in specially prepared recesses from boards placed on edge at an angle of 45° in the direction of the slope. In addition to turf, slopes and berms are reinforced using biomats and geogrids.

For slopes with a significant slope, retaining walls are erected from stone, wood, and rubble concrete. A vertical retaining wall can be erected without preliminary calculations and planning, using the principles of concreting and lathing. However, this possibility exists for retaining walls up to 80 cm high. For high and powerful retaining walls, special calculations and pouring of the foundation will be required.

Let us remind you that for light retaining walls up to 30 cm high, the foundation is not built, but for main walls up to 80 cm high, the foundation depth should reach 30 cm, for walls up to 150 cm high, the foundation is made deep (up to 50 cm).

When creating and erecting retaining walls made of stone and brick, it is recommended to decide how to decorate the garden plot and what plants to plant in the ground.

Straight retaining walls are reinforced with buttresses or pilasters, which can also serve as ramps or stairs.

You can build retaining walls using:

Wood

Stone and brick

Using gabions with different fillings.

Concrete retaining walls can support significant earth weight. The stability of massive concrete and the good resistance of the material, as well as the possibility of using external decoration, can turn a faceless monolith into a picturesque man-made area.

However, as an erected combined or retaining wall made of blocks.

Some people think that a site on a slope is a death sentence, because it is more difficult to place the required buildings on it. In fact, this is not the case if you approach the planning and arrangement of such a site correctly. Thanks to some solutions, it is even possible to expand the territory. What needs to be done for this? Basic techniques will be discussed in the article.

Is a site on a slope really that bad?

Only people with a non-standard solution will give preference to plots on slopes. This is explained by the need for a creative approach to territory development. The following facts speak in favor of choosing a site on a slope:

• unique appearance;
• the opportunity to create a work of art;
• the ability to view the entire territory;
• ease of construction of some elements;
• increased productivity.

The slope will provide an opportunity to break out of the gray mass of buildings and provide a design that will stand out and be different from others. Two adjacent dachas on a slope cannot be similar, because the topography is different. Thanks to the plot on the slope, you can build your own mini-paradise, which will please the eye and allow you to relax your soul. In addition, in such an area it is possible to create elements that would require significant costs on a horizontal surface.

These include, for example, waterfalls. It will be enough for him to lay out a gutter made of stone. This also applies to the alpine slide. On the horizontal section it would be necessary to import additional material for these purposes. It is considered ideal if the slope is on the south side. In this case, you can get a higher yield, because most of the day the area on the slope is warmed by the sun's rays.

But such a site on a slope also has its disadvantages, which are:

• the difficulty of planting a lawn;
• additional investments for arrangement;
• the need for frequent watering of plants;
• the need to place buildings on top;
• presence of unstable areas;
• additional effort to move around the territory;
• danger for children.

It is, in principle, possible to plant a lawn on a slope, but caring for such an area will cause certain difficulties. It is better to use a self-propelled lawn mower for these purposes, which you do not have to drag around. It is worth understanding that site development is not cheap. But if you introduce ideas gradually, the blow to the budget will be smoothed out.

Water leaves the site on a slope faster, so you will have to water the plants more often. You can select trees and shrubs that do not need a lot of moisture. Since the slopes can be unstable, it is recommended to construct the main buildings at the top so that the foundation is not washed away.

Moving along a sloped surface requires a lot of effort, although it also contributes to excellent well-being. It is important to supervise children so that they do not get injured while playing on a sloped area.

Preparatory stage

The beginning of the preparatory stage consists of a sound assessment of the nuances that relate to a specific site. It's worth thinking about:

• relief;
• geometric parameters;
• possibility of implementing terraces;
• type of soil;
• groundwater level;
• prevailing winds;
• illumination of the territory.

A correct assessment of the terrain of the site will make it possible to best position buildings and zone the territory. When solving such problems, it is also worth considering the geometry of the allocated area. The arrangement of buildings and flower beds may depend on it. Some areas are not suitable for terracing due to the slope being too steep.

In some areas, the soil may be clayey and you will need to transport fertile soil if you want to grow crops. It is important to analyze weak points by finding out at what level the groundwater is located. In areas where they are close, you will need a high-quality drainage system.

Depending on the cardinal directions to which the hill is turned, as well as on the direction of the winds, a selection of plants is made. Some of them may freeze during the cold season. Some types of shrubs and trees love plenty of sun, which is also important to take into account.

Terracing

Everyone is familiar with this technique of arranging hills. Simply put, it is the creation of large steps or tiers. Each of them can carry its own functional load. This leveling method is used only when the slope exceeds 15 degrees. If the angle of the slope is smaller, then usually no modifications are made to level it. Terraces can be of different heights. It all depends on how steep the hill is.

In the case when the difference between the steps is only 0.5 meters, laying with stone without bandaging will be sufficient, since the loads on the walls are insignificant. If the difference reaches a meter or more, then the help of heavy equipment will be needed to ensure excavation work. The size of one platform also depends on the height of the difference. To make it easier to move between them, steps are built.

The process of creating slope terraces can be divided into two main stages;

• marking;
• formation.

Before markings are made, the plan must already indicate the place where the house and other buildings will be installed. Depending on this, boundaries are drawn on the slope, which will determine the width of each step. The arrangement of steps on the slope may not be sequential, but, for example, in a checkerboard pattern.

The formation process begins from the top of the hill. The equipment is gradually moving down. This makes it easier to move the cut soil, which is used to form the remaining areas. The standard height of terraces on a slope is considered to be no more than 80 cm. The length of each step can be 5 meters. The number of levels is limited by the customer's wishes.

Depending on the type of soil on the slope, it may be necessary to make a foundation for each partition under the terrace. It is necessary for reliable fixation of the wall, which will restrain the pressure of the soil. Instead of laying stone or brick, you can use gabions, which will perfectly complement the appearance of the site.

An excellent option would be gabions filled with pebbles. Moisture can have a destructive effect on the supporting wall and its foundation. This means that it is necessary to consider a drainage system that will drain melt and rain water in a timely manner.

You can avoid building massive walls with a foundation. To do this, it is enough to use a trick. Natural stone will still be needed, but it is mixed with the soil and seeds of unpretentious plants are added. When their root system gains sufficient strength, it will bind the soil to the stone, thereby strengthening the slopes. When laying brick walls, you can use different color schemes. In this case, you should not adhere to the even shape of the wall; you can make it zigzag or semicircular. In the resulting recesses it is easy to install benches and plant shrubs.

Note! When choosing wood as reinforcing walls for terraces on a slope, you must understand that their service life is limited. It can be extended a little through the use of protective compounds.

Arrangement

Paths on slopes can be arranged using natural stone. It can be laid on a prepared mortar so that the stones do not roll down the slope under their weight. Paths on the slope must be clearly marked. To make it easier to move on an inclined surface, they can be made in a zigzag shape to reduce the angle of climb at a time.

The path length increases, but less force needs to be applied. If the plans include building a pond on a slope, then it is better to place it on the lower terraces. There is no problem doing this at the top of the slope, but then good waterproofing will be required. A waterfall can descend to the reservoir from the very top of the slope.

You can strengthen the banks of a reservoir on slopes with various plants. These include marsh geranium, brunnera, ferns, meadowsweet, astilbe, loosestrife and others. Additionally, the banks of the reservoir on the slope are lined with bare stones. The recreation area can be located on the upper sections of the slope. You can sunbathe there. In extreme heat, you can move to the foot of the slope.

Each individual section of the slope can be decorated in its own style. This will require a lot of effort, but depending on your mood there will be freedom to choose the environment. There are more ideas for decorating the site in the video below.

Summary

As you can see, from a plot on a slope you can create a unique space for living and relaxation. You can get ideas from the illustrations in this article, and also ask one of the experienced designers for help.

The technology for creating terraces on a slope is somewhat different from constructing these buildings on a flat surface. In order to build a high terrace on pillars, you will need to construct a load-bearing base with horizontal plank cladding and a fence held in place by special protective curtains. You will learn how to build a terrace on a slope by reading this material.

How to make a high terrace on a slope (with photo)

If the house is located on a slope and even the first floor seems to float above the garden, then it would seem that there is no place for a terrace. However, it can be placed on high posts and raise the deck to the level of the zero level of the house. Such a terrace on pillars, rising above the sea of ​​greenery, like a captain’s bridge, will harmoniously fit into the structure of the house, and easily lowered fabric screens will protect the terrace from wind, direct sunlight and create a cozy atmosphere.

The terrace of a house located on a slope consists of two parts: a load-bearing base with horizontal plank cladding, mounted on, and a fence, the frames of which are held in place by protective curtains. Under the terrace raised above the slope, a large space is formed, convenient for storing a variety of items that will be almost invisible behind the cladding, surrounded by climbing plants planted around the perimeter.

Look how beautiful the high terraces look in these photos:

Before you make a terrace on a slope, you need to build a frame. To build such a structure, a lot of lumber will be required, but the work, in fact, is not that difficult, so only the main structural elements are described here. The dimensions of the building must correspond to the geometry of its site and the size of the house. Beams for a terrace on a slope of a site can be purchased in any section, taking into account the possibility of using available fasteners.

As a rule, the frame is assembled from beams with a cross-section of 50 x 150 mm using metal mounting angles with perforations. The external frame beams rest on racks attached to the foundation supports using anchor bearings. Fastening the posts in this way will prevent them from rotting and will save you from woodworm attacks.

Between the external frame beams and the beams attached to the walls using metal fastening perforated corners, transverse joists of the same section are installed.

Before building a terrace on a slope, you need to strengthen the frame. Installation of the terrace frame begins with attaching one of the beams to the wall of the house using anchors, having first positioned it strictly horizontally. The end of this beam protruding across the width of the terrace is supported on a temporary support and fixed with a clamp.

In the same way, when constructing a terrace on a slope, the remaining support beams are installed along the walls, forming the side of the terrace adjacent to the building profile. Having secured all the wall beams, the external frame beams are installed and secured to temporary supports.

As you can see in the photo, when building a terrace for a house located on a slope, transverse beams-logs are cut to fit the width of the building and laid in 80 cm increments:

They are attached, like all base elements, in place with self-tapping screws to the wall beam and external trim beam using steel perforated corners.

How to fasten the pillars of a high terrace with your own hands

The corner temporary supports of a terrace on a slope, built with your own hands, are replaced with stationary racks.

Under them, along the long side of the terrace, several concrete pillars are placed. Their number depends on the size of the structure and the type of soil at the construction site.

Concrete pillars are made by pouring mortar into plastic pipes (which are used, for example, for sewerage) installed in drilled holes. The depth of the support heel of the foundation column is determined by the depth of freezing and the characteristics of the soil. However, before drilling a hole, make sure that you accurately mark the perimeter of the terrace. Pay great attention to the foundation, as it is very important to do it correctly.

Mark the outline of the terrace with pegs, mark the places where the beams will lie and the support posts will stand. Stretch the cord between the pegs and make sure that all the foundation columns are located on the same line - and only then can you start digging holes.

Before making a terrace on a slope with your own hands, remove a layer of fertile soil from the area where the structure will be located. After forming the foundation, cover the cleaned surface with geotextiles and pour a layer of gravel several centimeters thick on it. This way, you will prepare a level area for work, and when the terrace is ready, the space created under the deck will be free of weeds.

When the holes are ready, pour crushed stone cushions on their bottom, install pipes and pour concrete into them. Before pouring from above, insert an anchor plate with a galvanized bracket into each formwork pipe, to which the terrace posts will subsequently be attached. Leave the poured posts with anchor inserts for several days, during which the cement mixture will harden.

After the concrete bases have hardened, place and bolt support posts made of timber with a cross-section of 100×100 mm onto each of them in the anchor bracket. The supports must first be aligned in one line and strictly vertical. Saw off the upper ends of the racks to the level at which the support beams of the lower trim will lie.

In the process of fastening the terrace pillars, the connection of the posts with the beams should be further strengthened on both sides with fasteners made of perforated metal plates. Such fasteners are used when assembling the entire terrace frame.

It is with the help of metal plates that short transverse logs are attached to the longitudinal beams. They are placed in the grooves of the fasteners and connected by driving nails or screwing self-tapping screws through the holes.

These photos of the construction of a house terrace on a slope show how the pillars are attached:

How to make a terrace on a slope with your own hands: covering the frame

The position of the terrace frame cladding boards, taking into account the selected gap between them, is marked on the railing posts. The first post is pre-drilled according to the markings and then used as a template for the rest.

The posts of a high terrace to the house are aligned according to the markings and level, and then screwed to the beams of the supporting structure. The boards of the upper trim of the terrace frame are attached to the upper ends of the fence posts, controlling their horizontal position.

After the short fence posts with handrails are attached along the perimeter of the terrace, the top trim is assembled along the corner posts of the fence. Before attaching auxiliary structural elements to the supporting frame, they must be securely fixed using clamps. When making a fence along the perimeter of the terrace, a board is first attached to the walls of the house, and then the fencing sheathing is attached to it.

When building a high terrace with your own hands, the side plank cladding is mounted to spacer boards, which are pre-attached to the posts so that the cladding strips are in the same plane as the railings.

To connect the railings in the corners, the boards are sawed “on a mustache”. On the inside, they are attached in one plane to the top horizontal sheathing board, and in the corners - to the fence posts.

The terrace cladding can be made not only continuous, but also openwork, that is, with gaps between the planks.

In order to maintain uniform gaps, the sheathing strips are first installed one after another, and then the remaining ones are placed between the installed ones.

When constructing a fence, you need to take into account that lumber of different sizes is available for sale. First, determine how much gap you would like to leave between the boards, then choose the optimal width of the boards and calculate the required amount of lumber. A gap of 20 mm can be considered optimal.

Sheathing the plinth of the terrace begins with the top board, which is attached to the racks from the outside. Subsequent boards are connected to the frame with screws from the inside.

Deck boards can be nailed to beams and joists using galvanized nails or screws.

Safety curtains for a high terrace on a steep slope

To protect a terrace on a steep slope from wind, sun and prying eyes, you can sew curtains from a special awning fabric no more than 2 m wide.

These curtains are quite simple and easy to unroll by hand. Manual control and secure fixation, as well as the absence of any mechanical devices, make them less vulnerable to all sorts of adverse influences.

It is advisable to use a synthetic fabric that is resistant to wind loads and moisture as a material for curtains. It is most convenient to cut it on a heat-resistant substrate with a hot tool designed for this purpose, but you can even use a soldering iron with a sharpened tip, using a metal ruler for emphasis.

If you use regular scissors, the cutting line will then need to be melted or hemmed, otherwise the fabric fibers may fray.

To make one curtain you will need the following materials:

• synthetic fabric 2000 x 1030 mm;
• two semicircular pine slats 28 x 14x2000 mm;
• two pine slats 35 x 10×2000 mm;
• three M6x60 studs with washers and hex nuts;
• three M6 threaded bushings;
• 1 m of 3 mm rubber cord (for loops at the top and bottom);
• three threaded hooks;
• chipboard screws;
• moisture-resistant wood glue.

Pay attention to the photo - when building a high terrace with your own hands, the panels from below and above are secured between profiled slats:

At the bottom, the curtain fabric is secured between semicircular slats with glue and screws. Three holes with a diameter of 5 mm are drilled in the bottom slats for rubber hinges. These loops hook onto hooks installed on the fence posts to prevent the drawn curtains from fluttering in the wind.

In the flat slats, between which the upper edge of the curtain is fixed, three 10 mm holes are drilled to attach the curtain to the top trim of the terrace frame. In addition, the upper fixing slats have two more 4 mm holes for rubber loops 6 cm long, which are necessary to hold the curtains folded. The advantage of elastic loops is that the roll can be quickly and easily inserted into and out of the loop.

Once assembled, the curtain fabric is manually wound around the round slats at the bottom edge into rolls, which are threaded through loops attached to the top slats.

To install the slats, you can use furniture connecting elements or threaded rods with washers and cap nuts. For them, holes of the required diameter are drilled in the upper fixing rail.

The curtains are mounted to the posts from the inside at the top of the fence, attached in increments of 30 mm. In the corners of the terrace this distance should be slightly larger so that the rolled curtains do not touch each other. The curtain is fixed with clamps in its intended place and the position of the fastening screws is noted.