Retaining Garden from next door...

[obliquegeek]

Not 100% this is the right place but hopefully someone can help.

New house - just getting to the back garden. Need to replace the fence all round and come across a little problem with one side and not sure what to do.

I've attached and image to try to make things a bit clearer.

Our garden is about 3.5 ft about higher than our neighbours and now I've cleared everything away from the fence, the retaining wall I was expecting isn't there. Instead the garden seems to be held back by some cut up motorway signs (two layers, each about 5mm thick) held in place with some bits of angle steel that have been wedged in behind a 2 block high breeze block 'wall' at the bottom. Our fence post are held in some rickety anchors bolted to the breeze blocks.

It doesn't look great and is definitely all leaning towards next door a bit.

We were intending to have some decking/shed on this side of the garden, but obviously need to get this sorted first.

I'm assuming this isn't particularly safe and I'm wondering what would be the best course of action?

Should I be digging everything out and rebuilding the wall? (Really don't what to have to do this - its' about 15 metres and no access for a digger...)

A friend mentioned replacing the fence posts with some 8ft concrete ones (attached to the block walls). Then sliding in a couple of concrete gravel boards (one on top of the other) until I get to the height of the garden, to hold everything back. Then fence on top.

 

[Crystalclear]

I've just this issue raised by my neighbours a week ago, but it was their lower ground that was thier issue.

They wanted to 'force' me to share a concrete post footing, instead of having our own seperate ones. It was just the cheek of the way they went about it, that made me not agree. Had they been open and decent without being rude and agressive? I woudl have paid 70-30.

In a nutshell, I'd suggest you have a verbal with the neighbours? See if you could both spilt the cost of a new shared concrete post footing, that way you technically double up on fences, and less chance of wear and tear with cold windy winter nights. Also, you would both gain in a way with the added few inches of land?

Worth a try.

 

[r896neo]

3.5ft is not an amount to be treated lightly when talking about retaining walls. It will require a decent construction.

You should be considering a proper masonary retaining wall or perhaps one of the mortarless engineered walls like tobermore's secura. It will most likely not be cheap though. best bet is to approach the neighbour and discuss it to see if they want to help sort out the problem then get some quotes. The mortarless systems are more than doable diy if you had the time.

 

[Crystalclear]

3.5ft is not an ammount to be sniffed at. It will req

Looks like your message got chewed up just before you posted a reply?

One more try?

 

[obliquegeek]

Thanks for the replies.

Neighbour not interested, so that's not going to happen. As far as he's concerned it's behind his fence, so it doesn't bother him. (lI'm sure he'd be interested if it did go...)

I can't really afford to get anyone in at the moment - spent out on sorting the house out so far. SO it's looking like I'll have to do something about it myself.

Seeing as there is already a wall a couple of block high - could I just build off that? Dig out behind, adding some drainage and the attach a fence on top of the wall?