Terracing creates useable level space in an otherwise sloping yard.

Does your yard slope, and do you have a sense of hopelessness concerning its functional use? It would cost a small fortune to have a professional landscaper make it a useable space.

I empathize with you. My backyard is connected to a greenbelt that severely slopes down to a creek. I was concerned about erosion if I tried to start digging and creating flower or vegetable beds. I also wanted to build needed planting beds. Along with these issues, my property did not have a place to properly place and fully utilize my barbecue grill.

After obtaining a few estimates on how much it would take to turn my sloped grass yard into one I could actually live with (terracing the yard due to the degree of slope), I decided I could not possibly afford a professional to do the job. I had estimates that made the rest of my hair turn gray.

So what to do? I envisioned in my head how to solve the possible erosion problems and how to provide functional space for my grill as well as expanding the planting beds. I began drawing up a plan that enabled me to visualize how I could move the soil from the upper half of the slope to the lower part.

Here are my steps to build a dream terrace that is functional and adds value to a formerly unusable space. In order for this to work, the terracing must be structurally sound.

The first issue is what type of soil you have. If the soil is sandy, you will need to build a footer to support your block wall. Dig a 12-inch trench on the two sides and the lower end of the terrace. Pour a 4-inch-thick concrete footer with rebar reinforcement. The top section will not need a footing. If the soil is clay, it should easily support the wall without danger of washing away or falling from erosion. Another solution would be to dig a trench and fill it with rock to keep the walls from shifting. Backfill the space behind the wall with rock to keep it from shifting and to help reduce soil erosion.

Proper equipment for digging, shoveling and moving large pieces of grass, soil and rock is needed. More than likely, several yards of soil will be moved out of the space, but there is also a possibility that more soil will be needed to fill the new upper space after the terracing is complete.

Patience is a required virtue when undertaking a project of this magnitude. If you look at the entire picture, it is possibly overwhelming. However, by staying steady and true, taking it one day at a time and never giving up that dream of a terraced yard, you can turn the useless into beautiful. After building the base wall, you can turn your attention to the upper walls and walkways. Large landscaping blocks and flagstone topped off the barbecue terrace and created the walkways.

After all of the hard work came the fun part – putting in ornamental grasses and some perennials to begin landscaping the base wall and planting beds.

I eliminated the erosion problem, increased the value of my property, saved money by doing it myself and provided a beautiful backyard my family can enjoy. The best result of this entire terracing project is the time I now can spend with my favorite activity – smoking and grilling tasty meats for family and friends.

All projects do not have to be such a huge undertaking, but you can save a bundle of money doing projects yourself.