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Sloped backyards—where the yard dips either towards or away from your home—are a common sight in backyards across Canada.
While many homeowners enjoy the sight of a gently rolling grassy slope, a sloped backyard can pose a unique set of challenges when you want to do some landscaping or renovations, such as adding a shed, fence, patio, or garden, or contemplating a significant reno like installing a pool or adding an extension onto your home.
Common reasons why your yard may be sloped
There are several reasons why your backyard might have a slope. Some of the most common include:
- the natural topography of the yard;
- soil erosion over time; or
- the previous owner’s landscaping choices.
What to do with a sloped yard
Regardless of why your yard is sloped, if you want to renovate or landscape, there are many ways to deal with a slanted yard. For projects like adding a shed or putting in a new fence, for example, it could be as simple as locating the new structure in an area of your property where the slope won’t interfere.
For relatively mild slopes, you or your contractor could consider digging up the lawn, levelling the yard by adding more dirt and soil, and then planting new grass or other plants on top. Just be sure to use a base layer of fill dirt first for drainage and to keep the shape you want, and then add a layer of good quality topsoil on top to give your grass or plants the minerals and nutrients they need. Also, always leave at least four inches between the top of the slope and the side of your house to prevent water from pooling at the edges of your foundation.
For larger projects, other options might include putting in retaining walls to create more level areas, landscaping your yard to take advantage of the natural slope, adding a multi-level deck or garden, installing concrete paving slabs, a gravel or concrete box or pad underneath a shed, or taking steps to reduce, lessen or eliminate the slope altogether.
“Slopes can offer significant challenges,” explains Benjamin Stapper, a landscape designer with Wild Ridge Landscapes in the Nepean-area of Ottawa, Ontario. “But in many cases, there are also unique design opportunities. Cascading water features, infinity-edge pools, or transforming a slope into a series of usable terraces can greatly improve the functionality of the space, and offer unique views or site lines.”
Pipes, permits, and other priorities
As with almost any outdoor renovation involving a below-ground aspect, when renovating a sloped yard, the first thing you need to do is make sure you know where the pipes/wires are buried. A sloped yard can influence where and how the underground services in the yard are located, so it’s essential to know where they are before doing any digging or levelling.
“Call before you dig,” Stapper notes. “The location of any underground services always needs to be identified before any digging occurs. This includes public services such as hydro, natural gas and water, as well as private services like irrigation systems, lighting, or invisible pet fencing.”
To identify the location and depth of any underground utilities, you can call your local/provincial “Call Before You Dig” service or visit the national Click Before You Dig website. Both the call and the online portal are completely free of charge, but it can take a little while to process your inquiry. Be sure to send in your request for information at least five full business days before you want to start digging.
Next, check with your local municipality or homeowner association, or ask your contractor or landscape architect, to find out if you need any special permits to cover things like grading the yard, adding a retaining wall, or making any other structural changes.
Another key consideration to think about is drainage. Sloping yards can make it hard to water your plants and grass evenly. Excess water can also pool at the base of the slope, and potentially even cause localised flooding or damage.
“Managing stormwater and surface drainage is of paramount importance when any alterations to a sloped site are being considered,” Stapper says. “Local or municipal bylaws govern drainage patterns along property lines to ensure any change will have no negative impact on an adjacent property. If alterations or developments are being considered, an engineered drainage plan will need to be attained and approved.”
Pools and additions
Depending on how steep your slope is, if you’re doing a larger renovation like installing a pool or building an addition to your home, you may need to level all or some of your yard before you can even begin to get to work. Levelling can be a relatively simple process, or it can be a significant excavation that requires the use of heavy machinery and skilled labour.
For anything that involves making major structural changes, consider hiring an experienced contractor, landscape architect, or landscape services company to do the heavy lifting for you. That way, you’ll know in advance how much it might cost, so you can make a more informed choice for your yard, your family, and your wallet.
“A sloped yard will often have more challenging construction access for machinery, adding to the cost,” Stapper notes. “Foundations and footings will generally need to be more significant or engineered differently to accommodate a grade change and any concerns around erosion.”
If you’re installing a pool and don’t want to have to level your yard, you can use retaining walls to separate the higher parts of your yard from the lower areas. While some retaining walls have a decidedly “utilitarian” look, others can take advantage of the natural landscape to become eye-catching design elements of your new backyard.
Other alternatives include building an infinity pool on the upper side of the slope to take advantage of the higher views, building an elevated deck around the pool, or installing multi-level terraces for steeper slopes where a retaining wall might not work as well.
Know when to get help
Just remember this is your home we’re talking about. So unless the project is very simple, hiring a contractor or landscape architect with experience in sloped yards can help you navigate the permit process, identify the underground services, and make sure your renovation complies with all relevant local regulations.
By taking the time to do your research first, doing a little planning—and hiring the right professionals—you can turn your sloped backyard into a unique, beautiful and functional oasis your family will enjoy for years to come.
