On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:31:52 +0100, "MrSlope"
wrote:

My house is built on higher ground than my neighbour's. There's currently a
1 metre height difference between my garden and my neighbours, retained only
by a wooden fence which is beginning to fail. It looks something like this:
http://i40.tinypic.com/4rqb11.png

I'd like to avoid the cost, possible damage to trees, and disruption of
having a block retaining wall built, and a structural engineer has suggested
excavating the part of my garden next to the fence, to restore something
similar to the original slope, and then putting in decking over the
resulting sloping ground.

Does this sound like a good idea?
What sort of slope angle might the engineer suggest, given that the soil is
clay (this will determine the area of decking) ?
Is this likely to be cheaper than a block retaining wall, given that less
excavation is required?
What might the cost of the decking per square metre be?
Would planning permission be required?


Have you consulted your neighbours?

How happy do you think your neighbours would be with decking on your
property that would be 1 metre higher than their garden and ran to the
shared boundary?

If I was your neighbour I don't think I would be at all happy with
what you are proposing. I think I would probably be *livid* if you
went ahead and did it without discussing it with me first.

I'm not surprised you have posted anonymously. :-(