A Retaining Sleeper Wall Brings Kerb Appeal to a Front Garden in Henley-on-Thames
Our task was to convert a large overgrown bank into a sharply defined raised bed area. The result is a smart and contemporary approach to this modern style property.
Our Client’s Brief:
- The large overgrown bank was not doing justice to the approach of the property. The brief was to construct a new curved oak sleeper retaining wall to bring structure and kerb appeal to the front driveway and complement the house.
- The new retaining wall was to run opposite the front of the house continuing around the tree.
- The wall was to finish at the new electric gates which will be installed at a later date.
What We Did:
Remove Unwanted Vegetation and Excavate Soil
We started by clearing the area of unwanted overgrown vegetation and excavating the soil to start creating the raised bank.
Build Retaining Wall
- We built the new retaining wall by concreting the oak sleepers into the ground so they stood upright side by side.
- This made a change for us as we are so used to laying sleepers horizontally for the raised planting beds we regularly build for our garden projects.
- The vertical sleepers are very effective, and complement the style of the house.
Line and Fill Bed and Install Electrics
- Next we lined the new raised border with a thick polythene membrane and topped it up level with soil ready for the planting.
- We also ran an electric cable underground from the new gates to the power supply in the garage and installed a green chain link fence either side of the gates along the garden’s boundaries to enclose the space.
The Outcome:
- The approach to the property has been transformed. The large overgrown bank is now a smartly defined raised bed area, creating a contemporary approach which perfectly complements the modern style of the property.
- The curved outline of the wall gives definition to this large front area and the oak sleepers echo the timber porchway and windows along the exterior of the house.
- The existing tree which was previously hidden by the overgrown vegetation can be appreciated now as a feature within the bank. This will be added to with new planting, which will be set off beautifully by the oak sleeper retaining wall.
Take a look at this before and after slider to see the transformation that has taken place.
