Sandstone terracing
The yard fell away so steeply from the house that the family used almost none of it. The brief was to win back level ground without the result reading as a retaining job.
We cut the slope into three terraces held by dry-stacked sandstone block. Each wall is founded on engineered footings with an agricultural line and free-draining backfill behind it, so the hydraulic load never reaches the face. The block coursing was set out to keep joint lines running through, and the capping was selected on site.
A single flight of sandstone treads climbs through all three levels on one axis, which gives the yard a spine and makes the height feel deliberate rather than defensive.
The top terrace is a flat lawn platform, the middle a paved sitting level, and the lowest holds the fall at the boundary. Step lighting is recessed into the risers to make the climb safe after dark.
- Retaining walls, Sandstone steps, Earthworks
- 2024
- Northbridge, NSW
- Verto Landscapes
