Wooden sleepers any good?

[mattgriff]

Hello

I am think of ideas on what to do to my garden.

Garden is 10m x 10m so I want to patio 6m and astroturf 4m.

The garden slopes by 2ft so after much thought I think I'm better off having 2 levels.
1 level for the patio with a small retaining wall at 6m and then drop down to a lower level for the astroturf.

My question is to level off the lower level I am going to have to put something against the fence posts at the end of the garden to retain the earth from 6m to 10m if that makes sense.

Would a wooden sleeper across the whole width of the back fence be sufficient or am I better off using something else?
Don't want to build a wall at the end.

 

[23vc]

Sleepers are easy and will work, but have a limited lifespan. I know others on here hate them, but for DIY they’re a pretty cheap and easy way of getting what most people think is a good looking job.
When I say limited lifespan, I can’t remember ever actually seeing any rotten ones, but they eventually will. First ones I ever did were 10 years ago and still fine (pressure treated new ones, not real creosoted railway sleepers)

 

[^woody^]

The question is whether you'd like to be looking at wooden sleepers, or not.

 

[martygturner]

The question is whether you'd like to be looking at wooden sleepers, or not.

Well as the op said he wanted timber why would he not want to look at them...every helpful woody as per normal.

Railway sleepers work fine, they will easily hold back two feet of soil, remember its just the 45 degrees of soil from the base to the top ground level they are retaining as gravity only works in one direction. All the sleepers are doing is retaining the soil liable to slump.

laying them is no biggie, if the soil is well compacted after you strip the turf they can be set direct, if you want belt and braces use ground anchors set in postcreat on the reverse face of the sleeper. https://www.toolstation.com/concrete-in-sleeper-base-anchor-bracket/p75498. Stagger any joints.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Don't use old or new treated wood in the soil anywhere near anything you're going to eat, as they will leach poisons into the soil. But by the sound of paving and plastic grass it doesn't sound like this is very likely.

But if you have pets or children think twice. Wood is food to lots of organisms, the only way to preserve it is to make it very toxic to living things. Fine if it's a roof joist in a loft, not so good if it's next to your cabbages.

A wall is the best way. Gabions or concrete gravel boards are other non-toxic options.

 

[^woody^]

Well as the op said he wanted timber why would he not want to look at them

I am think of ideas on what to do to my garden.

 

[martygturner]

So suggest something then woody... put your head above the parapet for once.

 

[^woody^]

So suggest something then woody... put your head above the parapet for once.

You're not getting it are you?
Perhaps you like to live in a cluttered mess of random things thrown together because some other random person suggested it. I don't know.

But the OP is doing his garden up, so perhaps he does not want some random suggestions of what to use for retaining the ground, rather they may want to think about the design of the garden and what will fit in with that. That's my suggestion. I may have another one too.

 

[noseall]

Hello

I am think of ideas on what to do to my garden.

Garden is 10m x 10m so I want to patio 6m and astroturf 4m.

The garden slopes by 2ft so after much thought I think I'm better off having 2 levels.
1 level for the patio with a small retaining wall at 6m and then drop down to a lower level for the astroturf.

My question is to level off the lower level I am going to have to put something against the fence posts at the end of the garden to retain the earth from 6m to 10m if that makes sense.

Would a wooden sleeper across the whole width of the back fence be sufficient or am I better off using something else?
Don't want to build a wall at the end.

Modern sleepers will rot through in 5 years, if they are in contact with soil. You will regret it.

 

[mrrusty]

..and astroturf is the work of the devil. You'll probably regret that too after it fills up with crud that can't disperse.

 

[martygturner]

You're not getting it are you?
Perhaps you like to live in a cluttered mess of random things thrown together because some other random person suggested it. I don't know.

But the OP is doing his garden up, so perhaps he does not want some random suggestions of what to use for retaining the ground, rather they may want to think about the design of the garden and what will fit in with that. That's my suggestion. I may have another one too.

He asked for suggestions...what did you suggest...absolute nothing .. as per normal.
Are you harry by chance ?

 

[noseall]

He asked for suggestions...what did you suggest...absolute nothing .. as per normal.
Are you harry by chance ?

A masonry wall is the best solution.
Retaining walls or planters built from wood, is a DIY/landscaper concept, that is borne from low quality, quick/cheap and zero skill.

 

[^woody^]

OK, by popular request I would suggest bottling the brain cells of at least one and maybe two posters in this thread and with just a thin layer these should make an excellent dense and impenetrable layer that would be like having the Hoover Dam in your back garden. Nothing will get through.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

There's a good reason you don't see wooden garden features over ten years old... they've all gone to the tip as they rotted through.

It's the favoured technique of landscapers and cowboys, who want it to last until the payment clears and don't care beyond that.

Masonry wall, real grass would be the best and cheapest option in the long term.

 

[opps]

..and astroturf is the work of the devil. You'll probably regret that too after it fills up with crud that can't disperse.

I periodically hoover our fake grass. From memory it is about 7 years old.