Start at the door
Everything follows from the height of your back door. We measure the threshold, then take levels at intervals down the garden to see exactly how the ground falls. A garden that looks gently sloping can drop well over a metre from the house to the back fence.
With those numbers we can show you the choices. A single raised deck gives one big, level space but needs more guarding and a longer flight of steps. A split-level design keeps each platform close to the ground, which feels more relaxed, needs less guarding and is more likely to avoid planning permission on the lower parts.
Three ways to handle a slope
One level and steps. Best where the fall is modest or the garden is short. A generous deck outside the door, then wide steps down to the lawn.
Stepped levels. Two or three platforms that follow the ground, each joined by a couple of steps. These work well on long gardens in Ormesby, Nunthorpe and Marton, and each level can have its own purpose: dining near the kitchen, a lounging deck lower down where the evening sun lingers.
Deck and terrace. A raised deck by the house, with the lower garden left as lawn or planting. Good where you want to keep green space and just need somewhere level to sit.
Clay ground and water
Middlesbrough's heavy clay matters more on a slope. Water runs downhill, under the deck, and towards whoever is at the bottom. We dig post pads deep enough for the clay, lay membrane and gravel and, where water collects, add a simple drainage channel or soakaway so the ground under the deck doesn't stay waterlogged.
Planning and safety
Decking is generally permitted development as long as no part is more than 30cm above the ground. On a slope, the upper end of a deck often exceeds that, so we measure carefully at the visit and tell you if permission is likely to be needed. Where it is, we help with the drawings.
Separately, any edge with a drop of more than 600mm needs guarding to Building Regulations guidance, and steps need consistent risers. On stepped designs we try to keep each level low enough that guarding is only needed where it really helps.
Getting materials into the garden
Sloping gardens often have steep side paths or steps. We plan how boards, posts and concrete will get to the back, and protect paths and lawns while we work. It's part of the visit, not a surprise on the first morning.
Your questions
What if the garden slopes up away from the house?
Then we often build the deck a little way down the garden, cut gently into the slope with a low retaining edge, or put it at the top for the view, with steps up. We'll show you the options.
Can a deck replace an old rockery or retaining wall?
Often. A deck can bridge a change in level where a crumbling rockery used to be. If an old wall is holding back soil, we check whether it needs attention before building near it.