THE TERRACED BACKYARD | KERRVILLE, Texas

‍Category: Hardscape & Site Improvement
Services: Retaining Wall · Grade Stabilization · Usable Yard Creation

FROM UNUSABLE SLOPE TO FAMILY BACKYARD

For this Kerrville property, the backyard presented more than a landscaping challenge.

A steep, primarily dirt slope left the family with very little usable outdoor space, while continued water erosion was gradually affecting the hillside. With young children at home, the homeowners wanted a safer, more stable backyard with room for their family to actually use and enjoy.

Terra Works addressed both needs by stabilizing the slope with a retaining wall and creating a level grass area above it.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

the challenge

The steep grade made much of the backyard difficult to use. Without adequate stabilization, water moving across the exposed soil continued to erode the slope.

That created two related problems:

The land wasn't performing well, and the family couldn't use it.

The solution therefore needed to do more than improve the appearance of the backyard. It needed to stabilize the terrain while creating meaningful, usable space.

our approach

We constructed a retaining wall to manage the grade and stabilize the slope.

By working with the elevation change rather than leaving the hillside as an unusable incline, the project created a level area above the wall that could become a functional lawn.

This allowed one intervention to address both the property's physical condition and the family's goal for the space.

the result

The retaining wall transformed the way the backyard functions. The previously eroding slope is now stabilized, and the family has gained a level lawn area where their children can play, turning previously difficult terrain into usable outdoor space.

This is a particularly good example of how thoughtful land improvements can solve a practical property problem while also improving everyday life at home.

Usable space sometimes has to be created, not simply landscaped.

On properties with significant grade changes, addressing the terrain first can create opportunities that aren't immediately obvious. Here, stabilizing the slope also made it possible to give the family something they didn't have before: functional backyard space.