Dealing with an awkward boundary!

[w33blegurl]

Morning all!

So...our neighbours recently put up a new fence (it has been a really crappy process for both us and them believe me - rubbish fencers and it has now been redone, plants on our side trampled and the bl**dy fencers have left loads of rubble/debris grrrr!! I don't blame the neighbours, we get on very well). The boundary has moved in our favour to where it is supposed to be (the old neighbour put their fence on our side of the boundary line annoyingly) but for various reasons the soil etc on the boundary is not quite as stable as it used to be. We have a difference in height between our two gardens with them being 1-2 feet (depending where you are!) higher than us. As the fence now sits much higher than it used to and is on their level (previously on our level holding back soil/rubble etc) we have a lot of stuff very slowly sliding in to our garden in a couple of places....so...we need to put some kind of retaining thing on our side in a couple of places. We know that the neighbours are going to have a lot of building work done over the next year which will involve more movement in terms of the garden (rubbishy old crazy paved patio coming up etc) so I think I need some advice on how to shore things up on our side in as cheap and cheerful a manner as possible. Mainly as we don't have a lot of spare cash at the moment but also as there is a small chance the fence may be changed again (don't ask, the whole situation is a bit of a sh*t show) and I'm loathe to put in something that may need to be shifted/changed again anyway.

Any suggestions you may have would be appreciated and apologies for the slight ranting but this has been a bit of a process over the last 4 months with this fence (still some process to go as I have a lot of rubble to get out of our garden including where they have concreted in big bits of rubble round the posts on OUR side which I'm going to need to part remove (it's like 8 inches into our garden and is where I was planning to move the compost bin - sigh, its a never ending clean up after this fence...)).

Cheers!

[bikermike]

If there are works going on next door, under the Party Wall Act, you can probably get them to stabilise it by the works. Talk to a surveyor who does party walls.

[Snadger]

I have a similar area and built a brick retaining wall. Other alternatives are railway sleepers,sloping soil at your side to bottom of fence,breeze blocks, paving set on edge,corrugated metal, or extending fence on your side to your ground level.

I have an area at the front of my garden I am digging out for a car hard standing. This will give about an 18 inch sheer wall under a hedge which I intend slightly sloping and facing with stones I have excavated, cemented in place.

Hope you find a solution.

[Nicos]

I like the idea of railway sleepers placed sideways on.....yes, they are heavy but can be moved.....and sold on when you don't need them any more!
Agreed - not particularly cheap to start with, but you'd get most of your money back afterwards.

[Stan79]

Most permanent solution is to ship in soil to grade up at 45* angle to the higher level of the soil... Retaining wall of sleepers is an option but unless you have vertical posts in to strengthen it, it won't hold it back forever.

[nickdub]

If money is a consideration anything strong and free or cheap would be my first put. Say old scaffolding poles for example - metal is more long-lasting than wood if in contact with the ground. My basic plan would be to drive in some strong metal rods or poles vertically with a sledge hammer and then use some metal sheets in behind that to hold back any further slippage of soil. Sounds a bit visually rubbish I know, but you can always add some loose stones and or wood after the structural stuff is in place - then plant some climbers or other perennials on top after.

[w33blegurl]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll certainly look int the party wall thing. I like the idea of the sleepers (building a "proper" wall is definitely out of my bodgy DIY ability) so might have a think to see if we could stretch to a few, point also taken about needing vertical bits to strengthen!
Cheers!!

[Stan79]

Check ebay for sleepers. Around here they're about £25 for a 20cm x 10cm x 2.4m

[Stan79]

That's for new ones.

Some old railway sleepers complete with ironmongery and tar seeping out of them are either cheaper or more expensive depending on who's selling them and what their market is!!!