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My house is on slightly sloped land, and I am trying to fill soil to level the ground to make it more flat to lay lawn.

There will be 30-40cm height of soil that would go against the fence, but I don’t want soil to touch the fence as it add force and rot the fence.

I am thinking of few options:

  1. Add Villa board and nail to the fence
  2. Add plastic sheets against the fence
  3. Add a sleeper retaining close to the fence along the fence

What are my options...

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    What is "Villa board"?
    – FreeMan
    Sep 30, 2020 at 11:26
  • Also, what's on the other side of the fence?
    – Huesmann
    Oct 5, 2020 at 16:23

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Anything directly against the fence will allow moisture to accumulate and hasten decay. If you want a fast, simple solution, lay any rigid board against the fence to the new grade level with spacer shims to keep contact minimal. It'll do the job. Don't use plastic. It'll look bad and trap even more moisture.

Ideally you'd create a retaining wall a few inches away from the fence. Put down landscape fabric and your choice of covering or mulch (washed or crushed rock, cypress bark, etc.) between the fence and wall. It'll look nice and won't create too much of a safety hazard.

You could also do a double retaining wall with a terrace between for shrubbery and/or flowers. This would reduce the appearance of a channel against the fence and improve safety somewhat.

Whatever you decide, I'd mock up a short section of it to get a feel for how it transforms your yard. You might find that what's in your imagination doesn't match reality. Better to know that before you do the entire job.

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  • thanks @isherwood, "mock up short section..." is a great tip. Rigid board with shims seems like a good option and I am thinking of doing that. What kind of rigid board do you recon? would you be able to give some examples? IMO building a retaining wall to hold this sort of dirt (~30cm) seems to be an overkill, unless someone can point out a good reason to do that.
    – Dhanuka777
    Oct 1, 2020 at 0:26
  • I don't know what's available to you, but pressure-treated plywood is where I'd start shopping. Something like 3/4" / 20mm should do to keep from sagging much. Whether you build a wall is an aesthetic decision. There's no "overkill" with living space design. :)
    – isherwood
    Oct 1, 2020 at 12:44
  • After thinking a lot I ended up building a sleeper retaining wall, it came out nicely and more durable, very happy with the decision I made after filling soil and getting the lawn done. I would highly recommend that over any other solution though it takes bit cost + effort, well worth it!
    – Dhanuka777
    Feb 3, 2021 at 2:29

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