How to Do Terraced Landscaping for a Split Ranch Home

Measure the rise and run of the slope to determine how many terraces you need. The rise is the vertical height of the hill from the top to the bottom, and the run is the horizontal distance (the base) from the low point of the hill to the high point. In our example, the run is eight feet and the rise is four feet, and each bed is two feet high, so you will construct two beds that are four feet long.

Lay timbers at the base of the hill to mark the outline of the bed. Mark the edges of the timbers by driving an edging shovel straight into the ground about an inch away from the timbers on each side.

Remove the timbers and dig a trench that is half the height of the timbers. Tamp down the soil at the bottom of the trench and make sure that it's level.

Drill holes through the base timbers every two feet with a 1/4-inch spade drill bit. Place the timbers in the trench with the holes positioned vertically.

Drive rebar through the holes in the timbers into the ground with a sledgehammer. Drive the rebar at least a foot into the ground, and cut the excess length with a hacksaw.

Dig holes into the hill that line up with the side timbers and are six feet long.

Measure and cut timbers to fit the first bed.

Place the second course of timbers on top of the base run, staggering them so they overlap the edges of the timbers in the base course. Drive timber screws through both courses of timbers, using two screws in the corners and one in the middle of the walls.

Continue building the walls using this method until they reach two feet high.

Excavate the hill until you are eight feet from the front timbers of the bed.

Place a timber across the timbers on top of the first bed four feet back from the front of the bed. Attach it to the timbers beneath it with two timber screws on each side.

Build the second bed, using the same method you used for the first bed.

Fill both beds with the excavated soil until it is about three inches beneath the top edge of the beds.

Cover the soil in the beds with topsoil until it is just beneath the top edge of the timbers.

Plant the flowers or plants of your choice.

Cover the topsoil with a thin layer of mulch.